Stewart Raffill
Stewart Raffill | |
|---|---|
.png) Raffill in 2014. | |
| Born | Coventry, England, United Kingdom |
| Occupation(s) | Writer, director |
| Notable work | |
| Spouse | Producer Diane Kirman (1993) |
| Children | Maria Walker (1978) |
| Relatives |
|
Stewart Raffill Is a writer, director, novelist who immigrated to the US from Britain. Raffill has worldwide experience in the motion picture industry and has filmed in Europe, Canada, Mexico, Africa, South America, the Caribbean, Asia, and the Middle East.[1]
Biography
Raffill was born in England. He grew up near Stratford, and spent a lot of time on his uncle's farm. He worked with horses and wanted to be a jockey but was too tall. When he was 18 years old, he moved to the United States.[2]
Film
Raffill made his feature debut as director with The Tender Warrior (1971), starring Dan Haggerty. Raffill also helped write and produce. It was shot at the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia. Raffill sold it to Warner Bros. [3]
His next script Napoleon and Samantha ), he sold to Disney. Raffill also worked on the film as a producer. The film starred Jodie Foster and Michael Douglas.
He wrote and directed When the North Wind Blows .
Raffill wrote and directed The Adventures of the Wilderness Family with Robert Logan which was a popular success, leading to two sequels, and established Raffill as a maker of family adventure films with animals.[4]
He followed it with two films with Logan, Across the Great Divide and The Sea Gypsies .
Raffill wrote and directed High Risk , shot in Mexico, starring James Brolin which he later described as a personal favorite.[3] The film got him the job of writing and directing The Ice Pirates, made for John Forman and David Begelman at MGM.[5]
Raffill directed and did uncredited writing on The Philadelphia Experiment that won The Best Science Fiction Film at the Rome Film Festival. Raffill later said this was the film which he thought best represented his artistic tendencies.[6]
Raffill directed and wrote Mac and Me , made to provide royalties to the McDonald's Foundation and to have a lead with spina bifida, which became a cult favorite, [2][7]
Begelmen hired Raffill to direct Mannequin: On the Move . Raffill wrote the original screenplay for Passenger 57 which sparked a bidding war and later became number One at the box office for Warner Brothers. Passenger 57 .[8]
Raffill wrote and directed Lost in Africa made for the Tusk charity. He also wrote and directed a Tammy and the T-Rex that was re-released in 2019 and was the official selection for the Fantastic Fest and premiered at the Beyond Fest. It starred Paul Walker, Denise Richards and Terry Kiser.
Other credits include A Month of Sundays starring Rod Steiger, Sal Sapienza and Dee Wallace Stone (2001), Survival Island starring Billy Zane and Juan Pablo DiPace, Croc , Mysterious with James Brolin and the family film musical Standing Ovation (2010).
Television
He moved into directing for TV with The New Adventures of Robin Hood and did the TV movie The New Swiss Family Robinson with Jane Seymour and David Carradine, which he also wrote. It was rated number One on Disney ABC when it aired as the top rated program of the night. He directed Grizzly Falls that won the Heartland Award and starred Bryan Brown.
Raffill directed episodes of Pensacola: Wings of Gold and 18 Wheels of Justice, and the TV movie Croc (2007).
