Jim Goddard (2 February 1936 – 17 June 2013) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

film and TV director who was born in

Battersea Battersea is a large district in south London, part of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross and extends along the south bank of the River Thames. It includes the Battersea Park. History Batter ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. He directed episodes of many UK TV series such as ''Public Eye'', ''Callan'', ''Special Branch'', ''The Sweeney'', ''The Ruth Rendell Mysteries'', ''The Bell'' and ''Holby City''. He may be best known outside England for the TV series ''

Kennedy Kennedy may refer to: People * John F. Kennedy (1917–1963), 35th president of the United States * John Kennedy (Louisiana politician), (born 1951), US Senator from Louisiana * Kennedy (surname), a family name (including a list of persons with t ...

'' starring

Martin Sheen Ramón Antonio Gerardo Estévez (born August 3, 1940), known professionally as Martin Sheen, is an American actor. He first became known for his roles in the films ''The Subject Was Roses'' (1968) and ''Badlands'' (1973), and later achieved wid ...

or directing the film ''

Shanghai Surprise ''Shanghai Surprise'' is a 1986 adventure comedy film directed by Jim Goddard and starring then-newlyweds Sean Penn and Madonna. The screenplay was adapted by John Kohn and Robert Bentley from Tony Kenrick's 1978 novel ''Faraday's Flowers''. ...

'' as a vehicle for newlyweds

Sean Penn Sean Justin Penn (born August 17, 1960) is an American actor and film director. He has won two Academy Awards, for his roles in the mystery drama ''Mystic River'' (2003) and the biopic ''Milk'' (2008). Penn began his acting career in televisi ...

and

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

Biography

Born James Dudley Goddard in

, 1936, he studied at the

Slade School of Fine Art The UCL Slade School of Fine Art (informally The Slade) is the art school of University College London (UCL) and is based in London, England. It has been ranked as the UK's top art and design educational institution. The school is organised as ...

and then became a

set designer Scenic design (also known as scenography, stage design, or set design) is the creation of theatrical, as well as film or television scenery. Scenic designers come from a variety of artistic backgrounds, but in recent years, are mostly trained ...

. Following a short period at the

Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal Op ...

, contributing to productions by

Zeffirelli Gian Franco Corsi Zeffirelli (12 February 1923 – 15 June 2019), was an Italian stage and film director, producer, production designer and politician. He was one of the most significant opera and theatre directors of the post-World War II era, ...

and

Visconti Visconti is a surname which may refer to: Italian noble families * Visconti of Milan, ruled Milan from 1277 to 1447 ** Visconti di Modrone, collateral branch of the Visconti of Milan * Visconti of Pisa and Sardinia, ruled Gallura in Sardinia from ...

, he moved into television work. In 1959 he joined the

ABC Television ABC Television most commonly refers to: *ABC Television Network of the American Broadcasting Company, United States, or *ABC Television (Australian TV network), a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Australia ABC Television or ABC ...

design department as a

production designer In film and television, the production designer is the individual responsible for the overall aesthetic of the story. The production design gives the viewers a sense of the time period, the plot location, and character actions and feelings. Wo ...

where he could be working one week on a kitchen-sink drama for

Armchair Theatre ''Armchair Theatre'' is a British television drama anthology series of single plays that ran on the ITV network from 1956 to 1974. It was originally produced by ABC Weekend TV. Its successor Thames Television took over from mid-1968. The Canadi ...

or the next on a children's sci-fi series. Significantly he worked on The Avengers series which ran on

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

from 1961 to 1969. He first achieved recognition as a director for his work on five episodes of ABC TV's Tempo (1965–67), an arts magazine show, which led to his close friendship with

Trevor Preston Trevor Preston was a British screenwriter. He wrote the series '' Out'' and created the series '' Ace of Wands''. He also wrote a 1976 TV movie adaptation of ''James and the Giant Peach''. Writing credits 1960s work 1966 * ''Four People'' (seri ...

and

Mike Hodges Michael Tommy Hodges (29 July 1932 – 17 December 2022) was a British screenwriter, film and television director, playwright and novelist. His films as writer/director include ''Get Carter'' (1971), ''Pulp'' (1972), ''The Terminal Man'' (1974 ...

