Kevin Roderick Sullivan (born c. 1955) is a Canadian writer,

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

and producer of film and television programs. He is best known for detailed period movies such as the ''

Anne of Green Gables ''Anne of Green Gables'' is a 1908 novel by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery (published as L. M. Montgomery). Written for all ages, it has been considered a classic children's novel since the mid-20th century. Set in the late 19th century, t ...

'' series of films, his movie adaptation of Timothy Findley's novel '' The Piano Man's Daughter'', feature films and TV-movies such as ''

Under the Piano ''Under the Piano'' is a 1995 television film directed by Stefan Scaini and features Kevin Sullivan as executive producer. The film follows the story of one woman’s overwhelming faith in her talented but emotionally defenceless sister. The fil ...

'', ''

Butterbox Babies ''Butterbox Babies'' is a film adapted from the book ''Butterbox Babies'' by Bette L. Cahill, which is based on the true story of the Ideal Maternity Home, a home for unwed pregnant mothers, during the Great Depression and Second World War. The ...

'', '' Sleeping Dogs Lie'' and the CBS mini-series'' Seasons of Love'', as well as long-running television series such as ''

Road to Avonlea ''Road to Avonlea'' is a Canadian television series first broadcast in Canada between January 7, 1990, and March 31, 1996, as part of the '' CBC Family Hour'' anthology series, and in the United States starting on March 5, 1990. It was created ...

'' and ''

Wind at My Back ''Wind at My Back'' is a television series which aired in Canada on CBC Television between 1996 and 2001. It was created and produced by Kevin Sullivan (producer), Kevin Sullivan, best known for his adaptation of ''Anne of Green Gables (1985 film ...

''.

Early life

Sullivan began his film-making career at the early age of 24. His father, Glenn A. Sullivan, was a successful attorney and his uncle, Senator Joseph A. Sullivan, was a prominent doctor with a seat in the Canadian senate from 1957 to 1985. Kevin Sullivan did not follow in either of their footsteps. His first foray into film-making was with a half-hour

Hans Christian Andersen Hans Christian Andersen ( , ; 2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogue (literature), travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales. Andersen's fai ...

Christmas special, titled '' The Fir Tree'' (1979), of which he edited and also had a small acting role. From there Sullivan wrote, produced and directed ''

Krieghoff H. Krieghoff GmbH is a German manufacturer of high-end hunting and sporting firearms, based in Ulm, Germany. In North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemi ...

'' (1979), a widely acclaimed

docu-drama Docudrama (or documentary drama) is a genre of television and film, which features dramatized re-enactments of actual events. It is described as a hybrid of documentary and drama and "a fact-based representation of real event". Docudramas typ ...

in French and English on the life of Cornelius Krieghoff, the prominent German artist and illustrator of 19th-century Quebec. Sullivan graduated from the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

in 1979 with a Bachelor of Science in biology. That year, he founded Sullivan Films (later Sullivan Entertainment) with Trudy Grant (to whom he is now married) and they created a successful international production and distribution company that has been operating for over thirty years.

Career

In 1980 Sullivan wrote, produced, and directed ''Megan Carey'' (1980), a film about a young Irish immigrant indentured on a farm in 19th century Canada. His first feature film was '' The Wild Pony'' (1982), which he co-wrote, co-produced and directed, it became a turning point for Sullivan, having been the first feature-length movie to be made exclusively for

pay-TV Pay television, also known as subscription television, premium television or, when referring to an individual service, a premium channel, refers to subscription-based television services, usually provided by multichannel television providers, b ...

in Canada. In 1984 he purchased the rights to ''

'', completing the screenplay for the four-hour miniseries in 1985 with co-writer Joe Wiesenfeld. ''Anne of Green Gables'' and its sequel were the highest rated dramatic productions to air in Canadian TV history. Cinematic feature versions played in theatres in Japan for five years straight. Anne of Green Gables has been studied in US film schools as a model of TV Drama with a wide appeal to a wide variety of viewers. Part of ''Anne of Green Gables immense attraction was its rich look, featuring painstakingly recreated sets and detailed costumes that imbued it with a magical reality. That look, or a variation on its theme, has become the hallmark of every Sullivan production since. The success of'' Anne of Green Gables'', starring

Megan Follows Megan Elizabeth Laura Diana Follows ( ; born March 14, 1968) is a Canadian actress and director. She is known for her role as Anne Shirley in the 1985 Canadian television miniseries ''Anne of Green Gables'' and its two sequels. From 2013 to 2017 ...

