Michael Preece
Michael Preece (born on September 15, 1936[1]) is an American film and television director, script supervisor, producer, and actor best known for directing television series Dallas and Walker, Texas Ranger and films The Prize Fighter and Logan's War: Bound by Honor.
Early life
Preece was born in Los Angeles, California[1] and graduated from Alexander Hamilton High School. His father was a salesman for a cigarette and cigar company,[2] and his mother, Thelma Preece, was the first female business agent in Hollywood and founder of the Script Clerks Guild which later became the Script Supervisor Local 871 IATSE.[3]
Career
While a freshman student at Santa Monica City College in the summer of 1955 in the early days of television Preece took on a job as a script supervisor. He worked as a script supervisor on such TV series as Mr. Novak, I Spy, and Hawaii Five-O and a score of such feature films as The Great Locomotive Chase (1956), The Spirit of St. Louis (1957), The Old Man and the Sea (1958), Cimarron (1962), Mutiny on the Bounty (1962), How the West Was Won (1965), Morituri (1965), Will Penny (1968), True Grit (1969), The Hawaiians (1970), The Getaway (1972), The Paper Chase (1973), and Breakheart Pass (1975). Starting in 1975 Preece directed over 300 episodes of dozens of award winning TV series most notably Dallas where he set a record for most episodes directed and filmed each cast member firing a gun in order to ensure that no one knew who shot J.R., Walker, Texas Ranger, The Streets of San Francisco, Knots Landing, 7th Heaven, Falcon Crest, Barnaby Jones, The Bionic Woman, T.J. Hooker, MacGyver, Baywatch, Hunter, Fantasy Island, The Incredible Hulk, Trapper John, M.D., B. J. and the Bear, Jake and the Fatman, The Young Riders, Flamingo Road[4] and Renegade.[5]
Preece also directed such films as The Prize Fighter (1979) which was one of the most financially successful films ever released by New World Pictures.[6][7] Beretta's Island (1994),[8] Walker Texas Ranger 3: Deadly Reunion (1994).[9] Logan's War: Bound by Honor (1998) where he won a Lone Star Film & Television Award for Best TV Director,[10] Dallas: War of the Ewings (1998)[11] and The President's Man (2000).[12]
Personal life
Preece currently resides with his wife Evelyn in Malibu, California.[13][14] His daughter Gretchen is married to singer-songwriter Randy Newman.[15]
Preece has been a key spokesman at Women in Film breakfast meetings.[16][17]