Eric Till (born 24 November 1929) is an English film and

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication Media (communication), medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of Transmission (telecommunications), television tra ...

director working in Canada, the United States, and Europe since the 1960s. His 1977 film '' It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet'' was entered into the

10th Moscow International Film Festival The 10th Moscow International Film Festival was held 7-21 July 1977. The Golden Prizes were awarded to the Hungarian film '' The Fifth Seal'' directed by Zoltán Fábri, the Spanish film '' El puente'' directed by Juan Antonio Bardem and the S ...

Career

After directing for the ''

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 Canad ...

'' and ''

Wednesday Play ''The Wednesday Play'' is an anthology series of British television plays which ran on BBC1 for six seasons from October 1964 to May 1970. The plays were usually original works written for television, although dramatic adaptations of ficti ...

'' series' in the UK, Till emigrated to Canada in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...

. He has directed numerous Canadian and American TV films from the 1960s onwards, including ''An American Christmas Carol'' starring

Henry Winkler Henry Franklin Winkler, OBE (born October 30, 1945), is an American actor, comedian, author, executive producer, and director. After rising to fame as Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli on the American television series '' Happy Days'', Winkler has ...

, ''

Getting Married in Buffalo Jump ''Getting Married in Buffalo Jump'' is a 1990 Canadian TV movie filmed in Alberta, Canada. In specific Cowley, Lundbreck, and Pincher Creek. It was directed by Eric Till and stars Wendy Crewson and Paul Gross. Plot After her father's death So ...

'', and '' To Catch a Killer'', starring

Brian Dennehy Brian Manion Dennehy (; July 9, 1938 – April 15, 2020) was an American actor of stage, television, and film. He won two Tony Awards, an Olivier Award, and a Golden Globe, and received six Primetime Emmy Award nominations. Dennehy had roles in o ...

as psychotic serial killer

John Wayne Gacy John Wayne Gacy (March 17, 1942 – May 10, 1994) was an American serial killer and sex offender who raped, tortured, and murdered at least 33 young men and boys. Gacy regularly performed at children's hospitals and charitable events as ...

. Films he has directed include ''

A Great Big Thing ''A Great Big Thing'' is a Canadian-American comedy-drama film, directed by Eric Till and released in 1968. Gerald Pratley, ''A Century of Canadian Cinema''. Lynx Images, 2003. . p. 90. The film stars Reni Santoni as Vinny Shea, an aimless young ...

'', '' Hot Millions'', ''

A Fan's Notes ''A Fan's Notes'' is a 1968 novel by Frederick Exley. Subtitled "A Fictional Memoir" and categorized as fiction, the book is semi-autobiographical. In a brief "Note to the Reader" in the opening pages, Exley writes: "Though the events in this boo ...

'', '' It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet'', '' Bethune'', '' Wild Horse Hank'', '' Improper Channels'', ''

Voices from Within ''Voices from Within'' is the second full-length studio album by Israeli oriental death/doom metal band Distorted, released on April 7, 2008. Track listing Credits Guest musicians * Sven De Caluwe ( Aborted) * Henrik Jacobsen ( Koldborn, Hat ...

'' (also known as ''Silhouette''), ', '' Luther'' and the Muppet television series and specials ''

Fraggle Rock ''Fraggle Rock'' (also known as ''Jim Henson's Fraggle Rock'' or ''Fraggle Rock with Jim Henson's Muppets'') is a children's musical fantasy comedy puppet television series about interconnected societies of Muppet creatures, created by Jim He ...

'', '' The Christmas Toy'' and '' A Muppet Family Christmas''. His work for the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the governme ...

(CBC) included some of the following: the mini-series of

Pierre Berton Pierre Francis de Marigny Berton, CC, O.Ont. (July 12, 1920 – November 30, 2004) was a Canadian writer, journalist and broadcaster. Berton wrote 50 best-selling books, mainly about Canadiana, Canadian history and popular culture. He also ...

's '' The National Dream'', a movie of

Brian Friel Brian Patrick Friel (c. 9 January 1929 – 2 October 2015) was an Irish dramatist, short story writer and founder of the Field Day Theatre Company. He had been considered one of the greatest living English-language dramatists. (subscription req ...

's ''Freedom of the City'',

Katherine Anne Porter Katherine Anne Porter (May 15, 1890 – September 18, 1980) was an American journalist, essayist, short story writer, novelist, and political activist. Her 1962 novel '' Ship of Fools'' was the best-selling novel in America that year, but her sh ...

's ''Pale Horse, Pale Rider'', Marghanita Laski's ''The Offshore Island'', John Hopkins's ''Talking to a Stranger'', the television films '' Shocktrauma'', ''

Turning to Stone ''Turning to Stone'' is a Canadian docudrama television film, which was broadcast by CBC Television in 1986.Gerald Pratley, ''A Century of Canadian Cinema''. Lynx Images, 2003. . p. 226. Directed by Eric Till and written by Judith Thompson, the fi ...

'' and ''

Win, Again! ''Win, Again!'' is a Canadian television film, which was broadcast by CBC Television in 1999.David Barber, "Father and child reunion: On screen and off, Win, Again! benefits from family ties". ''The Globe and Mail'', January 16, 1999. Directed by ...

'', and the mini-series '' Glory Enough for All'' about the discoverers of

insulin Insulin (, from Latin ''insula'', 'island') is a peptide hormone produced by beta cells of the pancreatic islets encoded in humans by the ''INS'' gene. It is considered to be the main anabolic hormone of the body. It regulates the metabol ...

. Till has directed performances of the National Ballet of Canada, the Bolshoi Ballet, and the

Royal Winnipeg Ballet The Royal Winnipeg Ballet is Canada's oldest ballet company and the longest continuously operating ballet company in North America. History It was founded in 1939 as the "Winnipeg Ballet Club" by Gweneth Lloyd and Betty Farrally (who also ...

for television as well as the final concert of the famous conductor Sir Thomas Beecham. In 2005 he was awarded the

Governor General's Performing Arts Award A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

for Lifetime Artistic Achievement, Canada's highest honour in the performing arts, by Governor General

Adrienne Clarkson Adrienne Louise Clarkson (; ; born February 10, 1939) is a Hong Kong-born Canadian journalist who served from 1999 to 2005 as Governor General of Canada, the 26th since Canadian Confederation. Clarkson arrived in Canada with her family in 19 ...

. On August 12, 2008, it was announced that Till would be receiving the 2008 Directors Guild of Canada Lifetime Achievement Award.Modern approach turns Nutcracker into thriller
, Windsor Star, December 19, 2008

References

External links

* 1929 births Living people English film directors English television directors Film directors from Toronto Governor General's Performing Arts Award winners {{UK-film-director-stub