Byron Eric Kennedy (18 August 1949 – 17 July 1983) was an Australian film producer known for co-creating the ''

Mad Max ''Mad Max'' is an Australian post-apocalyptic action film series and media franchise created by George Miller and Byron Kennedy. It began in 1979 with '' Mad Max'', and was followed by three sequels: ''Mad Max 2'' (1981, released in the Unite ...

'' series of films with George Miller.

Early life

Byron Kennedy was born in Melbourne. At the age of 18, he formed his own

production company A production company, production house, production studio, or a production team is a studio that creates works in the fields of performing arts, new media art, film, television, radio, comics, interactive arts, video games, websites, music, and v ...

named Warlok Films and produced many amateur short films under this logo. In 1970, at the age of 21, he won The Kodak Trophy, Australia's Ten Best on Eight, for the short film ''Hobson's Bay'', a short documentary film about the Melbourne port suburb of Williamstown. This award enabled him to travel overseas and gain invaluable knowledge of the international film/television industry. Upon his return, he embarked upon a television and film course at the

University of New South Wales The University of New South Wales (UNSW), also known as UNSW Sydney, is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is one of the founding members of Group of Eight, a coalition of Australian research-intensiv ...

George Miller

Kennedy met George Miller at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb no ...

in 1969. The first mini-film made by both was ''Violence in the Cinema'', filmed in

Yarraville Yarraville is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Maribyrnong local government area. Yarraville recorded a population of 15,636 at the . Yarraville i ...

, Melbourne. The film won international acclaim and this led to the formation of the new film company

Kennedy Miller Kennedy Miller Mitchell (known before 2009 as Kennedy Miller) is an Australian film, television and video game production house in Potts Point, Sydney, that has been producing television and film since 1978. It is responsible for some of Austra ...

, which was incorporated in 1975 with both George Miller and Byron Kennedy as co-directors. Their first major movie together was the international smash hit ''

'' (1979). This film set a record for the highest-grossing film relative to budget, a record which was only broken with the advent of ''

The Blair Witch Project ''The Blair Witch Project'' is a 1999 American supernatural horror film written, directed and edited by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez. It is a fictional story of three student filmmakers—Heather Donahue, Michael C. Williams, and Josh ...

'' (1999). In 1981, Kennedy produced the film '' Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior'', the sequel to ''Mad Max'', which grossed over $100 million worldwide.

Death

In 1983, at the age of 33, Kennedy was killed at

Warragamba Dam Warragamba Dam is a heritage-listed dam in the outer South Western Sydney suburb of Warragamba, Wollondilly Shire in New South Wales, Australia. It is a concrete gravity dam, which creates Lake Burragorang, the primary reservoir for water supp ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, Australia, when the helicopter he was piloting crashed.

Legacy

In his honour, the Australian Film Institute, with George Miller as a panel member, established the Byron Kennedy Award. This award is bestowed upon those whose work is marked by their pursuit of excellence within the film and television industry and is sponsored by Kennedy Miller, Warner Bros., Village Roadshow, Greater Union, Cinemedia, and Steven Spielberg. The film ''

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome ''Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome'' is a 1985 Australian post-apocalyptic dystopian action film directed by George Miller and George Ogilvie and written by Miller and Terry Hayes. It stars Mel Gibson and Tina Turner in a story of a lone roving warr ...

'' is dedicated to Kennedy. His original co-production company, Kennedy Miller, is now called

Kennedy Miller Mitchell Kennedy Miller Mitchell (known before 2009 as Kennedy Miller) is an Australian film, television and video game production house in Potts Point, Sydney, that has been producing television and film since 1978. It is responsible for some of Austra ...

Filmography

Motion pictures

*''Violence in the Cinema, Part 1'' (1971) *''

The Last of the Knucklemen ''The Last of the Knucklemen'' is a 1979 Australian film directed by Tim Burstall. Plot The story involves a gang of rough miners. Tom ( Peter Hehir) turns up at the mine looking for a place to hide. He allies himself with the mining foreman Tar ...

'' (1977) *''

'' (1979) *''

Mad Max 2 ''Mad Max 2'' (released as ''The Road Warrior'' in the United States) is a 1981 Australian post-apocalyptic action film directed by George Miller. It is the second installment in the ''Mad Max'' franchise, with Mel Gibson reprising his role a ...

'' (1981)

Miniseries

*'' The Dismissal'' (1983), a miniseries produced for

Network 10 Network 10 (commonly known as Ten Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network owned by Ten Network Holdings, a division of the Paramount Networks UK & Australia subsidiary of Paramount Global. One of five ...

Australia *''

Bodyline Bodyline, also known as fast leg theory bowling, was a cricketing tactic devised by the English cricket team for their 1932–33 Ashes tour of Australia. It was designed to combat the extraordinary batting skill of Australia's leading batsman ...

'' (1984), a miniseries produced for Network 10 Australia *'' The Cowra Breakout'' (1985), a miniseries produced for Network 10 Australia *''

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

'' (1987), a miniseries produced for Network 10 Australia *'' The Dirtwater Dynasty'' (1988), a miniseries produced for Network 10 Australia *'' Bangkok Hilton'' (1989), a miniseries produced for Network 10 Australia

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kennedy, Byron 1949 births 1983 deaths Accidental deaths in New South Wales Australian film producers Australian film studio executives University of New South Wales alumni Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1983 Victims of helicopter accidents or incidents in Australia