Joseph Sargent (born Giuseppe Danielle Sorgente; July 22, 1925 – December 22, 2014) was an American film director. Though he directed many television movies, his best known feature-length works were arguably the action movie '' White Lightning'' starring

Burt Reynolds Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. (February 11, 1936 – September 6, 2018) was an American actor, considered a sex symbol and icon of 1970s American popular culture. Reynolds first rose to prominence when he starred in television series such as '' ...

, the biopic '' MacArthur'' starring

Gregory Peck Eldred Gregory Peck (April 5, 1916 – June 12, 2003) was an American actor and one of the most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1970s. In 1999, the American Film Institute named Peck the 12th-greatest male star of Classic Hollywood C ...

, and the horror anthology '' Nightmares''. His most popular feature film was the subway thriller '' The Taking of Pelham One Two Three''. Sargent won four Emmy Awards over his career. He is the father of voice actress

Lia Sargent Lia Sargent is an American voice actress. She is known for extensive anime and video game voice work and has also done ADR directing and script writing for Animaze.. iNC. She is the daughter of movie and TV director Joseph Sargent and actr ...

Life and career

Sargent was born Giuseppe Danielle Sorgente in Jersey City, New Jersey, the son of Italians Maria (née Noviello) and Domenico Sorgente. Sargent served in the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...

during World War II, where he fought in the

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted from 16 December 1944 to 28 January 1945, towards the end of the war ...

.Joseph Sargent dies at 89; prize-winning film and TV movie director
'' Los Angeles Times'' via Internet Archive. Retrieved March 12, 2022.Joseph Sargent, Emmy-winning director of TV and film productions, dies at 89
'' The Washington Post'' via Internet Archive. Retrieved March 12, 2022.Emmy-Winning Director Joseph Sargent Dies at 89
'' Variety''. Retrieved March 12, 2022.Sargent, Joseph 1925 - (Joe Sargent, Joseph D. Sargent) PERSONAL
Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved March 12, 2022. Sargent began his career as an actor, appearing in numerous films and television programs. He appeared in an uncredited role as a soldier in the film '' From Here to Eternity'' (1953) where he also met his first wife

Mary Carver Mary Carvellas (May 3, 1924 – October 18, 2013), better known as Mary Carver, was an American actress whose career spanned more than 60 years. She may be best known for her role as matriarch Cecilia Simon on the series ''Simon & Simon'' appearin ...

on the set. In the mid 1950s Sargent switched to directing; over the next 15 years his directing credits would include episodes of television series '' Lassie'', ''

The Invaders ''The Invaders'' is an American science-fiction television series created by Larry Cohen that aired on ABC for two seasons, from 1967 to 1968. Roy Thinnes stars as David Vincent, who after stumbling across evidence of an in-progress invasio ...

'' (four episodes), ''

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' is an American spy fiction television series produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television and first broadcast on NBC. The series follows secret agents, played by Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, who work for a secret ...

'' and the '' Star Trek'' episode "

The Corbomite Maneuver "The Corbomite Maneuver" is the tenth episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series ''Star Trek''. Written by Jerry Sohl and directed by Joseph Sargent, it first aired on November 10, 1966. In the episode, the ' ...

". He appeared in the Western series '' Gunsmoke'', once in 1957 as a man, turned drunk, who lost his drive to live, in the episode “Skid Row” (S2E22); then again as a drunk cowboy who gets killed in The Longbranch Saloon in the 1959 episode “”There Never Was A Horse” (S4 E35). In 1969, he directed his first feature, the science fiction thriller '' Colossus: The Forbin Project''. In 1971, he was hired to direct ''

Buck and the Preacher ''Buck and the Preacher'' is a 1972 American Western film released by Columbia Pictures, written by Ernest Kinoy and directed by Sidney Poitier. Poitier also stars in the film alongside Harry Belafonte and Ruby Dee. This is the first film Sidn ...

'' but, after a few days of shooting, was replaced by Sidney Poitier who cited creative differences. The next year, however, he directed '' The Man'', starring James Earl Jones, which was begun as a television movie. He alternated between television movies and feature films during the 1970s. Sargent's directorial work from this period includes; '' The Taking of Pelham One Two Three'', the TV movies '' Hustling'' with Lee Remick and Jill Clayburgh, '' Maybe I'll Come Home in the Spring'' with Sally Field and '' Tribes'' with

Jan-Michael Vincent Jan-Michael Vincent (July 15, 1944 – February 10, 2019) was an American actor known for portraying helicopter pilot Stringfellow Hawke in the TV series '' Airwolf'' (1984–1987) and the protagonist, Matt Johnson, in the 1978 film ''Big ...

and

Darren McGavin Darren is a masculine given name of uncertain etymological origins. Some theories state that it originated from an Anglicisation of the Irish first name Darragh or Dáire, meaning "Oak Tree". According to other sources, it is thought to come from ...

, as well as international award-winning ABC film '' The Night That Panicked America''. In 1974, he won his first Directors Guild of America Award for '' The Marcus-Nelson Murders'' (1973), which was the TV movie pilot for the '' Kojak'' series. In the 1980s, Sargent directed mini-series ''

Manions of America ''The Manions of America'' is a 6-hour mini-series for American television made in 1981. The subject of the series were Irish immigrants to the United States during the Great Famine of the mid-19th century. It was directed by Joseph Sargent and ...