Novels
In 2018, Raffill's debut novel, Rage, was published and won the largest indie book award - The Next Generation.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Director | Screenwriter | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | The Tender Warrior | Yes | Yes | Starring Dan Haggerty.[9] | |
| 1972 | Napoleon and Samantha | Yes | Starring Michael Douglas and Jodie Foster. Produced by Disney Studios. National Association of Theater Owners Movie of the Month | ||
| 1974 | Snow Tigers (aka When the North Wind Blows) | Yes | Yes | Distributed by NBC | |
| 1975 | The Adventures of the Wilderness Family | Yes | Yes | ||
| 1976 | Across the Great Divide | Yes | Yes | Winner - Outstanding Merit Award - So. California Motion Picture Council | |
| 1978 | The Sea Gypsies | Yes | Yes | Winner - Film Advisory Board Award of Excellence | |
| 1981 | High Risk | Yes | |||
| 1984 | The Philadelphia Experiment | Yes | Winner - Best Science Fiction Rome International Film Festival Fantafestival Award for Best Film | ||
| The Ice Pirates | Yes | Yes | |||
| 1988 | Mac and Me | Yes | Yes | Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Director (Tied with Blake Edwards of Sunset) Nominated—Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Screenplay (with Steve Feke) | |
| 1991 | Mannequin Two: On the Move | Yes | |||
| 1992 | Passenger 57 | Yes | #1 at the box office on opening weekend (boxofficemojo.com) | ||
| 1994 | Tammy and the T-Rex | Yes | Yes | ||
| Lost in Africa | Yes | Yes | |||
| 1998 | The New Swiss Family Robinson | Yes | Yes | Premiered on ABC's The Wonderful World of Disney | |
| 1999 | Grizzly Falls | Yes | Award of Excellence Winner - Heartland Film Festival Marco Island Film Festival - Audience Winner[10] Golden Reel Award Nominee[11] | ||
| 2001 | Adjustments | Yes | Yes | Dramatic Short Film | |
| A Month of Sundays | Yes | Winner - Feature Film Award for Best Actor - Rod Steiger - 2001 New York International Independent Film and Video Festival Winner - Best of the Festival - Feature Film - Stewart Raffil - 2002 Atlantic City Film Festival |
|||
| 2002 | While You Were Waiting | Yes | Winner - Silver Award for Dramatic Short Atlantic City Film Festival | ||
| 2006 | Survival Island | Yes | Yes | ||
| 2007 | Croc | Yes | Telemovie - Aired on Sci Fi Channel | ||
| Sirens of the Caribbean | Yes | Yes | Shot on location in the Bahamas | ||
| 2010 | Standing Ovation | Yes | Yes | Official Selection - Cape May Film Festival 2011 | |
| 2014 | New York City Cowboys | Yes | Yes | Currently in development. | |
| 2015 | Through Maria's Eyes | Yes | Yes | Currently in development. |
TV credits
| Year | Show | Episode |
|---|---|---|
| 1999–2000 | Pensacola: Wings of Gold | Episodes: True Stories, A Wing and a Prayer, Cuba Libre, Busted |
| 2000–2001 | 18 Wheels of Justice | Episodes: Two Eyes for an Eye, Through a Glass, Darkly, A Place Called Defiance, Hot Cars, Fast Women, Dance with the Devil |
References
- ^ "Stewart Raffill". The New York Times.
- ^ a b "EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Stewart Raffill, director of TAMMY AND THE T-REX, MAC & ME and THE ICE PIRATES". Bristol Bad Film Club. 12 May 2018.
- ^ a b "Interview with Stewart Raffill Part 2". Slashfilm. 15 July 2016.
- ^ Roughing It for Togetherness Gross, Linda. Los Angeles Times 23 December 1976: f10.
- ^ Taylor, Tadhg (2015). Masters of the Shoot-'Em-Up: Conversations with Directors, Actors and Writers of Vintage Action Movies and Television Shows. McFarland. pp. 38–43. ISBN 9781476620985.
- ^ "Interview with Stewart Raffill Part 3". Slashfilm. 15 July 2016.
- ^ Patches, Matt (3 April 2017). "How the Hell McDonald's Bizarre 'E.T.' Knockoff Got Made". Thrillist.
- ^ DRESSED FOR SUCCESS: AMONG THE ESPRESSO MAKERS AND PATIO FURNITURE OF WANAMAKERS IN CENTER CITY, A MANNEQUIN HAS COME TO LIFE AGAIN. WHAT'S SHE DOING? WHY, MAKING A MOVIE, OF COURSE. Rea, Steven. Philadelphia Inquirer16 June 1990: D.1.
- ^ https://allmovie.com/work/the-tender-warrior-49049
- ^ http://www.dove.org/the-story-of-the-dove-foundation/a-list-of-the-officers-advisors-and-friends-of-the-dove-foundation/cindy-bond/
- ^ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0303606/combined
