Grade, Lew, Baron Grade of Elstree

Grade, Lew, Baron Grade of Elstree

▪ British theatrical producer
original name  Lewis Winogradsky 
born Dec. 25, 1906, Tokmak, Russia
died Dec. 13, 1998, London, Eng.

      Russian-born British motion picture, television, and theatrical producer.

      The son of a Jewish tailor's assistant, he immigrated with his family to England in 1912 and dropped out of school at age 14 to help in the family business. At age 20 he changed his name to Grade and went into vaudeville as a Charleston dancer. Soon he began representing other theatrical performers as a talent agent, and with his brother Leslie he went on to build Lew and Leslie Grade Ltd., which became the largest talent agency in Europe in the years after World War II. In the 1950s Grade became involved in British commercial television; his company, Associated Television (ATV), went on to produce several action-adventure series, including Robin Hood, The Saint, The Avengers, The Prisoner, and Danger Man (U.S. title Secret Agent). Two of the best-known series he produced were Coronation Street (the longest-running television program in the United Kingdom) and The Muppet Show.

      Grade was also one of the few successful British motion picture producers in the late 20th century, producing such films as Desperate Characters (1971), The Tamarind Seed (1974), The Return of the Pink Panther (1975), The Eagle Has Landed (1976), The Boys From Brazil (1978), Autumn Sonata (1978), The Muppet Movie (1979), On Golden Pond (1981), and Sophie's Choice (1982). The money lost, however, on his 1980 film, Raise the Titanic, caused him to sell his production company in 1982. Grade then became chairman of Embassy Communications International until 1985, when he formed the Grade Co. He was knighted in 1969 and created a life peer in 1976.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Grade of Elstree, Lew Grade, Baron — ▪ 1999       British impresario (b. Dec. 25, 1906, Tokmak, Ukraine, Russian Empire d. Dec. 13, 1998, London, Eng.), was a flamboyant, indefatigable motion picture, theatrical, and television producer who was one of the most influential… …   Universalium

  • Lew Grade — Lew Grade, Baron Grade (25 December 1906 ndash;13 December 1998), born Lev Winogradsky, was an influential showbusiness impresario and television company executive in the United Kingdom. His interests included Pye Records and ATV.BiographyEarly… …   Wikipedia

  • Baron Grade — Lew Grade, Baron Grade (eigentlich: Louis Winogradsky; * 25. Dezember 1906 in Tokmak, Oblast Saporischschja, Ukraine; † 13. Dezember 1998 in London, England) war ein britischer Filmproduzent ukrainischer Herkunft. Biografie Louis Winogradsky… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Lew Grade — Lew Grade, Baron Grade (eigentlich: Louis Winogradsky; * 25. Dezember 1906 in Tokmak, Oblast Saporischschja, Ukraine; † 13. Dezember 1998 in London, England) war ein britischer Filmproduzent ukrainischer Herkunft. Biografie Louis Winogradsky… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • ITC Entertainment — The Incorporated Television Company (ITC) is a British television company largely involved in production and distribution. It was founded by television mogul Lew Grade in 1954.HistoryOriginally designed to be a contractor for the UK s new ITV… …   Wikipedia

  • Cinéma britannique — Le Royaume Uni a exercé une influence dans le développement aussi bien technologique, commercial et artistique du cinéma. Cependant, malgré une histoire jalonnée de productions à succès, l industrie est caractérisée par un débat qui n est pas… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Cinema of the United Kingdom — List of British films 1888 1919 1920s 1930s 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 …   Wikipedia

  • Cinema britannique — Cinéma britannique Le Royaume Uni a exercé une influence dans le développement aussi bien technologique, que commercial et artistique du cinéma. Cependant, malgré une histoire jalonnée de productions à succès, l industrie est caractérisée par un… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Cinéma Britannique — Le Royaume Uni a exercé une influence dans le développement aussi bien technologique, que commercial et artistique du cinéma. Cependant, malgré une histoire jalonnée de productions à succès, l industrie est caractérisée par un débat qui n est pas …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Cinéma anglais — Cinéma britannique Le Royaume Uni a exercé une influence dans le développement aussi bien technologique, que commercial et artistique du cinéma. Cependant, malgré une histoire jalonnée de productions à succès, l industrie est caractérisée par un… …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”