Robert F. Colesberry Jr. (March 7, 1946 – February 9, 2004) was an American film and

television producer A television producer is a person who oversees one or more aspects of video production on a television program. Some producers take more of an executive role, in that they conceive new programs and pitch them to the television networks, but upon ...

, best known as a co-creator of the television series ''

The Wire ''The Wire'' is an American crime drama television series created and primarily written by author and former police reporter David Simon. The series was broadcast by the cable network HBO in the United States. ''The Wire'' premiered on June 2 ...

'' (2002–2008) for HBO, executive producer of the miniseries ''

The Corner ''The Corner'' is a 2000 HBO drama television miniseries based on the nonfiction book '' The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood'' (1997) by David Simon and Ed Burns, and adapted for television by David Simon and David Mi ...

'' (2000), and a producer for

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of many major accolades, inclu ...

's '' After Hours'' (1985),

Alan Parker Sir Alan William Parker (14 February 1944 – 31 July 2020) was an English filmmaker. His early career, beginning in his late teens, was spent as a copywriter and director of television advertisements. After about ten years of filming adverts ...

's '' Mississippi Burning'' (1988), and

Billy Crystal William Edward Crystal (born March 14, 1948)On page 17 of his book ''700 Sundays'', Crystal displays his birth announcement, which gives his first two names as "William Edward", not "William Jacob" is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. ...

's '' 61*'' (2001).Robert F. Colesberry Jr.; Producer for Film and Television, 57
(February 17, 2004), ''New York Times''.Robert Colesberry, 57; TV Producer Helped Create 'The Wire'
(February 13, 2004), ''Los Angeles Times''. Colesberry was also an occasional actor.

Early life

Colesberry was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

. Colesberry served as an

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

in the

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

in the mid-1960s.Robert F. Colesberry, 57, co-creator of "The Wire"
(February 13, 2004), ''Baltimore Sun''. Colesberry also briefly played baseball and operated a bar in

Wildwood, New Jersey Wildwood is a city in Cape May County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the Ocean City metropolitan statistical area and is a popular summer resort destination along the Jersey Shore. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's year-ro ...

Career

After being discharged from the Army, he attended

Southern Connecticut State University Southern Connecticut State University (Southern Connecticut, Southern Connecticut State, SCSU, or simply Southern) is a public university in New Haven, Connecticut. Part of the Connecticut State University System, it was founded in 1893 and is ...

, where he became interested in drama. He later transferred to

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

Tisch School of the Arts The New York University Tisch School of the Arts (commonly referred to as Tisch) is the performing, cinematic and media arts school of New York University. Founded on August 17, 1965, Tisch is a training ground for artists, scholars of the a ...

, from which he received his B.F.A. in 1974. Colesberry began working on films in New York. He was assistant director for ''

Andy Warhol's Bad ''Andy Warhol's Bad'' is a 1977 comedy film directed by Jed Johnson and starring Carroll Baker, Perry King, and Susan Tyrrell. It was written by Pat Hackett and George Abagnalo, and was the last film produced by Andy Warhol before his death ...

'' (1977) and first assistant director on Alan Parker's musical film '' Fame'' (1980). Colesberry was then a producer for

Barry Levinson Barry Lee Levinson (born April 6, 1942) is an American filmmaker, comedian and actor. Levinson's best-known works are mid-budget comedy drama and drama films such as '' Diner'' (1982); ''The Natural'' (1984); '' Good Morning, Vietnam'' (1987); ...

's ''

The Natural ''The Natural'' is a 1952 novel about baseball by Bernard Malamud, and is his debut novel. The story follows Roy Hobbs, a baseball prodigy whose career is sidetracked after being shot by a woman whose motivation remains mysterious. The story mo ...

'' (1984), and Martin Scorsese's

black comedies Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discus ...

'' The King of Comedy'' (1982) and '' After Hours'' (1985). Colesberry received Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for his work on Parker's ''Mississippi Burning'' (1988) and Emmy nominations for ''61*'' (2001) and the

television movie A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

Death of a Salesman ''Death of a Salesman'' is a 1949 stage play written by American playwright Arthur Miller. The play premiered on Broadway in February 1949, running for 742 performances. It is a two-act tragedy set in late 1940s Brooklyn told through a montage ...

