Voting Station

David L. Wolper

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Producer

The Resume

    (January 11, 1928-August 10, 2010)
    Born in New York City, New York
    Best known for producing the TV miniseries 'Roots' (1977), 'The Thorn Birds' (1983) and 'North and South' (1985) and the movie 'Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory' (1971)
    Also produced 'The Race for Space' (1959), 'A Thousand Days: A Tribute to John F. Kennedy' (1964), 'The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich' (1968), 'If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium' (1969), 'Monsters! Mysteries or Myth?' (1974), 'Lincoln' (1974), 'The Legendary Curse of the Hope Diamond' (1975), 'Victory at Entebbe' (1976), 'Roots: The Next Generation' (1979), 'Nostradamus: The Man Who Saw Tomorrow' (1981), 'This Is Elvis' (1981), the opening and closing ceremonies of the Los Angeles Olympics (1984), 'Liberty Weekend' (1986), 'The Betty Ford Story' (1987), 'Imagine: John Lennon' (1988), 'Roots: The Gift' (1988), 'Heroes of the Game' (1994), 'Surviving Picasso' (1996), 'L.A. Confidential' (1997), 'Warner Brothers 75th Anniversary: No Guts, No Glory' (1998) and 'Roots: Celebrating 25 Years' (2002)
    Wrote the autobiography 'Producer' (2003)
    Won two Oscars, four Emmys, three Golden Globes and two Peabody Awards

Why he might be annoying:

    He did not actually have a middle name; he added the 'L.' to distinguish himself from an uncle also named David.
    To promote a USC varsity show, he had a student dressed as a gorilla crash the Oscars (1948).
    He was married three times and divorced twice.
    His finale for the celebration of the Statue of Liberty's 100th anniversary featured 200 Elvis impersonators singing 'Hound Dog' surrounded by jazzercise dancers.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He was named one of the 'People Who Made a Difference' by TV Guide, which noted, 'As one of television's top creative forces, his many contributions to broadcast history have embedded themselves in the American psyche.'
    He produced the opening and closing ceremonies of the 1984 Olympics as an unpaid volunteer.
    He urged the Writers Guild of America to not let their 2007-08 strike cause the cancellation of the Golden Globe and Oscar ceremonies, saying 'Who it really hurts are the people, including writers, who may have this only moment to shine.'
    Appropriately, he died while watching TV with his third wife.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2022, Out of 4 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 9 Votes: 55.56% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 82 Votes: 41.46% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 116 Votes: 59.48% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 3 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 9 Votes: 22.22% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 6 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 13 Votes: 53.85% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 14 Votes: 64.29% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 17 Votes: 58.82% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 78 Votes: 57.69% Annoying