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 media franchise created by George Miller and Byron Kennedy. It centres on a series of post-apocalyptic and dystopian action films. The franchise began in 1979 with '' Mad Max'', and was followed by three sequels: ...

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

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) is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was established in 1949. The university comprises seven faculties, through which it offers bachelor's, master's and docto ...

George Miller

Kennedy met George Miller at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public university, public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state ...

in 1969. The first mini-film made by both was ''Violence in the Cinema'', filmed in Yarraville, Melbourne. The film won international acclaim and this led to the formation of the new film company Kennedy Miller, 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 psychological horror film written, directed, and edited by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez. One of the most successful independent films of all time, it is a " found footage" pseudo-docume ...

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

Death

In 1983, at the age of 33, Kennedy was killed at Warragamba Dam in

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

, Australia, when the helicopter he was piloting crashed. Family friend Victor Evatt, aged 15, survived the crash and was rescued the next day after spending the night in the cold waters of the dam.

Legacy

In his honour, the

Australian Film Institute The Australian Film Institute (AFI) was founded in 1958 as a non-profit organisation devoted to developing an active film culture in Australia and fostering engagement between the general public and the Cinema of Australia, Australian film indu ...

, 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 Steven Allan Spielberg ( ; born December 18, 1946) is an American filmmaker. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest film directors of all time and is ...

. The film '' Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome'' is dedicated to Kennedy. His original co-production company, Kennedy Miller, is now called

Kennedy Miller Mitchell Kennedy Miller Mitchell Productions (known before 2009 as Kennedy Miller Productions ) is an Australian film, television and video game production company in Potts Point, Sydney, that has been producing television and film since 1978. It is r ...

Filmography

Motion pictures

*''Violence in the Cinema, Part 1'' (1971) *'' The Last of the Knucklemen'' (1977) *''

'' (1979) *''

Mad Max 2 ''Mad Max 2'' (released as ''The Road Warrior'' in the United States) is a 1981 Australian Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, post-apocalyptic Utopian and dystopian fiction, dystopian action film directed by George Miller (filmmaker), G ...

'' (1981)

Miniseries

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

Network 10 Network 10 (commonly known as the 10 Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Paramount Global's UK & Australia division and is one of the five national free-to-a ...

Australia *''

Bodyline Bodyline, also known as fast leg theory bowling, was a cricketing tactic devised by the English cricket team for their English cricket team in Australia in 1932–33, 1932–33 Ashes tour of Australia. It was designed to combat the extraordinar ...

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

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

'' (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 Australian film production company founders