Richard Farnsworth Richard William Farnsworth (September 1, 1920 – October 6, 2000) was an American actor and stuntman. He was twice nominated for an Academy Award: in 1978 for Best Supporting Actor for '' Comes a Horseman,'' and in 2000 for Best Actor in ' ...

and

Colleen Dewhurst Colleen Rose Dewhurst (June 3, 1924 – August 22, 1991) was a Canadian-American actress mostly known for theatre roles. She was a renowned interpreter of the works of Eugene O'Neill on the stage, and her career also encompassed film, early dra ...

led to three sequels: '' Anne of Green Gables – The Sequel'' (1987 aka ''Anne of Avonlea'' – US release) starring Follows, Dewhurst and

Wendy Hiller Dame Wendy Margaret Hiller (15 August 1912 – 14 May 2003) was an English film and stage actress who enjoyed a varied acting career that spanned nearly 60 years. Writer Joel Hirschorn, in his 1984 compilation ''Rating the Movie Stars'', describ ...

, '' Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story'' (1998) and most recently '' Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning'' (2009), starring

Barbara Hershey Barbara Lynn Herzstein, better known as Barbara Hershey (born February 5, 1948), is an American actress. In a career spanning more than 50 years, she has played a variety of roles on television and in cinema in several genres, including Wester ...

and

Shirley MacLaine Shirley MacLaine (born Shirley MacLean Beaty; April 24, 1934) is an American actress and author. With a career spanning over 70 years, she has received List of awards and nominations received by Shirley MacLaine, numerous accolades, including a ...

. Sullivan penned all three sequel screenplays as well as the novel for ''Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning''. An educational, animated series '' Anne of Green Gables: The Animated Series'' produced for

PBS Kids PBS Kids (stylized as PBS KIDS) is the branding used for nationally distributed children's programming carried by the U.S. public television network PBS. The brand encompasses a daytime block of children's programming carried daily by most PBS ...

and ''

'' produced for CBC and Disney, were each successful spin offs from the Anne of Green Gables franchise. Set in early 1900s Prince Edward Island, ''

'' was the most popular and most lucrative drama series in Canadian TV history. Co-produced with a strong influence by Disney, ''Road to Avonlea'' was filmed on a 300-acre farm and in Sullivan's studio and back-lot in Toronto. In recent years, ''Road to Avonlea'' fans from around the world have organized Avonlea Conventions (''Avcon'') in Toronto to meet with stars of the show, tour filming locations and celebrate their love of the show. With ''

'', the 67 episode depression-era series produced as a follow-up to ''Road to Avonlea'', Sullivan created an entire 1930s town on his company's 1.5 acre studio backlot, one of the largest in Canada, located at Sullivan Entertainment's 60,000 square foot studio and sound-stages in Toronto, which the company continues to operate. He has accumulated thousands of items of period costumes, sets and props ranging from the 1860s to the 1960s. Inspired by a lifelong interest in Baroque Architecture and the beauty of Mozart's hometown of Salzburg, in 2006 (the "Mozart-Jahre") Sullivan decided to create a contemporary, English-language feature film of the composer's classic opera ''

The Magic Flute ''The Magic Flute'' (, ), K. 620, is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. It is a ''Singspiel'', a popular form that included both singing and spoken dialogue. The work premiered on ...

'', entitled '' Magic Flute Diaries''. The film was a full-scale CGI production created like a variation of ''

Sin City ''Sin City'' is a series of neo-noir Comic book, comics by American comic book writer-artist Frank Miller. The first story originally appeared in ''Dark Horse Presents Fifth Anniversary Special'' (April 1991), and continued in ''Dark Horse Prese ...

'' and

300 __NOTOC__ Year 300 ( CCC) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Constantius and Valerius (or, less frequently, year 1053 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 300 ...

with elaborate studio green-screen production design. Special choreography sequences and backdrops were shot on location in palaces, monasteries and gardens in Austria and Germany. Sullivan produced a companion documentary to ''Magic Flute Diaries'' titled ''Mozart Decoded'', which takes a historical look at Mozart's involvement with the Freemasons and his genius as a composer. Sullivan productions have reportedly been viewed in more than 140 countries. Sullivan Entertainment's 1999 efforts to transition to a publicly traded company triggered a dispute with

Lucy Maud Montgomery Lucy Maud Montgomery (November 30, 1874 – April 24, 1942), published as L. M. Montgomery, was a Canadian author best known for a collection of novels, essays, short stories, and poetry beginning in 1908 with '' Anne of Green Gables''. Sh ...

