Prolific screen and television writer John Furia Jr., who penned popular series including “Bonanza,” ”The Waltons” and “Hawaii Five-O” among many others, has died. He was 79.
The Writers Guild of America West disclosed Furia’s death in a statement Friday. The cause and exact time of his death could not immediately be determined.
Furia, a former president of the WGAW, was a longtime advocate for Hollywood writers. He was also a founding chairman of the Writing for Screen and Television Division at the University of Southern California’s film school and was a full professor there teaching screen and television writing.
“John’s character and dignity touched and influenced generations of writers from the founders of the Guild itself to the newest of student-associates,” said WGAW President Patric M. Verrone in a statement. “For those of us who relied on his knowledge and his counsel, John was more than an eminence grise; he was pure eminence.”
Born in 1929, Furia started his entertainment career singing with dance bands in New York City, but he soon discovered the fledgling television industry. He moved to California where he became one of Hollywood’s most productive dramatists, working for both major studios and networks.
He wrote for series such as “Bonanza,” ”The Twilight Zone,” ”Dr. Kildare,” ”Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre,” ”Hawaii Five-O,” ”The Waltons” and “Kung Fu,” as well as wrote or produced numerous movies-of-the-week.
Furia’s screen credits include “The Singing Nun” starring Debbie Reynolds and Greer Garson, in addition to executive producing films in Mexico, France, Canada, Spain, Croatia and Kenya.
“John had an old-world dignity about him that seems in such short supply in our world today,” Jack Epps, Jr., chair of USC’s School of Cinematic Arts Writing for Screen and Television Division, said in a statement.
SUPERLATIVE Signs Director Claudia Abend For Spots and Branded Content
Latin American director/editor and documentary filmmaker Claudia Abend has joined SUPERLATIVE for her first U.S. representation spanning commercials and branded content.
Abend's empathetic docu-style POV has garnered several international awards for the documentary films Hit (2008) and The Flower of Life (2018). Her spotmaking credits include such brands as Procter & Gamble, Nestle and Blue Cross/Blue Shield. SUPERLATIVE has already worked with Abend, together producing a new ad campaign for digital agency Tinuiti and The Honest Company, a consumer goods corporation featuring eco-minded products.
“We found Claudia through her poignant documentaries on the festival circuit,” said SUPERLATIVE creative manager Stefan Dezil. “We are excited about her textured narratives, emotional storytelling, and her powerhouse long-form storytelling abilities, currently on her third feature film. As SUPERLATIVE continues to build our brand after premiering our latest films at Sundance and SXSW, Claudia is the kind of multidimensional artist we are excited to partner with on branded content and beyond. Fluent in English and Spanish, her reel shows real prowess with infants, food and skin products, families both young and old. Great visual storytelling and inspirational doc work.”
Abend began her career in her native Uruguay, studying film and editing in college. “My dad would show me films like Citizen Kane,” she said. “I love cinema and became an editor. It was here that I learned all about communicating human emotion.”
From the get-go, Abend hit it big as a documentary director, teaming with Adrianna Loeff on Hit, a movie chronicling pop artists of Uruguayan music. Abend took home a Best Editing... Read More