'', which featured Pierce Brosnan, and '' Space''. In 1987 he directed '' Jaws: The Revenge'', the third sequel to Steven Spielberg's 1975 classic. The film received entirely negative reviews.

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...

called his directing of the climactic sequence "incompetent," and he was nominated for Worst Director in the 1987 Golden Raspberry Awards. He concentrated on TV movies after ''Jaws: The Revenge'', including ''

The Karen Carpenter Story ''The Karen Carpenter Story'' is an American made-for-television biographical film about singer Karen Carpenter and the brother-and-sister pop music duo of which she was a part, The Carpenters. The film aired on CBS on January 1, 1989. Directed ...

'', ''

The Long Island Incident ''The Long Island Incident'' is a 1998 American made-for-television drama film produced by Barbra Streisand's Barwood Films. The teleplay by Maria Nation is based on the 1993 Long Island Rail Road shooting. Plot On December 7, 1993, Jamaican ém ...

'', '' Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment'' and the 2007 remake of Sally Field docudrama ''

Sybil Sibyls were oracular women believed to possess prophetic powers in ancient Greece. Sybil or Sibyl may also refer to: Films * ''Sybil'' (1921 film) * ''Sybil'' (1976 film), a film starring Sally Field * ''Sybil'' (2007 film), a remake of the 19 ...

''. Joseph Sargent and his wife Carolyn Nelson Sargent laid the groundwork for

Deaf West Theatre Deaf West Theatre is a non-profit arts organization based in Los Angeles, California, USA. It is most well known for its Tony Award-nominated productions of '' Big River'' and '' Spring Awakening''. Deaf West Theatre is led by Artistic Director, ...

. Sargent spent time as the Senior Filmmaker-in-Residence for the Directing program at the

American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Leade ...

Conservatory in Los Angeles. Sargent died of complications from

heart disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, h ...

at his home in

Malibu, California Malibu ( ; es, Malibú; Chumash: ) is a beach city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, situated about west of Downtown Los Angeles. It is known for its Mediterranean climate and its strip of the Malibu ...

, on December 22, 2014. He was 89.

Filmography

One Spy Too Many ''One Spy Too Many'' starring Robert Vaughn and David McCallum is the 1966 feature-length film version of ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.''s two-part season two premiere " Alexander the Greater Affair". It is the third such feature film that used as its ...

''Re-edit of a two-part ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' episodes ''Alexander the Greater Affair'' with different shots and dialog. ''

The Spy in the Green Hat ''The Spy in the Green Hat'' is a 1967 feature-length film version of '' The Man from U.N.C.L.E.''s third season two-part episode " The Concrete Overcoat Affair". The episodes were originally broadcast in the United States on November 25, 1966 and ...

''Re-edit of a two-part ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' episodes ''The Concrete Overcoat Affair'' with new scenes added.

Awards

Sargent was nominated for several Emmy awards. He won four. Early in his career, he won a Directors Guild of America award for the ''Kojak'' pilot. Sargent was nominated for eight DGA awards for television movies, more than any other director in this category.

20th century

''Tribes'' * Nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special ''The Marcus-Nelson Murders'' * Winner of Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special * Won the

Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Miniseries or TV Film The Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television and Limited Series is one of the annual Directors Guild of America Awards given by the Directors Guild of America The Directors Guild of Amer ...

''Amber Waves'' * Nominated for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Drama - A Single Program ''Nightmares'' * Won the

Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival The Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFFF), previously named Brussels International Festival of Fantastic Film (french: Festival international du film fantastique de Bruxelles, nl, Internationaal Festival van de Fantastische Fil ...

''Love Is Never Silent'' * Won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special ''Space'' * Emmy Award, Outstanding Film Sound Mixing for a Limited Series or a Special * Emmy Award nominee, Outstanding Limited Series * Artios Award nominee, Best Casting for TV Miniseries ''Jaws: The Revenge'' * Nominated—

Razzie Award The Golden Raspberry Awards (also known as the Razzies and Razzie Awards) is a parody award show honoring the worst of cinematic under-achievements. Co-founded by UCLA film graduates and film industry veterans John J. B. Wilson and Mo Murphy, ...

for

Worst Picture The Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Picture is an award given out at the annual Golden Raspberry Awards to the worst film of the past year. Over the 39 ceremonies that have taken place, there have been 202 films nominated for Worst Picture and 42 ...

Nominated—

for Worst Director
Final theatrical film as director ''Caroline?'' * Won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special ''Miss Rose White'' * Won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special ''World War II: When Lions Roared'' * Nominated for the

''Miss Evers' Boys'' * Nominated for

''A Lesson Before Dying'' * Nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special

21st century

''For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story'' * Nominated for

''Something the Lord Made'' * Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing in a Television Film * Nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special ''Warm Springs'' * Won the

* Nominee for a Primetime Emmy for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special

References

External links

* * Includes details of awards. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sargent, Joseph 1925 births 2014 deaths Film producers from New Jersey American television directors Artists from Jersey City, New Jersey Directors Guild of America Award winners Primetime Emmy Award winners Film directors from New Jersey