. Preston and Hodges were influential in establishing

Euston Films Euston Films is a British film and television production company. It was originally a subsidiary company of Thames Television, and operated from 1971 to 1994, producing various series for Thames, which were screened nationally on the ITV network. ...

. Goddard, Preston and Terry Green, whilst at ABC in 1965, produced a detailed proposal for a specialist production unit that shot dramas on

16mm 16 mm film is a historically popular and economical gauge of film. 16 mm refers to the width of the film (about inch); other common film gauges include 8 and 35 mm. It is generally used for non-theatrical (e.g., industrial, educ ...

film, rather than the then usual larger videotape cameras. This smaller film unit became the standard for Euston Films, a company that played an important role in Goddard's future career.

Filmography

* '' Out'' (1978 TV series, 6 episodes) * ''

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

'' (1980 TV series, 13 episodes) * ''The Black Stuff'' (1980 BBC TV play that launched the ''

Boys from the Blackstuff ''Boys from the Blackstuff'' is a British drama television series of five episodes, originally transmitted from 10 October to 7 November 1982 on BBC2. The serial was written by Liverpudlian playwright Alan Bleasdale, as a sequel to a television ...

'' series) * ''

A Tale of Two Cities ''A Tale of Two Cities'' is a historical novel published in 1859 by Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. The novel tells the story of the French Doctor Manette, his 18-year-long imprisonment in the ...

'' (1980 TV film) * ''

The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby ''Nicholas Nickleby'' or ''The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby'' (or also ''The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, Containing a Faithful Account of the Fortunes, Misfortunes, Uprisings, Downfallings, and Complete Career of the ...

'' (1982 TV miniseries) * ''

Reilly, Ace of Spies ''Reilly, Ace of Spies'' is a 1983 British television programme dramatizing the life of Sidney Reilly, a Russian-born adventurer who became one of the greatest spies ever to work for the United Kingdom and the British Empire. Among his exploits, ...

'' (1983 TV miniseries) * ''

Parker Parker may refer to: Persons * Parker (given name) * Parker (surname) Places Place names in the United States *Parker, Arizona *Parker, Colorado * Parker, Florida * Parker, Idaho * Parker, Kansas * Parker, Missouri * Parker, North Carolina *Park ...

'' (1984) * '' Hitler's SS: Portrait in Evil'' (1985 TV film) * ''

'' (1986) * ''Metamorphosis'' (1987 TV film) * '' The Impossible Spy'' (1987 TV film) * ''

The Four Minute Mile ''The Four Minute Mile'' is a television mini series about the race to run the four-minute mile, focusing on the rivalry between Roger Bannister and John Landy.Ed. Scott Murray, ''Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995'', Oxford University Press ...

'' (1988 TV film) * ''The Free Frenchman'' (1989 TV miniseries) * ''De terre et de sang'' (1992 TV film) * ''

Lie Down with Lions ''Lie Down with Lions'' is a 1985 spy novel by Ken Follett. The book was published by Signet in paperback. Today it is available in print, CD and audiobook formats. In 1994 it was made into a TV miniseries directed by Jim Goddard and starring Ti ...

'' (1994 TV miniseries) * ''

Gadgetman ''Gadgetman'' is a 1996 American-British TV movie directed by Jim Goddard starring Martin Delaney and Marina Sirtis. Plot When an inventor is captured by kidnappers attempting to access ATMs, his son and his son's friends use computers to rescu ...

'' (1996 TV film) * ''

The House of Angelo ''The House of Angelo'' is a 1997 British historical drama film directed by Jim Goddard and starring Edward Woodward, Peter Woodward and Sylvia Syms. Plot In eighteenth century London, the celebrated Angelo family of fencing instructors are e ...

'' (1997)

Awards

*1984 – Won the

BAFTA TV Award The BAFTA TV Awards, or British Academy Television Awards are presented in an annual award show hosted by the BAFTA. They have been awarded annually since 1955. Background The first-ever Awards, given in 1955, consisted of six categories. Until ...

for Best Drama Series/Serial for ''

'' (1983). *1985 – Nominated for Best Film for ''

'' (1986) at Mystfest. *1987 – Nominated for a

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 Director for ''

''.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Goddard, Jim 1936 births 2013 deaths Place of death missing BAFTA winners (people) English television directors Film directors from London