Martin Henry Callner (August 25, 1946 – March 17, 2025) was an American director who made music videos, comedy specials, concert specials and television shows. He was the creator of

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

's '' Hard Knocks'', and was nominated for numerous

Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...

s, Directors Guild of America Awards, CableACE Awards and MTV Video Music Awards.

Background

Born in Chicago on August 25, 1946, Martin Henry Callner grew up in

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

, raised primarily by his mother. He attended three universities but did not earn a degree.

Career

Callner began his career at a Cincinnati television station in 1969, before moving to Boston's WBZ-TV, where he directed

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

broadcasts. He began directing stand-up specials for HBO in 1975. He moved into music videos a few years later, after being inspired by the video for the Kim Carnes song " Bette Davis Eyes". His directorial credits on music videos include videos for

Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of lead vocalist Steven Tyler, bassist Tom Hamilton (musician), Tom Hamilton, drummer Joey Kramer, and guitarists Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry and B ...

Bon Jovi Bon Jovi is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Sayreville, New Jersey in 1983. The band consists of singer Jon Bon Jovi, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, guitarists John Shanks and Phil X, percussionist Everett Bradley ...

, Chaka Khan, Cher,

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born Diane Ernestine Earle Ross March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. Known as the "Queen of Motown Records", she was the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown#Major divisions, Motown's most suc ...

, Stevie Nicks,

Heart The heart is a muscular Organ (biology), organ found in humans and other animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels. The heart and blood vessels together make the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrie ...

, Kiss,

Poison A poison is any chemical substance that is harmful or lethal to living organisms. The term is used in a wide range of scientific fields and industries, where it is often specifically defined. It may also be applied colloquially or figurati ...

Ratt Ratt (stylized as RATT) was an American glam metal band that had significant commercial success in the 1980s, with their albums having been certified as gold, platinum and multi-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, RIAA. ...

, Lita Ford, The Cranberries, Scorpions, Twisted Sister,

Whitesnake Whitesnake are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1978. The group were originally put together as the backing band for singer David Coverdale, who had recently left Deep Purple. Though the band quickly developed into their ow ...

and

ZZ Top ZZ Top is an American rock band formed in Houston, Texas, in 1969. For almost 56 years, it consisted of vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard (musician), Frank Beard, and bassist-vocalist Dusty Hill prior to his death in 2021. ZZ ...

. His music video specials include Bette Midler's '' Diva Las Vegas'', Pat Benatar's '' In Concert'', '' Britney Spears: Live from Las Vegas'', Diana Ross '' Live at Caesar's Palace'',

Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac are a British-American Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1967 by the singer and guitarist Peter Green (musician), Peter Green. Green named the band by combining the surnames of the drummer, Mick Fleetwood, and the bassis ...

's '' Mirage Tour'',

Garth Brooks Troyal Garth Brooks (born February 7, 1962) is an American Country music, country singer and songwriter. His integration of pop and rock elements into the country genre has earned him his immense popularity, particularly in the United States, ...

'' Live from Central Park'', Gladys Knight ''Live at the Greek Theatre'', '' Gloria Estefan's Caribbean Soul: The Atlantis Concert'',

Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, record producer, and dancer. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Prince of Pop", ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' honored him as the b ...

's '' FutureSex/LoveShow'', Marc Anthony's ''Concert from Madison Square Garden'', Paul Simon '' Live at the Tower Theatre'',

Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

' '' Four Flicks'', Stevie Nicks's '' Bella Donna'', and Whitney Houston's '' Whitney: The Concert for a New South Africa''. He also directed recordings of performances by comedians including Redd Foxx, Pee-wee Herman, Sam Kinison,

George Carlin George Denis Patrick Carlin (May 12, 1937 – June 22, 2008) was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, actor and author. Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential comedians of all time, he was dubbed "the dean of countercultur ...

, Robin Williams, Whoopi Goldberg, Dane Cook, John Leguizamo, Billy Crystal, George Lopez, Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, Whitney Cummings, and Will Ferrell.

Personal life and death

Callner and his first wife, Jan Mussara, had two children. After they divorced, he married Aleeza Zelcer, with whom he also had two children. He died at his home in Malibu, California, on March 17, 2025, at the age of 78.

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Official website
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Callner, Marty 1946 births 2025 deaths American music video directors Artists from Cincinnati Woodward High School (Cincinnati, Ohio) alumni