Daniel Mayer Cherkoss (August 12, 1927 – March 27, 2006), known by his pen name Dan Curtis, was an American television and film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was best known as the creator of the gothic soap opera Dark Shadows (1966–71), and for directing the epic World War II miniseries The Winds of War (1983) and War and Remembrance (1988).Los Angeles Times, March 29, 2006: Dan Curtis, Obituary Linked 2013-08-27The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, March 29, 2006: Director-Producer Dan Curtis Passes Linked 2013-08-27

Curtis is also known to horror film fans for his work on several horror-themed television series and films, including The Night Stalker (1972) and its sequel The Night Strangler (1973), Bram Stoker's Dracula (1974) and Trilogy of Terror (1975).Dark Shadows Journal Online: Remembering Dan Curtis Linked 2013-08-27Fangirl Magazine: Memories: Dan Curtis Linked 2013-08-27 He also directed three feature films – the Dark Shadows spinoffs House of Dark Shadows (1970) and Night of Dark Shadows (1971), and the supernatural horror Burnt Offerings (1976).

Curtis was nominated for five Primetime Emmy Awards, winning Outstanding Limited Series for War and Remembrance at the 41st Primetime Emmy Awards, for which he also won the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Specials at the 42nd Directors Guild of America Awards. He also won the Saturn Award for Best Director for Burnt Offerings.

Early life Curtis was born Daniel Mayer Cherkoss to a Jewish parents in Bridgeport, Connecticut. His father, Edward Cherkoss, was a dentist. His mother, Mildred, died when he was a 13-years-old. He studied Sociology at Syracuse University, where he met his wife Norma Mae Klein. After graduating in 1950, he worked as a syndicated television show salesman, before landing at NBC.

Career Curtis formed his own production company, and achieved his first notable success with the Emmy-winning golf program CBS Match Play Classic.

In 1966, he created the gothic soap opera Dark Shadows, which became a cult hit and ran until 1971. Curtis's series of macabre films include House of Dark Shadows, Night of Dark Shadows, The Night Stalker (for many years holding the record ratings of the most-watched TV movie—and inspired the series Kolchak: The Night Stalker), Intruders, The Night Strangler, Burnt Offerings, Trilogy of Terror and its belated sequel Trilogy of Terror II, The Norliss Tapes (a 1973 pilot for an unproduced series starring Roy Thinnes), Curse of the Black Widow, Dead of Night (1977), and Scream of the Wolf. He worked frequently with sci-fi/horror writers Richard Matheson and William F. Nolan.

Curtis was producer and/or director of several television adaptations of classic horror texts including The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1968), Frankenstein (1973), The Picture of Dorian Gray (1973), Dracula (1974), and The Turn of the Screw (1974).

In 1978, Curtis made a departure from his usual macabre offerings, when he wrote, produced, and directed the sentimental NBC television film When Every Day Was the Fourth of July. Although fictionalized, the film was semi-autobiographical, based on his childhood growing up in Bridgeport, Connecticut, in the 1930s. The film was originally intended to be a pilot for a potential series, but when the series was not picked up by the NBC network, Curtis produced and directed the 1980 television movie sequel The Long Days of Summer, this time airing on the ABC network. His 1983 miniseries The Winds of War, the most watched miniseries in American television history, was nominated for four Emmy Awards at the 35th Primetime Emmy Awards.

Curtis also directed the War and Remembrance miniseries, which was the continuation of The Winds of War. The program was 30 hours in length, split into two segments. Chapters I-VII aired in November 1988. The remaining five parts, Chapters VIII-XII, were billed as "The Final Chapter", and aired in May 1989. The miniseries received 15 Emmy Award nominations at the 41st Primetime Emmy Awards, including for Best Actor (John Gielgud), Best Actress (Jane Seymour), Supporting Actor (Barry Bostwick), and Supporting Actress (Polly Bergen). The show won Emmys for Best Miniseries, Special Effects, and Single-Camera Production Editing. The New York Times profiled Curtis while in post-production on War and Remembrance.

Curtis's rights to Dark Shadows remain with his estate, which signed a deal with Warner Bros. for a 2012 Dark Shadows movie. The film stars Johnny Depp as Barnabas Collins, was directed by Tim Burton, and was released in May 2012. After the film's end credits, there is a dedication to Dan Curtis. In 2023, Curtis was inducted into the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards' Monster Kid Hall of Fame.

Personal life Curtis and his wife Norma had three daughters – Cathy, Tracy and Linda (died 1975).

Death Curtis died of a brain tumor on March 27, 2006 at age 78, at his home in Brentwood, Los Angeles, California, 20 days after the death of his wife by Alzheimer's disease. He was buried at Eden Memorial Park Cemetery.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Functioned asNotes Director Writer Producer 1970 House of Dark Shadows 1971 Night of Dark Shadows 1976 Burnt Offerings 1986St. John in Exile 1993 Me and the Kid 2012Dark ShadowsPosthumous release

Television Year TitleFunctioned as Notes Director Writer Producer Exec.Producer 1966–71 Dark Shadows 1973ABC Movie of the Week Episode: "The Picture of Dorian Gray"1973–74 The Wide World of Mystery 1979Supertrain 1991Dark Shadows 12 episodes2005–06Night Stalker10 episodes

TV films, miniseries, and specials Year TitleFunctioned as Director Writer Producer Exec.Producer1968The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde 1969Dead of Night: A Darkness at Blaisedon 1972The Night Stalker 1973Frankenstein The Night Strangler The Norliss Tapes The Invasion of Carol Enders 1974 Scream of the Wolf Bram Stoker's Dracula Melvin Purvis: G-Man The Turn of the Screw The Great Ice Rip-Off 1975 Trilogy of Terror The Kansas City Massacre 1977 Dead of Night Curse of the Black Widow 1978 When Every Day Was the Fourth of July 1979Mrs. R's Daughter The Last Ride of the Dalton Gang 1980 The Long Days of Summer 1982The Big Easy 1983 The Winds of War 1988 War and Remembrance 1992Angie, the Lieutenant Intruders 1993 Me and the Kid 1996 Trilogy of Terror II 1998The Love Letter 2004Dark Shadows 2005 Saving Milly Our Fathers

Awards and nominations +InstitutionYearCategoryWorkResultDirectors Guild of America Awards1989Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic SeriesWar and Remembrance1990Primetime Emmy Awards1968Program of the YearThe Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde1983Outstanding Limited SeriesThe Winds of WarOutstanding Directing for a Limited Series or Movie1989Outstanding Limited SeriesWar and RemembranceOutstanding Directing for a Limited Series or MovieSaturn Awards1977Best DirectorBurnt OfferingsSitges Film Festival1977Best DirectorTCA Awards1989Career Achievement AwardWestern Heritage Awards1980Fictional Television DramaThe Last Ride of the Dalton Gang

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