Jack Levin (born John Douglas Le Vien; 17 July 1914 – 9 November 1999) was an American television producer, active in British and American television.

Early life

Le Vien was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in 1914. In 1930, he was employed by

Pathé News Pathé News was a producer of newsreels and documentaries from 1910 to 1970 in the United Kingdom. Its founder, Charles Pathé, was a pioneer of moving pictures in the silent era. The Pathé News archive is known today as "British Pathé". I ...

as an office boy. He eventually was promoted to film editing and then to reporting.

Career

Le Vien joined the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

in 1941 and was commissioned as a public relations officer. Promoted to lieutenant colonel he became a senior press aide to

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionar ...

, taking part in the North African, Sicilian, Italian and Normandy landings. After the war, he returned to Pathe as news editor, then editor-in-chief and vice-president. After Pathe closed their office, Le Vien established his own film and TV production company. In 1961, he was the executive producer of '' The Valiant Years'' a documentary made by

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

television with the cooperation of the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

. Subsequently, Le Vien turned the documentary into a book, ''Winston Churchill: The Valiant Years'', published in 1962. The following year, he was the executive producer of the '' Black Fox: The Rise and Fall of Adolf Hitler'', which won the 1963

Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature The Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film is an award for documentary films. In 1941, the first awards for feature-length documentaries were bestowed as Academy Honorary Award, Special Awards to ''Kukan'' and ''Target for Tonight''. The ...

. During his career, Le Vien and his wife, Josephine, became friends of the Churchills and the

Duke and Duchess of Windsor Duke of Windsor was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 8 March 1937 for the former monarch Edward VIII, following his abdication on 11 December 1936. The dukedom takes its name from the town where Windsor Castle, ...

and in 1965 he made '' A King's Story'', a film about the Windsors. Partnering with the BBC, Le Vien he went on to produce dramatized versions Churchill's life to include ''Walk With Destiny'', starring

Richard Burton Richard Burton (; born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.; 10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a Welsh actor. Noted for his mellifluous baritone voice, Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor in the 1950s and gave a memor ...

and '' Churchill and the Generals'' with

Timothy West Timothy Lancaster West (20 October 1934 – 12 November 2024) was an English actor with a long and varied career across theatre, film, and television. He began acting in repertory theatres in the 1950s before making his London stage debut in 19 ...

starring as Churchill. Le Vien also wrote books to accompany these projects. In 1962 Le Vien appeared as himself on the game show ''

To Tell the Truth ''To Tell the Truth'' is an American television panel show. Four celebrity panelists are presented with three contestants (the "team of challengers", each an individual or pair) and must identify which is the "central character" whose unusual ...

''. He was introduced as a television producer, colonel in the

Army Reserves A military reserve force is a military organization whose members (reservists) have military and civilian occupations. They are not normally kept under arms, and their main role is to be available when their military requires additional ma ...

and a biographer of Winston Churchill. After his identity was revealed, host

Bud Collyer Bud Collyer (born Clayton Johnson Heermance Jr., June 18, 1908 – September 8, 1969) was an American radio actor and announcer and game show host who became one of the nation's first major television game show stars. He is best remembered for ...

mentioned that Le Vien was working on a documentary of the Windsors.

Death

Le Vien died in 1999 at his residence in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. He was survived by his wife Josephine.

Selected filmography

*'' The Valiant Years'', 1961 *'' The Finest Hours'', 1964 *'' A King's Story'', 1965 * ''The Other World of Winston Churchill'', 1966 *'' The Gathering Storm'', 1974 * ''The Amazing Voyage of Daffodil and Daisy'', 1975 * ''Where the Lotus Fell'', 1976 * ''The Story of Cicero, The Queen's Drum Horse'', 1977 *'' Churchill and the Generals'', 1979 * ''The Glittering Crowns'', 1981 *''A Question of Choice'', 1983 *''Whicker!'', 1984

Books

* ''Winston Churchill: The Valiant Years''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Levin, Jack Businesspeople from New York City Television producers from New York City 1914 births 1999 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople