Michael Deeley

Michael Deeley (born 6 August 1932) is a British film producer. He is known for producing films such as The Italian Job, The Deer Hunter (1978), which won the Academy Award for Best Picture, and Blade Runner (1982). He is also a founding member and Honorary President of the British Screen Forum.

Early life

Deeley's father was a director at McCann Erickson advertising agency, and his mother was a PA to several film producers. He attended Stowe School in Buckinghamshire.

Career After serving in the Army in British Malaya, Along with Baker and Barry Spikings, Deeley also established a series of companies all called "Great Western" which did a variety of activities, including music festivals (Great Western Festivals), and investments (Great Western Investments). Great Western Investments later took over British Lion Films in 1973, and Deeley was appointed managing director of that company.

While at British Lion, Deeley oversaw the release of Don't Look Now (1973) and The Wicker Man (1973), a film he allegedly described to Christopher Lee as one of the ten worst films he had ever seen , though he himself denies this claim, and helped finance The Internecine Project , Who? , Ransom (all 1974) and Conduct Unbecoming (1975). He also produced The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976).

In 1976, after British Lion merged with EMI Films, Deeley and Spikings took over management of that company. They oversaw a series of mostly successful films including Convoy, The Driver, Death on the Nile, Warlords of Atlantis and The Deer Hunter (all 1978).

Deeley left the company in 1979 and produced Blade Runner (1982).

In 1984, Deeley was appointed CEO of Consolidated, a TV company seeking to further expand into US network television. The Chinese Bandit (1978) – based on script by David Shaber