Hank Moonjean
{{short description|American film director}}
{{Infobox person
|name=Hank Moonjean
|birth_date={{birth date|1930|1|7}}
|birth_place=Evanston, Illinois, U.S.
|death_date={{death date and age|2012|10|7|1930|1|7}}
|death_place=Hollywood Hills, California, U.S.
|occupation=Film producer, executive producer, associate producer
|alma_mater=University of Southern California
}}
Hank Moonjean (January 7, 1930 – October 7, 2012) was an American film producer, executive producer, and associate producer. His production credits included Dangerous Liaisons, Child's Play, and The Great Gatsby and several movies featuring Burt Reynolds.{{cite news|title=Producer Hank Moonjean dies |url=https://variety.com/2012/film/news/producer-hank-moonjean-dies-1118060518/ |work=Variety |date=2012-10-09 |access-date=2012-10-29}} Moonjean and film producer Norma Heyman jointly received an Academy Award for Best Picture nomination for the 1988 dramatic film, Dangerous Liaisons.{{cite news|title=R.I.P. Hank Moonjean |url=https://deadline.com/2012/10/r-i-p-hank-moonjean-oscar-nominated-producer-burt-reynolds-350091/ |website=Deadline Hollywood |date=2012-10-08 |access-date=2012-10-29}}
Life and career
Moonjean, who was Armenian American, was born in Evanston, Illinois. He graduated from the University of Southern California (USC). Soon after graduation from USC, he answered an employment ad for an interpreter at MGM Studios, and later became an uncredited assistant director for the 1954 film, Bhowani Junction, directed by George Cukor. He worked for MGM for eight years. He became a second director for numerous MGM films while at the studio: Blackboard Jungle, The Prodigal, It's Always Fair Weather, Love Me or Leave Me, The Tender Trap, I'll Cry Tomorrow, A Catered Affair, Kismet, Tea and Sympathy and Raintree County.
Moonjean collaborated to produce or co-produce many films starring Burt Reynolds, including The End in 1978, Hooper in 1978, Smokey and the Bandit II in 1980, Paternity in 1981, Sharky's Machine in 1981, and Stroker Ace in 1983. In 1975, Moonjean was announced as producer of The Bryna Company film Something Wicked This Way Comes, when it was set to be distributed through Paramount Pictures, but he eventually left the project.{{Cite web|last=Yumpu.com|title=Boxoffice-August.16.1976|url=https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/31907491/boxoffice-august161976|access-date=2021-06-11|website=yumpu.com|language=en}}
In 2008, Moonjean released his memoir, Bring In The Peacocks: Memoirs Of A Hollywood Producer. He also donated an extensive collection of film advertisements to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Hank Moonjean died from pancreatic cancer at his Hollywood Hills residence on October 7, 2012, at the age of 82. He was survived by his partner of 51 years, Bradley Bennett.
Filmography
=Film=
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Film ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Credit ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Notes | |||
| rowspan=2| 1966 | The Singing Nun | Associate producer | |
| Spinout | Associate producer | ||
| 1967 | Welcome to Hard Times | Associate producer | |
| 1968 | The Secret Life of an American Wife | Associate producer | |
| 1970 | WUSA | Associate producer | |
| 1972 | Child's Play | Associate producer | |
| 1974 | The Great Gatsby | Associate producer | |
| 1975 | The Fortune | Executive producer | |
| rowspan=2| 1978 | The End | Executive producer | |
| Hooper | Producer | ||
| 1980 | Smokey and the Bandit II | Producer | |
| rowspan=3| 1981 | The Incredible Shrinking Woman | Producer | |
| Paternity | Producer | ||
| Sharky's Machine | Producer | ||
| 1983 | Stroker Ace | Producer | |
| rowspan=2| 1988 | Stealing Home | Producer | |
| Dangerous Liaisons | Producer | Final film as a producer |
;Assistant director
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Film ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Role ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Notes | |||
| rowspan=3| 1955 | Blackboard Jungle | Assistant director | {{center|Uncredited}} |
| Love Me or Leave Me | Assistant director | {{center|Uncredited}} | |
| Kismet | Assistant director | {{center|Uncredited}} | |
| rowspan=4| 1956 | Somebody Up There Likes Me | Assistant director | {{center|Uncredited}} |
| High Society | Assistant director | {{center|Uncredited}} | |
| Lust for Life | Second assistant director | {{center|Uncredited}} | |
| The Teahouse of the August Moon | Assistant director | {{center|Uncredited}} | |
| rowspan=3| 1957 | Raintree County | Assistant director | {{center|Uncredited}} |
| Until They Sail | Assistant director | {{center|Uncredited}} | |
| Jailhouse Rock | Assistant director | {{center|Uncredited}} | |
| rowspan=2| 1958 | Gigi | Assistant director: France | {{center|Uncredited}} |
| Cat on a Hot Tin Roof | Assistant director | {{center|Uncredited}} | |
| rowspan=2| 1959 | The Diary of Anne Frank | Assistant director: Netherlands | {{center|Uncredited}} |
| Never So Few | Assistant director | {{center|Uncredited}} | |
| rowspan=2| 1960 | Tall Story | Assistant director | |
| BUtterfield 8 | Assistant director | ||
| 1961 | Fanny | Assistant director | {{center|Uncredited}} |
| 1962 | Sweet Bird of Youth | Assistant director | |
| rowspan=2| 1963 | Drums of Africa | Assistant director | |
| The Prize | Assistant director | ||
| 1964 | The Unsinkable Molly Brown | Assistant director | |
| rowspan=2| 1965 | The Money Trap | Assistant director | |
| A Patch of Blue | Assistant director | ||
| 1967 | Cool Hand Luke | Assistant director | |
| rowspan=2| 1968 | The Odd Couple | Assistant director | |
| The Secret Life of an American Wife | Assistant director | ||
| 1969 | The April Fools | Assistant director | |
| rowspan=2| 1970 | Move | Assistant director | |
| WUSA | Assistant director | ||
| 1972 | Child's Play | Assistant director |
;Miscellaneous crew
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Film ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Notes | ||
| 1970 | Move | Assistant to the producer |
| 1972 | Pocket Money | Production representative |
;Production manager
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Film ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Notes | ||
| 1970 | Move | Unit production manager |
=Television=
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Title ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Credit ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Notes | |||
| 1966 | The Dangerous Days of Kiowa Jones | Associate producer | Television film |
| 1976 | Beauty and the Beast | Television film |
;As writer
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Title | |
| 1959 | The David Niven Show |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|0600794|Hank Moonjean}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moonjean, Hank}}
Category:Film directors from Illinois
Category:University of Southern California alumni