Elliot Silverstein Dies: ‘Cat Ballou’, ‘A Man Called Horse’ Director Was 96

UPDATE, with DGA statement: Elliot Silverstein, who directed Jane Fonda and, in an Oscar-winning performance, Lee Marvin in the 1965 comedy-Western Cat Ballou, died Nov. 24 in Los Angeles. He was 96.

His death was announced by family members.

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Born August 3, 1927, in Boson, Silverstein launched his directing career during television’s 1950s on such programs as Omnibus and the Alfred Hitchcock-produced mystery series Suspicion, Silverstein stayed busy with episodic series throughout the 1960s. Among his credits from the era: Route 66, Have Gun – Will Travel, Naked City, Dr. Kildare, The Defenders and four episodes of The Twilight Zone, including the fan-favorite, Rod Serling-penned 1961 installment titled The Passersby, a mournful ghost story set at the end of the American Civil War.

Silverstein’s TV career would continue, sporadically, through the 1990s when he directed four episodes of Tales From The Crypt and an episode of Picket Fences, but his highest profile projects were feature films, including his first, Cat Ballou.

In 1967, he directed The Happening Anthony Quinn in a decidedly ’60s-era comedy now remembered largely for being the feature debut of a (slightly) pre-Bonnie and Clyde Faye Dunaway and for giving The Supremes a hit single with the title track.

Silverstein’s next feature film was 1970’s A Man Called Horse starring Richard Harris as an English aristocrat enslaved by a Native American tribe. Through it’s reputation has diminished over the decades due to its inaccurate depiction of the Sioux people, the film tapped into the then-popular trend of the Revisionist Western genre and became s a success both financially and critically. A Man Called Horse spawned two sequels (The Return of a Man Called Horse in 1976 and Triumphs of a Man Called Horse in 1983), neither of which Silverstein directed.

Silverstein’s subsequent credits included 1974’s Nightmare Honeymoon and the 1977 cult favorite horror film The Car, starring James Brolin.

Silverstein received the Robert B. Aldrich Achievement Award from the Directors Guild of America in 1985 and was named an honorary life member of the DGA in 1990. Following his retirement he taught film at USC.

The following statement about Silverstein was released by Directors Guild of America President Lesli Linka Glatter:

“Every director today owes a debt of gratitude to Elliot Silverstein. No one ever worked harder or was more passionate about protecting artists from having their work and vision altered than Elliot. He knew how deeply intertwined the end product was with a director’s authority to execute their vision, and that these rights were essential for their best work to shine through. Almost sixty years ago, Elliot successfully led the charge to secure the right to a director’s cut – something that had been a DGA goal for years. And through his work and determination he helped codify and negotiate a list of creative necessities with producers through the development of the Bill of Creative Rights – something which governs the rights of DGA members to this day.

Elliott’s commitment to the needs of directors knew no bounds. He once purposely made a spectacle in the middle of the Universal Studios lot, dragging a chair into the street as his ‘office’ to draw attention to the fact that producers refused to provide workspaces for directors. Thanks to him, that changed in the next round of negotiations. Elliot went on to serve in Guild leadership for four decades, and his tremendous impact earned him almost every service Award the Guild could bestow, including the Robert B. Aldrich Award in 1985, Honorary Life Membership in 1990, and the DGA Honors John Huston Award in 2002. His legacy endures in every director’s chair today. He will be deeply missed.”

During his marriage to Evelyn Ward in the early 1960s, Silverstein was the stepfather of Ward’s son, pop star David Cassidy. Silverstein had two subsequent marriages.

Silverstein is survived by brother Jason. A private service will be held in Boston.

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