Jerry Foley (1955 – March 10, 2024) was an American television director and producer. He directed the ''

Late Show with David Letterman ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production com ...

'' from 1995 until the end of the show's run. Foley was the

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...

and director of the

Live on Letterman ''Live on Letterman'' was an online concert series webcast by CBS and Vevo. The concerts were filmed live in the Ed Sullivan Theater, the home of ''Late Show with David Letterman'', and streamed on the CBS website. Despite the title, these conce ...

concert series before it ended in 2015. He was named Supervising Producer in May 2003.Gay, Verne. "Go Relax, Dave, Jerry Foley's Back", ''

Newsday ''Newsday'' is a daily newspaper in the United States primarily serving Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI" ...

'', New York. pg. A12. 2 May 2003. Foley had nine DGA Award nominations and 21

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award catego ...

nominations—a record for a single person working on a variety series."DGA Awards"

Directors Guild of America The Directors Guild of America (DGA) is an entertainment guild that represents the interests of Film director, film and Television director, television directors in the United States motion picture industry and abroad. Founded as the Screen Dir ...

, Retrieved on 21 May 2014.

Early career

After graduating from the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

, Foley spent thirteen years at

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

working in a variety of functions on ''

NBC News Overnight ''NBC News Overnight'' was a television news program on the NBC television network that aired weekday mornings from 1:30 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. (12:30 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. Central) Mondays through Thursdays and 2:00 a.m. to 3:00 ...

'', ''

NBC News at Sunrise ''NBC News at Sunrise'' is an American early morning television news program that aired on NBC from August 1, 1983 to September 6, 1999. The program featured the top news headlines of the morning, sports and weather reports, and business segment ...

'', ''

Today Today (archaically to-day) may refer to: * The current day and calendar date ** Today is between and , subject to the local time zone * Now, the time that is perceived directly, present * The current, present era Arts, entertainment and m ...

'', ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...

'', ''

Tomorrow Tomorrow may refer to: * Tomorrow (time), the day after today * The future, that which occurs after the present Periodicals * ''To-Morrow'' (Chicago magazine), a magazine from 1903 to 1909 * ''Tomorrow'' (New Zealand magazine), a left-wing mag ...

'' with Tom Snyder, ''

Late Night with David Letterman ''Late Night with David Letterman'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show is the first installment of the '' Late Night''. Hosted by David Letterman, it aired from February1, 1982 to June 25, 1993, and was replaced by ...

'', ''

Later Later may refer to: * Future The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the futur ...

'' with

Bob Costas Robert Quinlan Costas (born March 22, 1952) is an American sportscaster who is known for his long tenure with NBC Sports, from 1980 through 2019. He has received 28 Emmy awards for his work and was the prime-time host of 12 Olympic Games from ...

, ''

Friday Night Videos ''Friday Night Videos'' is an American music video/variety show, variety program that aired from July 29, 1983, to May 24, 2002, on NBC. Originally developed as an attempt by the network to capitalize on the emerging popularity of music videos, ...

'', ''

NBC Nightly News ''NBC Nightly News'' (titled as ''NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas'' for its weeknight broadcasts ) is the flagship daily evening News broadcasting#Television, television news program for NBC News, the news division of the NBC television network ...

'', ''WNBC News 4 New York'', '' Live at Five'', ''

NFL Live ''NFL Live'' (stylized as ''NFL Live presented by FanDuel Sportsbook'' for sponsorship reasons) is an American National Football League (NFL) studio show, currently airing Monday through Friday at 4:00 p.m ET on sports cable channel ESPN, and ...

'', ''NBC Game of the Week'', and '' Another World''.

