Kieth W. Merrill (born May 22, 1940) is an American filmmaker who has worked as a writer, director, and producer in the film industry since 1967. He is a member of the

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., with the stated goal of adva ...

and the

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 ...

, and received an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

for '' The Great American Cowboy'' (1973) and a nomination for ''

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'' (1997). He published a novel, ''The Evolution of Thomas Hall'', through Shadow Mountain in 2011. His first fantasy novel, ''The Immortal Crown'', was published by Shadow Mountain in 2016.

Biography

The son of artist/landscape architect David Merrill and playwright/actress Leola Green Merrill, Kieth Merrill was born and raised in

Farmington, Utah Farmington is a city in, and county seat of, Davis County, Utah, United States. The population was 24,531 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. The Lagoon Amusement Park and Station Park (Farmington, Utah), Station Park transit-oriented ...

, a small, pioneer-founded town 20 miles north of

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...

. As an active member of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...

, he served as a

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...

for the church in Denmark for two-and-a-half years. Merrill graduated in 1967 with a bachelor's degree from

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU) is a Private education, private research university in Provo, Utah, United States. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is the flagship university of the Church Educational System sponsore ...

(BYU). He is married to Dagny Johnson, and they are the parents of eight children. They reside in Northern California. Merrill was commissioned by the LDS Church's

First Presidency Among many churches in the Latter Day Saint movement, the First Presidency (also known as the Quorum of the Presidency of the Church) is the highest presiding or governing body. Present-day denominations of the movement led by a First Presidency ...

to produce the films ''

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'' and ''

The Testaments ''The Testaments'' is a 2019 novel by Margaret Atwood. It is the sequel to ''The Handmaid's Tale'' (1985). The novel is set 15 years after the events of ''The Handmaid's Tale''. It is narrated by Aunt Lydia, a character from the previous novel; A ...

'' for the state-of-the-art 70 mm Legacy Theater at

Temple Square Temple Square is a complex, owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), in the center of Salt Lake City, Utah. The usage of the name has gradually changed to include several other church facilities that are immediate ...

in Salt Lake City. Merrill has been a member of the Board of Trustees of

Southern Virginia University Southern Virginia University (SVU) is a private liberal arts college in Buena Vista, Virginia. The college, though not officially affiliated with a particular faith, embraces the values of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS C ...

and president of the BYU Alumni Association. He received the Franklin S. Harris Fine Arts Award from BYU when he delivered the

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to the BYU College of Fine Arts and Communications in 2007. In 2021, his refusal to watch '' Never Rarely Sometimes Always'' for Academy Awards consideration as a voting member garnered some attention.

Filmography

Merrill has done work in various formats, including

IMAX IMAX is a proprietary system of High-definition video, high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and movie theater, theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio (image), aspect ratio (approximately ei ...

and 70mm. He has created feature films, documentaries, television commercials, and miniseries. *'' The Great American Cowboy'' (1973 Documentary Academy Award Winner) *''A Matter of Winning'' (1973) *''Great American Indian'' (1976) *'' Three Warriors'' (1977) *'' Take Down'' (1979) *''Kenny Rogers and the American Cowboy'' (1979) *'' Windwalker'' (1980) *'' Mr. Krueger's Christmas'' (1980) *''Wheels of Fire'' (1981) *'' Harry's War'' (1981) *''Rivals'' (1981) *''The Cherokee Trail'' (1981) *'' Grand Canyon: The Hidden Secrets'' (1984, IMAX) *'' Niagara: Miracles, Myths and Magic'' (1986, IMAX) *''Alamo: The Price of Freedom'' (1988) *''

'' (1990) *''Polynesian Odyssey'' (1991, IMAX) *''On The Way Home'' (1992) *''The Wild West'' (1993, TV miniseries, Emmy nomination) *''Yellowstone'' (1994, IMAX) *''Passion for Life'' (1995, IMAX) *''Ozarks: Legacy and Legends'' (1995, IMAX) *''San Francisco: The Movie'' (1995, IMAX) *''Zion Canyon: Treasure of the Gods'' (1996, IMAX) *''

'' (1997, IMAX, nominated for Academy Award) *''The Witness'' (1997, IMAX) *''Olympic Glory'' (1999, IMAX) *''

'' (2000) *''The 12 Dogs of Christmas'' (2005) * ''The 12 Dogs of Christmas – Great Puppy Rescue'' (2012)

Bibliography

*''The Evolution of Thomas Hall'' (May 2011, , Shadow Mountain) *''Saga of Kings'' series **''The Immortal Crown'' (May 2016, , Shadow Mountain)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Merrill, Kieth 1940 births 20th-century Mormon missionaries American film producers American documentary filmmakers Latter Day Saints from California American Mormon missionaries in Denmark Brigham Young University alumni Living people People from Farmington, Utah Directors of Best Documentary Feature Academy Award winners Latter Day Saints from Utah Film directors from Utah American male novelists