Topper Carew

Last updated
Topper Carew
Born
Colin Anthony Carew [1]

(1943-07-16) July 16, 1943 (age 81)
Occupation(s)Television producer, screenwriter, television writer, film director
Years active1980–present
Spouse(s)Alyce Sprow, 1982-2001, her death
Children2 daughters, Cicely & Lena Carew

Colin Anthony "Topper" Carew [1] (born July 16, 1943) [1] is an American film director, screenwriter and producer. [2] [3] [4]

Contents

Early life

Carew was raised in the Roxbury section of Boston, and attended John D. O'Bryant School of Math & Science. [5] He initially went to college at Howard University, and later transferred to Yale, where he earned bachelor's degree in Architecture and master's degree in Environmental Design from Yale. [6] He also has a Doctorate in Communications from the Union Graduate School/Institute for Policy Studies. [6]

Career

Carew began his career making documentary films about the relationship between ethnic neighborhoods and the surrounding architecture. [6]

He was a Community Fellow at MIT, and a Broadcast Fellow at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. [6]

He is best known for such films as Talkin' Dirty After Dark and D.C. Cab . He is also the creator of such television series as Martin . [5] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]

Filmography

Film

YearNameRoleNotes
1970This Is the Home of Mrs. Levant GrahamDirector, ProducerShort documentary
1972 A Luta Continua NarratorDocumentary
1983Breakin' 'N' Enterin'DirectorDocumentary
D.C. Cab Story / Producer
1984Be Somebody... or Be Somebody's Fool!Producer Direct-to-video
1985And the Children Shall LeadProducer Made-for television
1989A Little Bit StrangeExecutive producerMade-for-television
1991 Talkin' Dirty After Dark Director / Screenwriter
2006We Don't Die, We Multiply: The Robin Harris StoryDirectorDirect-to-video documentary

Television

YearNameRoleNotes
1980The Righteous ApplesProducer11 episodes
1987 Bustin' Loose Executive producer27 episodes
1989 Homeroom Executive producer13 episodes
1992-97 Martin Creator / Executive producerCreated 132 episodes / Produced 27 episodes
1998 The Journey of Allen Strange Director2 episodes
1998 Cousin Skeeter DirectorEpisode "Miracle on 32nd Skeet"
2000-02 The Jersey Director3 episodes
2001-02 100 Deeds for Eddie McDowd Director2 episodes

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Birth date and residence search results for Colin Anthony ("Topper") Carew". FamilySearch.org. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  2. "BLACK WRITERS AND PRODUCERS ARE WIDENING THEIR FOCUS". The New York Times . 1983-05-29.
  3. O'Connor, John J. (1992-11-03). "Review/Television; A Macho Image for a Sensitive Soul". The New York Times.
  4. Ltd, Earl G. Graves (1 April 1980). "Black Enterprise". Earl G. Graves, Ltd. via Google Books.
  5. 1 2 Lunis, Kwani A. Martin' co-creator, ‘a son of Roxbury,' on education, constructing a life of purpose: Roxbury native Topper Carew shares his journey from the John D. O'Bryant School of Math & Science to Howard University, Yale and M.I.T. led to two successful careers, in Hollywood and in architecture. NBC10 Boston. March 10, 2024. https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/kwani-has-questions/martin-co-creator-a-son-of-roxbury-on-education-constructing-a-life-of-purpose/3302386/
  6. 1 2 3 4 Colin "Topper" Carew. Former Visiting Scholar. MIT Media Lab. https://www.media.mit.edu/people/tcarew/overview/
  7. Hill, Michael E. (23 August 1992). "'MARTIN' A LONG LEAP FROM LANDOVER TO HOLLYWOOD". The Washington Post .
  8. "Breaking down the color barrier. Producer Topper Carew uses TV to help shape values". The Christian Science Monitor . 2 February 1988.
  9. Zauzmer, Julie (2018-03-30). "The ancient ritual". PressReader . The Washington Post. Archived from the original on April 27, 2018. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  10. Robbins, Michael W. (1 March 1971). "The Neighborhood and the Museum". Curator: The Museum Journal. 14 (1): 63–68. doi:10.1111/j.2151-6952.1971.tb00422.x.
  11. Ltd, Earl G. Graves (1 September 1987). "Black Enterprise". Earl G. Graves, Ltd. via Google Books.