Letterman era

Foley was the technical director of ''Late Night with David Letterman'' from 1988 to 1993. When the show ended in 1993, and

David Letterman David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947) is an American television host, comedian, writer, producer, and auto racing team owner. He hosted late-night television talk shows for 33 years, beginning with the February 1, 1982, debut of ''Late N ...

moved to CBS to host the ''

'', he informed his crew at ''Late Night'' about the move in advance, and told them, "To those of you who are able, we'd love to have you come along." Foley was one of the crew members that moved to CBS with Letterman. Foley succeeded

Hal Gurnee Harold Gurnee (born January 25, 1925, in New York, New York) is an American television director whose career stretched from the 1960s (directing episodes of ''The Tonight Show'' during the Jack Paar era, through the early 2000s (directing episod ...

as the director of the ''Late Show'' in 1995. He directed the show until its conclusion in 2015.Starr, Michael. "Top Dave Guy Quits...But The Cue Card Guy Stays", ''

New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates three online sites: NYPost. ...

'', New York. pg. 087. 8 April 2003.Rose, Brian Geoffrey (1999). ''Directing for Television: Conversations with American TV Directors''. pg. 120–122. Scarecrow, Lanham, MD.

Other work

Foley directed over 3900 hours of late night television. He worked with film, television, and music talent in numerous single camera comedy segments. He produced and directed all 72 episodes of ''

'' including concerts with

The Black Keys The Black Keys are an American Rock music, rock duo formed in Akron, Ohio in 2001. The group consists of Dan Auerbach (guitar, Singing, vocals) and Patrick Carney (Drum kit, drums). The duo began as an Independent music, independent act, record ...

The Killers The Killers are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2001 by Brandon Flowers (lead vocals, keyboards, bass) and Dave Keuning (lead guitar, backing vocals). After the band went through a number of short-term bas ...

Adele Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (; born 5 May 1988) is an English singer-songwriter. Regarded as a British cultural icon, icon, she is known for her mezzo-soprano vocals and sentimental songwriting. List of awards and nominations received by Adele, ...

, Phoenix,

Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Known for her autobiographical songwriting, artistic versatility, and Cultural impact of Taylor Swift, cultural impact, Swift is one of the Best selling artists, w ...

, and

Tim McGraw Samuel Timothy McGraw (born May 1, 1967) is an American country singer and actor. He has released 17 studio albums (11 for Curb Records, five for Big Machine Records and one for Arista Nashville). 10 of those albums have reached number one on ...

. Foley produced and directed over 40 Broadway performances for ''The'' ''Late Show'' including ''Wicked'', ''Pippin'', ''The Adams Family'', ''Hedwig and the Angry Inch'', ''Hair'', ''Young Frankenstein'', and ''Cinderella''. He was the executive producer and director of ''CBS News: 50 Years Later, Civil Rights'' and ''The Beatles 50 Years Later: How CBS is Remembering the Fab Four''. Jerry Foley directed episodes of ABC's ''The View'' and Broadway segments for ''Good Morning America''. He was the producer and director of the "America Salutes You" benefit concert. In August 2016, Foley was named Artistic Director of the North Fork TV Festival. Jerry Foley directed the NBC primetime special '' Tony Bennett Celebrates 90: The Best Is Yet to Come''.

Personal life and death

Foley was the younger brother of film director James Foley. Jerry Foley died on March 10, 2024, at the age of 68, after a skiing accident in

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

Primetime Emmy nominations

* 2013, Nominated for Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series for ''The Late Show with David Letterman''THR Staff. "Emmy Winners and Nominees 2013: The Complete List", ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

''. 21 September 2013. * 2012, Nominated for Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series for ''The Late Show with David Letterman''McLean, Thomas J.. "Variety Series", ''

Daily Variety ''Variety'' is an American trade magazine owned by Penske Media Corporation. It was founded by Sime Silverman in New York City in 1905 as a weekly newspaper reporting on theater and vaudeville. In 1933, ''Daily Variety'' was launched, based in ...

