Eva Monley

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Eva Monley
Born29 April 1923
Berlin, Germany
Died12 November 2011
NationalityKenyan
CitizenshipKenyan
Occupation(s)Location scout, production manager and film producer

Eva Monley (April 29, 1923 – November 12, 2011) was a Kenyan

location scout, production manager and film producer.[1] Monley, an expert on filming in Africa, helped many of Hollywood's best known film directors and producers film on location throughout the continent, including Steven Spielberg, Otto Preminger, John Ford, and David Lean.[2]

Biography

Early life

Monley was born in Berlin, Germany on April 29, 1923.[2] She fled Nazi Germany with her mother, eventually settling in Kenya Colony,[1] which later became the independent nation of Kenya. Over time, Monley achieved fluency in the Swahili language and became an expert on East African cultures.[1]

Film career

Monley took a position as a

White Witch Doctor in 1953, and Mogambo, a 1953 movie directed by John Ford.[1]

In addition to her work with productions based in Africa, Monley worked outside Africa as well. She worked on two films produced in India, The Rains of Ranchipur, which was directed by Jean Negulesco and starred Lana Turner, and 1956's Bhowani Junction, a George Cukor-directed film adaptation of the novel.[1] She also worked as the location manager for Lawrence of Arabia for two years.

In 1960, Monley began a five film collaboration with director Otto Preminger as his production manager for Exodus. Monley subsequently worked as production manager for - The Cardinal in 1963, In Harm's Way in 1965, Bunny Lake Is Missing in 1965 and Hurry Sundown in 1967.[1]

Monley switched to associate producer for a number of films later in her career. Her associate production credits included the 1977 horror film

Champions in 1983; and Highlander in 1986.[1] She used her expertise as both an associate producer and film scout for Mister Johnson, which was shot on location in Nigeria by Bruce Beresford.[1]

Monley produced the 1993 Walt Disney Pictures and Amblin Entertainment film, A Far Off Place, which starred Reese Witherspoon.[1] The movie was adapted from the book of the same name, written by South African writer, Laurens van der Post.

Her numerous other credits in other production roles included

film adaption, Empire of the Sun.[1]

Monley was a recipient of the

Eva Monley died at her home in Nanyuki, Kenya, on November 12, 2011, at the age of 88.

The

Location Managers Guild of America
honored the memory of Eva Monley at their inaugural award show in 2013 by naming their honorary award to an industry professional that has demonstrated ‘above and beyond’ support of the work of location professionals after her.[3] The first recipient of the award went to multiple Academy Award winning Director Alexander Payne for his masterful use of location as another character in movies such as Sideways, The Descendants, and Nebraska.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "Eva Monley dies at 88". Variety. 2011-11-21. Retrieved 2011-12-11.
  2. ^ a b "Production manager, location scout and producer worked on such films as "The African Queen," "Lawrence of Arabia" and "A Far Off Place."". The Hollywood Reporter. 2011-11-18. Retrieved 2011-12-11.
  3. Location Managers Guild of America
    Retrieved 2014-12-11