's heirs. Its prospectus informed potential investors that its shows based on Montgomery's work had been profitable, generating $35.7 million

CAD Computer-aided design (CAD) is the use of computers (or ) to aid in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimization of a design. This software is used to increase the productivity of the designer, improve the quality of design, improve c ...

in 1997 alone. However Montgomery's heirs had been told two shows based on works Sullivan believed it had acquired dramatic rights to, had failed to turn a profit, so they sued. Sullivan counter-sued, for damage to his reputation, successfully providing evidence that the heirs of Montgomery had no reversionary copyright claims to the dramatic rights to the original novel they had sold him. The matter was eventually settled between the parties. Sullivan is a licensee of the ''Anne of Green Gables'' trademarks. Sullivan is currently writing and producing an adaptation of

Timothy Findley Timothy Irving Frederick Findley, (October 30, 1930 – June 20, 2002) was a Canadian novelist and playwright.

's ''

Famous Last Words Famous Last Words may refer to: * List of last words, collection of last words attributed to historical figures before their death Music * Famous Last Words (band), an American metal band Albums * ''Famous Last Words'' (Al Stewart album), 1 ...

'' about the plot to kidnap the Duke and Duchess of Windsor in Lisbon in 1936, known as

Operation Willi Operation Willi was the Germany, German code name for the unsuccessful attempt by the Schutzstaffel, SS to kidnapping, kidnap Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor in July 1940 and induce him to work with German dictator Adolf Hitler for either a peace ...

. He is also developing a film adaptation of "The Ballad of Blind Tom", based on the book by Deirdre O'Connell about the life of musical prodigy Blind Tom Wiggins.

Books

As a writer and art-enthusiast, Sullivan is the author of ''Beyond Green Gables'', a behind-the-scenes look at the production design and inspiration for his films. Sullivan's Publishing Division, Davenport Press, has released over 50 books. These titles are available as hard books and ebooks. They include novels ''Anne of Green Gables ~ A New Beginning'', a children's book series based on ''Anne of Green Gables: The Animated Series'', and an assortment of specialty coffee table books.

Other endeavors

Sullivan Entertainment owns and operates a four-acre studio/

backlot A backlot is an area behind or adjoining a movie studio containing permanent exterior buildings for outdoor scenes in filmmaking or television productions, or space for temporary set construction. Uses Some movie studios build a wide variety of ...

facility in Toronto which holds and rents an assortment of props, set pieces and costumes that were used in Sullivan productions. Sullivan is also an art collector. This interest compelled him to produce the documentary '' Out of the Shadows''. Narrated by

Donald Sutherland Donald McNichol Sutherland (17 July 1935 – 20 June 2024) was a Canadian actor. With a career spanning six decades, he received List of awards and nominations received by Donald Sutherland, numerous accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award ...

, the documentary shows how new types of x-rays and digital imaging are allowing scientists to see beneath layers of paint to reveal and authenticate paintings by masters such as

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (; ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), mononymously known as Rembrandt was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker, and Drawing, draughtsman. He is generally considered one of the greatest visual artists in ...

Goya Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (; ; 30 March 1746 – 16 April 1828) was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker. He is considered the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His paintings, drawings, an ...

Caravaggio Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (also Michele Angelo Merigi or Amerighi da Caravaggio; 29 September 1571 – 18 July 1610), known mononymously as Caravaggio, was an Italian painter active in Rome for most of his artistic life. During the fina ...

and

Van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who is among the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art. In just over a decade, he created approximately 2,100 artwork ...

. ''Out of the Shadows'' closely follows the scientific journey of a group of material physicists and art historians during the attribution of Rembrandt's painting ''Old Man with a Beard'' at the Brookhaven National Synchrotron in Long Island, New York. The film premiered at The Metropolitan Museum in New York in June 2012.