''. pg. 13. 22 August 2012. * 2011, Nominated for Outstanding Directing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Series for ''The Late Show with David Letterman''"63rd Annual Emmy Nominations", ''

''. pg. 11. 15 July 2011. * 2010, Nominated for Outstanding Directing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Series for ''The Late Show with David Letterman''"Juggling is essential for nominees", ''

''. pg. A3. 3 August 2010. * 2009, Nominated for Outstanding Directing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Series for ''The Late Show with David Letterman''"Nominees happy to lose special feeling", ''

''. pg. Al Vol. 304 No. 31 . 18 August 2009. * 2009, Nominated for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series for ''The Late Show with David Letterman'' (Producer)"The Emmy Nominations; And the nominees are...", ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

''. pg. 16. 17 July 2009. * 2008, Nominated for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series for ''The Late Show with David Letterman'' (Producer)Gilbert, Matthew. "It all adds up for 'Mad Men' Sixteen nominations and a historic first for AMC drama", ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...

'', Boston. pg. C1. 18 July 2008. * 2007, Nominated for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series for ''The Late Show with David Letterman'' (Producer)Andreeva, Nellie. "Emmy folks name names", ''

''. 23 August 2007. * 2006, Nominated for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series for ''The Late Show with David Letterman'' (Producer)"List of Main Primetime Emmy Nominations",

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

. 23 August 2006. * 2005, Nominated for Outstanding Directing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Series for ''The Late Show with David Letterman''"2005 Primetime Emmy Nominations", ''

''. pg. 10. 15 July 2005. * 2005, Nominated for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series for ''The Late Show with David Letterman'' (Producer) * 2004, Nominated for Outstanding Directing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Series for ''The Late Show with David Letterman''"Selected Emmy Noms", ''

''. pg. A20. 12 August 2004. * 2004, Nominated for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series for ''The Late Show with David Letterman'' (Producer) * 2003, Nominated for Outstanding Directing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Series for ''The Late Show with David Letterman''"Selected Emmy Noms", ''

''. pg. A20. 14 August 2003. * 2003, Nominated for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series for ''The Late Show with David Letterman'' (Producer)"Emmys; The other nominees", ''

''. pg. 34. 18 July 2003. * 2002, Nominated for Outstanding Directing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Series for ''The Late Show with David Letterman''"The Emmy Nominations; Complete List of Nominees For The Record", ''

''. pg. 18. 19 July 2002. * 2001, Nominated for Outstanding Directing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Series for ''The Late Show with David Letterman''"Primetime Emmy Noms", ''

''. pg. 28. 13 July 2001. * 2000, Nominated for Outstanding Directing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Series for ''The Late Show with David Letterman''"The 52nd Emmy Nominations", ''

''. pg. 23. 21 July 2000. * 1996, Nominated for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Directing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Series for ''The Late Show with David Letterman''"Emmy Award Nominations 1996; And The Emmy Nominees Are....", ''

''. pg. 22. 19 July 1996. * 1995, Nominated for Outstanding Technical Direction/Camera/Video for a Series for ''The Late Show with David Letterman''"Emmy Award Nominations 1995; Nighttime Nominees: A Complete Rundown", ''

''. pg. 26. 21 July 1995. * 1994, Nominated for Outstanding Technical Direction/Camera/Video for a Series for ''The Late Show with David Letterman''"Emmy Award Nominations 1994; Nighttime Nominees: A Complete Rundown", ''

''. pg. 26. 22 July 1994.

DGA Award nominations

* 2007, Nominated for Outstanding Directing for a Musical Variety Program * 2005, Nominated for Outstanding Directing for a Musical Variety Program * 2004, Nominated for Outstanding Directing for a Musical Variety Program * 2002, Nominated for Outstanding Directing for a Musical Variety Program * 2001, Nominated for Outstanding Directing for a Musical Variety Program * 2000, Nominated for Outstanding Directing for a Musical Variety Program * 1999, Nominated for Outstanding Directing for a Musical Variety Program * 1998, Nominated for Outstanding Directing for a Musical Variety Program

References

External links

"Directing Dave"
Jerry Foley – DGA.org *
''Late Show with David Letterman''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Foley, Jerry 1955 births 2024 deaths American television directors American television producers Skiing deaths Sports deaths in Vermont