Dan Ireland
Dan Ireland | |
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Born | Daniel Frederick Ireland May 11, 1949 Portland, Oregon, U.S. |
Died | April 14, 2016 Los Angeles, California, U.S. | (aged 66)
Occupations |
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Known for | Co-founder of the Seattle International Film Festival |
Daniel Frederick Ireland (May 11, 1949 – April 14, 2016) was an American-Canadian film producer and director.[1][2][3] He was the co-founder of the Seattle International Film Festival.[4] Ireland began executive-producing films for Vestron Pictures in the 1980s, his first being John Huston's final feature, The Dead (1987). He also executive-produced multiple films by director Ken Russell, such as Salome's Last Dance (1987), The Lair of the White Worm (1988), The Rainbow (1989), and Whore (1991).
He made his feature film directorial debut with the drama The Whole Wide World (1996), followed by The Velocity of Gary (1998) and Jolene (2006).
Early life
Ireland was born in 1949[a] in Portland, Oregon, the second of four children of Rainsford and Betty Ireland (née Shantz).[5][6][7] When he was five years old, his mother moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, where Ireland spent the remainder of his childhood.[3][6]
Career
Ireland and Darryl MacDonald ran the
Ireland became the head of film acquisition for Vestron Pictures in 1986. During his three year tenure, he spearheaded such projects for The Dead, Paperhouse, Salome's Last Dance, The Lair of the White Worm and The Rainbow. Other films Ireland acquired during his time at Vestron included Personal Services, Earth Girls Are Easy and Anna. After leaving Vestron Pictures, Ireland produced (with Ronaldo Vasconcellos) another film for director Ken Russell, Whore, and The Crew, for director Carl Colpaert at Cineville.
In 1995, Ireland made the transition from producer to director with
Ireland worked with Zellweger again when she executive-produced Living Proof, the true story of oncologist Dr. Dennis Slamon, who helped discover the cancer drug Herceptin. The film was also produced by Neil Meron and Craig Zadan. Ireland directed two short films, Hate From A Distance (2014), the story of racism as seen through the eyes of a child, made for the 50th Anniversary of the signing of the Civil Rights Act; and A Most Peculiar Man (2015) starring stage actor Alan Mandell, about the friendship of an elderly Holocaust survivor and a young man on the verge of suicide.
Death
Ireland died in his Los Angeles home of a heart attack[5] on April 14, 2016.[8] Before Ireland's death, his next film was going to be Life Briefly, the true story of Brian Knapp, a young man who overcame blindness to become a professional drummer by the age of ten; he eventually became a guitar player who performed with Johnny Cash on stage seven times before his death at age fourteen.
Actress Jessica Chastain, whom Ireland directed in her first major film role in Jolene (2008), paid tribute to him following his death, writing: "When Dan entered a room, the sun shined. His laughter boomed with love. He had the biggest heart. Love you Danny boy."[9]
The Louisiana International Film Festival created a scholarship in Ireland's name, which commemorates his dedication to new talent. Louisiana artists and filmmakers are eligible for consideration, and funds from the scholarship are dedicated towards an event, showcase or internship in Los Angeles on the recipient’s behalf. In April 2017, the inaugural Dan Ireland Award was presented by special guest Renée Zellweger to Atila Till for Kills on Wheels.[10] In September 2017, the inaugural Dan Ireland Scholarship was awarded to Louisiana singer-songwriter and musician David Jones II, whose stage name is JST DAVID.[11]
Filmography
Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Executive producer | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1987 | The Dead | No | No | No | Yes | [12] | |
1987 | Anna | No | No | No | Yes | [12] | |
1987 | Salome's Last Dance | No | No | No | Yes | [12] | |
1988 | The Lair of the White Worm | No | No | No | Yes | [12] | |
1988 | The Rainbow | No | No | No | Yes | ||
1991 | Whore | No | No | Yes | No | [12] | |
1994 | The Crew | No | No | Yes | No | [12] | |
1996 | The Whole Wide World | Yes | No | Yes | No | [12] | |
1998 | The Velocity of Gary | Yes | No | No | Yes | [12] | |
2003 | Passionada | Yes | No | No | No | [12] | |
2006 | Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | [12] | |
2008 | Jolene | Yes | No | No | No | [12] | |
2008 | Living Proof | Yes | No | No | No | ||
2014 | Hate from a Distance | Yes | No | Yes | No | Short film | [12] |
2015 | A Most Peculiar Man | Yes | No | Yes | No | Short film | [12] |
Notes
References
- ^ "Dan Ireland, 'Jolene,' 'The Whole Wide World' Director, Dies at 57". TheWrap. Archived from the original on October 4, 2022.
- ^ Nyback, Dennis (March 5, 2018). "History in the Age of the Internet: Setting the Record Straight on Dan Ireland". The Seattle Star. Archived from the original on January 1, 2023.
- ^ a b Tehrani, Bijan (July 5, 2012). "What Darryl Macdonald has done in Palm Springs is mind blowing. Am I surprised? Hell no…" — Dan Ireland". Cinema Without Borders. Archived from the original on March 4, 2017.
- ^ Caldbick, John (May 1, 2012). "First Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) opens at Moore Egyptian Theatre on May 14, 1976". HistoryLink. Archived from the original on January 1, 2023.
- ^ a b c "Daniel Frederick Ireland Obituary". Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on November 23, 2018 – via Legacy.com.
- ^ a b "Betty Ireland Obituary". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved March 4, 2017 – via Legacy.com.
- ^ McKenna, Kristine (February 2, 1997). "A Man Of 'Action!'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 10, 2020.
- ^ a b "Dan Ireland, The Whole Wide World and Jolene Director, Dies at 57". People. April 15, 2016. Archived from the original on June 29, 2016.
- ^ Chastain, Jessica [@jes_chastain] (April 16, 2016). "When Dan entered a room, the sun shined. His laughter boomed with love. He had the biggest heart. Love you Danny boy" (Tweet). Archived from the original on January 1, 2023 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Dan Ireland - Louisiana Independent Film Festival". Louisiana Independent Film Festival. Archived from the original on November 23, 2018.
- ^ "JST DAVID Wins Louisiana Film Fest Scholarship, Performs at Peppermint Club - California Rocker". California Rocker. September 21, 2017. Archived from the original on January 28, 2019. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Barnes, Mike (April 15, 2016). "Dan Ireland, Director of 'The Whole Wide World' and 'Jolene,' Dies at 57". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on December 8, 2021.
External links
- Dan Ireland at IMDb