Awards and recognition

Having produced over 500 hours of movies and television in his thirty-year career he has also won hundreds of international awards, including three

Emmy Award 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 categor ...

s, a

Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Foster Peabody, George Peabody, honor what are described as the most powerful, enlightening, and in ...

for outstanding contribution to television,

Gemini Gemini most often refers to: * Gemini (constellation), one of the constellations of the zodiac * Gemini (astrology), an astrological sign Gemini may also refer to: Science and technology Space * Gemini in Chinese astronomy, the Gemini constellat ...

, Cable-Ace & Prix Jeunesse Awards.

List of awards

George Foster Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Peabody, honor what are described as the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in ...

*3 Emmy Awards *6 Emmy Award Nominations *5

Gemini Awards The Gemini Awards were awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television between 1986–2011 to recognize the achievements of Canada's English-language television industry. The Gemini Awards are analogous to the Emmy Awards given in th ...

*8 Gemini Award Nominations *3 CableACE Awards *2 CableACE Nominations *Prix Jeunesse *TV Guide Parent's Choice Award *American TV Critics Award *3 Golden Apple Awards from the National Educational Media Competition *1 Ollie Award *European Jury Prize at the Umbriafiction TV Festival *Gold World Medal – New York Film Festival * Golden Gate Award *Gold Medal – New York International Film and Television Festival *ACT Award *Best Children's Production – Television Movie Awards

Selected filmography

Director

Lantern Hill Lantern Hill, elevation 491 feet (149 m), is a hill located in North Stonington, New London County, Connecticut. Name Lantern Hill The hill's white quartz cliffs are said to shine in sunlight when viewed from the Atlantic Ocean (Caulkins 18 ...

'' (film, 1990) * '' Looking for Miracles'' (film, 1989) * ''

Anne of Avonlea ''Anne of Avonlea'' is a 1909 novel by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery, who published as L. M. Montgomery. The first sequel to Montgomery's ''Anne of Green Gables'' (1908), the book covers the second chapter in the life of Anne Shirley, fro ...

'' (film 1987) * ''

'' (film, 1985) * '' The Wild Pony'' (film, 1982) * ''Krieghoff'' (film, 1981) * '' The Fir Tree'' (film 1980)

Executive producer

* ''Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning'' (film, 2008) * ''Mozart Decoded'' (film, 2008) * ''Magic Flute Diaries '' (film, 2008) * '' Anne, Journey to Green Gables'' (animated film, 2005) * ''The Piano Man's Daughter'' (film, 2003) * '' Wind at My Back Christmas'' (film, 2001) * ''P.R.'' (film, 2001) * '' P.R.'' (Television Series, 2001) * ''Super Rupert'' (Television Series, 2001) * '' Anne of Green Gables: The Animated Series'' (Television Series, 2000) * '' Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story'' (film, 2000) * '' Seasons of Love'' (film, 1999) * '' Sleeping Dogs Lie'' (film, 1998) * ''Happy Christmas Miss King'' (film, 1998) * '' Promise the Moon'' (film, 1997) * ''

'' (Television Series, 1996–2000) * ''

'' (film, 1995) * ''

'' (film, 1995) * '' By Way of the Stars'' (film, 1992) * ''

'' (film, 1990) * ''Looking for Miracles'' (film, 1990) * ''

'' (Television Series, 1989–1996) * ''

'' (film, 1987) * ''

'' (film, 1985) * ''The Wild Pony'' (film, 1982)

Screenwriter

* '' Out of the Shadows'' (film, 2010) * ''Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning'' (film, 2008) * ''Mozart Decoded'' (film, 2008) * ''Magic Flute Diaries'' (film, 2008) * ''Anne, Journey to Green Gables'' (film, 2005) * ''The Piano Man's Daughter'' (film, 2003) * '' Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story'' (film, 2000) * ''Promise the Moon'' (film, 1997) * ''Wind at My Back'' (Television series 1996–2000) * ''Road to Avonlea'' (Television series 1989 -1996) * ''

'' (film, 1990) * ''Looking for Miracles'' (film, 1989) * '' Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel'' (film, 1987) * ''

'' (film, 1985) * ''The Wild Pony'' (film, 1982)

Kevin Sullivan's Anne Series

# ''

'' – 1985 # '' Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel'' – 1987 # '' Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story'' – 2000 # '' Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning'' – 2008

References

External links

Official website

Official Movie website
* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sullivan, Kevin 1950s births Date of birth missing (living people) Living people Film producers from Ontario Canadian television producers Film directors from Toronto Canadian people of Irish descent