'' (1985), based on the Arthur Miller play. In 1999, Colesberry began his association with HBO as executive producer of ''

'' (2000), a six-hour miniseries adaption of '' The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood'', a nonfiction book by '' Baltimore Sun'' reporter

David Simon David Judah Simon (born February 9, 1960) is an American author, journalist, screenwriter, and producer best known for his work on '' The Wire'' (2002–08). He worked for '' The Baltimore Sun'' City Desk for twelve years (1982–95), wrote '' H ...

and former Baltimore police detective

Ed Burns Edward P. Burns (born January 29, 1946) is an American screenwriter, novelist, and producer. He has worked closely with writing partner David Simon. For HBO, they have collaborated on ''The Corner,'' ''The Wire,'' ''Generation Kill'', ''The P ...

. The show was nominated for four Primetime Emmys in 2000, winning two, including the Award for Outstanding Miniseries, and won a Peabody Award. In 2000, Colesberry created the HBO series ''The Wire'', written by Simon and Burns. Simon, Burns, Colesberry, and George Pelecanos were the "brain trust" of ''The Wire''. Colesberry had a recurring cameo on the series as homicide detective Ray Cole. Colesberry was posthumously awarded a Peabody Award for his work on ''The Wire'' in May 2004.

Personal life

In 1992, Colesberry was married to Karen L. Thorson; Thorson was also a filmmaker and producer on ''The Wire''. Colesberry was a longtime resident of both

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

and

Amagansett, New York Amagansett is a census-designated place that roughly corresponds to the hamlet by the same name in the Town of East Hampton in Suffolk County, New York, United States, on the South Shore of Long Island. As of the 2010 United States Census, ...

.Rafael Alvarez, ''The Wire: Truth Be Told'', p. 247.

Death

Colesberry died in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

at the age of 57 from complications following

cardiac surgery Cardiac surgery, or cardiovascular surgery, is surgery on the heart or great vessels performed by cardiac surgeons. It is often used to treat complications of ischemic heart disease (for example, with coronary artery bypass grafting); to co ...

on February 9, 2004. Following his death, the Robert F. Colesberry Scholarship Fund for young filmmakers was established in his honor at the NYU Tisch School. Colesberry was survived by his wife Karen L. Thorson; two sisters, Jean Brown and Christine Strittmatter; and 11 nephews and nieces. Colesberry's death occurred soon after his directing debut on ''The Wire'' second-season finale, "

Port in a Storm "Port in a Storm" is the 12th and final episode of the second season of the HBO original series ''The Wire''. The episode was written by David Simon from a story by David Simon & Ed Burns and was directed by Robert F. Colesberry. It originally ...

" (2003). The final episode of the fourth season, "

Final Grades "Final Grades" is the 13th and last episode of the fourth season of the HBO original series ''The Wire''. Written by David Simon from a story by David Simon & Ed Burns and directed by Ernest Dickerson, it originally aired on December 10, 2006. ...

" (2006), and the series finale, "

-30- -30- has been traditionally used by journalists in North America to indicate the end of a story or article that is submitted for editing and typesetting. It is commonly employed when writing on deadline and sending bits of the story at a time, v ...

" (2008), were dedicated to him. In episode three of the third season, "

Dead Soldiers Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...

" (2004), Detective Cole (portrayed by Colesberry) dies off-screen (said to have died while exercising), and the episode depicts an emotional Irish wake for Detective Cole.Alan Sepinwall, ''The Revolution Was Televised: The Cops, Crooks, Slingers, and Slayers Who Change'' (Simon & Schuster 2013), p. 83.

Filmography

He was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.

Film

;As an actor ;Second unit director or assistant director ;Production manager ;Soundtrack ;Miscellaneous crew ;Location management ;Thanks

Television

;As an actor ;Second unit director or assistant director ;Production manager ;Soundtrack ;As director ;Thanks

References

External links

*
Robert F. Colesberry crew page
at HBO's The Wire site
Remembering Bob Colesberry
at HBO's The Wire site {{DEFAULTSORT:Colesberry, Robert F. 1946 births 2004 deaths Southern Connecticut State University alumni Tisch School of the Arts alumni The Wire United States Army officers 20th-century American male actors Television personalities from Philadelphia Television producers from New York (state) American male television actors American male film actors 21st-century American male actors American television directors American film producers People from Amagansett, New York Television producers from Pennsylvania Unit production managers