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Gene Reynolds has died at the age of 96, a family member told US media CNN. His niece Eve Reynolds revealed he died of heart failure Monday at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, California.
“He always had a smile on his face,” Eve reportedly told CNN.
“He was always making jokes. “
Her reputation in the industry was “kind, funny and wise and a great guy to work for,” she said.
Gene served for four years as president of the Directors Guild of America (DGA), which also confirmed his passing, with current president Thomas Schlamme saying: “Gene’s influence on the modern Directors Guild of America has been significant. and sustainable.
The established television producer and director had six Emmy Awards to his name from over two dozen nominations, three DGA Awards and a Writers Guild of America (WGA) Award in a career spanning six decades.
He started out as a preteen actor and continued with onscreen roles into the 1950s before seeking opportunities to produce and direct.
He is probably best known for co-creating the M * A * S * H ​​TV series alongside Larry Gelbart, a TV version of the 1970 anti-war dark comedy that focused on a team of surgeons during the Korean War. .
The funny but socially astute series was a huge success and spanned 11 years and won numerous awards.
Born in Cleveland as Eugene Reynolds Blumenthal, he began his career as a child actor, making his big screen debut in a 1934 short called Our Gang.
With fiery aspirations to fulfill, he followed leading roles in films such as Love Finds Andy Hardy (1938) and Andy Hardy’s Private Secretary (1941) and television series such as The Lone Ranger, Dragnet and I Love Lucy with a work behind the scenes.
His first major non-actor work came in 1957 for the Tales of Wells Fargo television series, which he created with Brooks and Frank Gruber.
During the multi-season series, Gene wrote and directed several episodes.
Become an established director, he chased his dream and had a solid run on My Three Sons and stints on Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Leave It to Beaver, The Andy Griffith Show, The Donna Reed Show, Gidget, The Munsters and F Troop. .
The television veteran described his later career as an “independent achievement.”
He has directed other TV films including In Defense of Kids (1983), with Blythe Danner, and episodes of Life Goes On, Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman and Touched by an Angel.
Variety reported that the 1999 How to Get There telepic was its last directing effort.
In the 2000s, he appeared as himself in several documentaries and short video films, including the film Imaginary Witness: Hollywood and the Holocaust in 2004.
Gene is survived by his wife Ann Sweeny and their son Andrew, among other relatives.
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