COLOSSUS: THE FORBIN PROJECT & THE TAKING OF THE PELHAM ONE TWO THREE Director Joseph Sargent Dead At 89

The director that epitomized the 1970’s, Joseph Sargent, has sadly passed away. (1925-2014)

With a career lasting 50 years, Sargent brought to the big screen such thrilling cinema as THE TAKING OF THE PELHAM ONE TWO THREE, MACARTHUR, WHITE LIGHTNING and COLOSSUS: THE FORBIN PROJECT.

Directors Guild of America President Paris Barclay made the following statement upon learning of the passing of director Joseph Sargent:

“When it comes to directing Movies for Television, Joe’s dominance and craftsmanship was legendary – for the past 50 years. With eight DGA Awards nominations in Movies for Television, more than any other director in this category, Joe embodied directorial excellence on the small screen. He was unafraid of taking risks, believing in his heart that television audiences demanded the highest quality stories – whether chronicling uncomfortable historic events like the infamous Tuskegee syphilis study in Miss Evers’ Boys, or compelling personal stories about inspiring individuals like heart surgery pioneers Alfred Blalock and Vivien Thomas in Something the Lord Made. His biographies demonstrated an exactitude for period accuracy while simultaneously infusing historical figures with true-to-life spirit and passion. Joe once said that he was “drawn to projects possessing ‘edge’ – material that can make some comment or contribution to the condition of man,” and it is this ‘edge’ that is his enduring directorial legacy.”

Joe Sargent was a Guild member for more than 53 years, joining the Guild in 1961.

Sargent was nominated for nine DGA Awards, with eight in the category of Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television. He won four DGA Awards; in 1973 as “Most Outstanding TV Director, 1973” and for The Marcus-Nelson Murders, also in 1973; in 2004 for Something the Lord Made; and in 2005 for Warm Springs.

His additional five DGA nominations for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television and Mini-Series include: For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story in 2000; A Lesson Before Dying in 1999, Miss Evers’ Boys in 1997; World War II: When Lions Roared in 1994; and Miss Rose White in 1992.

Sargent served on the DGA’s Western Directors Council from 1974-83; and the 1973 and 1977 Negotiating Committees. He was also active on the Guild’s Movies for Television and Creative Rights Committees.

His early television directorial work included Bonanza, Mr. Novak, Daniel Boone, Gunsmoke, The Fugitive, Star Trek (The Corbomite Maneuver (Nov 10, 1966), The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color, The Invaders, and It Takes a Thief.

His first feature film was Colossus: The Forbin Project, released in 1970. During the 1970’s and ‘80s Sargent alternated between television and film, helming such theatrical features as The Man (1972), White Lightning (1973), The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974), MacArthur (1977), Goldengirl (1979), Coast to Coast (1980), Nightmares (1983), and his final feature, Jaws: The Revenge (1987), after which he primarily focused on movies-for-television.

During the later part of his career, Sargent directed numerous award-winning and critically acclaimed television movies—many biographical or based on historical events. These include The Karen Carpenter Story (1989), Caroline? (1990), Never Forget (1991), Somebody’s Daughter (1992), Miss Rose White (1992), Abraham (1993), World War II: When Lions Roared (1994), the mini-series Streets of Laredo (1995), Mandela and de Klerk (1997), Miss Evers’ Boys (1997), Crime and Punishment (1998), A Lesson Before Dying (1999), For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story (2000), Bojangles (2001), Something the Lord Made (2004), Warm Springs (2005), Sybil (2007), and Sweet Nothing in My Ear (2008).