Kim Manners

Kim Manners (January 13, 1951 – January 25, 2009) was an American television producer, director and actor best known for his work on The X-Files and Supernatural.

Kim Manners
Born(1951-01-13)January 13, 1951
United States
DiedJanuary 25, 2009(2009-01-25) (aged 58)
Los Angeles, California, United States
Occupation(s)Director, producer, actor
Years active1978–2009

Early life

Kim Manners was raised in a show business family. His father, Sam Manners (born Savino Maneri in Cleveland, Ohio) had production credits on shows such as The Wild Wild West and Route 66. Manners did some acting as a child; his first role was at the age of three in a Chevrolet commercial. He also watched and occasionally participated in his father's work as well as the work of William Beaudine, director of The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin. It was Beaudine who inspired Manners to become a director.[1]

Manners' brother, Kelly, has production and directorial credits on Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Dollhouse and his sister, Tana, works as a television director.

Career

Manners made his directorial debut in 1978 at age 27, directing an episode of Charlie's Angels. Prior to this, he had worked as unit production manager on the show and as an assistant director on a handful of other projects.[1] Other notable directorial credits to Manners' name include episodes of 21 Jump Street, Mission: Impossible, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Baywatch, K-9000, and The Commish.

Manners left his directing job at Stephen J. Cannell Productions in 1993 to work on the television series The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. He directed 7 of the series' 27 episodes, more than any other director for the show. He joked that he was the series' "mascot director". He was happy with the work for the series, and felt that it "stretched" him creatively. He said, "It really woke me up as a director, almost spiritually…" and that directing for Brisco was a large contributing factor to his later success as a regular director on The X-Files.[2]

Manners signed on to produce and direct The X-Files in the show's second season at the advice of Rob Bowman, who had worked on the show in its first season, and James Wong and Glen Morgan, who were writers for the show and had previously worked with Manners on 21 Jump Street.[1]

Manners, along with his fellow producers on The X-Files, was nominated for four Emmy Awards for Outstanding Drama Series in 1995, 1996, 1997 and 1998. Manners was referenced in the X-Files episode "Jose Chung's From Outer Space" with a foul-mouthed police detective named after him. Following the finale of The X-Files in 2002, Manners directed a number of small projects before signing on to direct and produce Supernatural in 2005.

Death and memorial

Manners died of lung cancer in Los Angeles, on January 25, 2009, at age 58.[3][4]

The closing credits of the Supernatural season four episode "Death Takes a Holiday", which aired on March 12, 2009, showed two photos of Manners, along with the caption "We dedicate the entire season to Kim Manners" and a message stating, "We miss you, Kim."[5] The fifth episode of the second season of AMC's Breaking Bad, titled "Breakage", which premiered on April 5, 2009, featured a dedication in the end credits, which stated "Dedicated to our Friend Kim Manners".[6] The episode "Mulder and Scully Meet the Were-Monster", from the revival season for The X Files which aired on February 1, 2016, features a scene where Mulder sits against Manners' gravestone, inscribed with Manners' real date of birth and death, and the phrase, "Let's Kick It in the Ass."[7]

Filmography
Year TV Series Role Number of Episodes
1979–1981 Charlie's Angels Director 8
1983–1984 Automan Director 4
1983–1985 Matt Houston Director 10
1985 Street Hawk Director 1
1985 Finder of Lost Loves Director 1
1984–1986 Simon & Simon Director 5
1985–1986 Hardcastle and McCormick Director 6
1985–1986 Riptide Director 2
1986 Sledge Hammer! Director 1
1986–1987 Hunter Director 2
1986–1987 Stingray Director 2
1986–1987 Sidekicks Director 3
1987–1988 J.J. Starbuck Director 2
1988 Star Trek: The Next Generation Director 1
1988 Wiseguy Director 1
1988 Mission: Impossible Director 2
1988 Paradise Director 1
1989 Baywatch Director 2
1989–1990 Booker Director 2
1987–1990 21 Jump Street Director 12
1990 Broken Badges Director 2
1991 The 100 Lives of Black Jack Savage Director 1
1991 K-9000 Director 1
1993 The Hat Squad Director 2
1994 Fortune Hunter Director 1
1993–1994 The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. Director 7
1994 Greyhounds Director 1
1991–1994 The Commish Director 7
1994–1997 M.A.N.T.I.S. Director 3
2000 Harsh Realm Director 1
1995–2002 The X-Files Director 52
2003 Alaska Director 1
2005 Empire Director 2
2005 Over There Director 1
2005–2008 Supernatural Director 16

References
  1. Hurwitz, Matt (March 2002). "Kim Manners". DGA Monthly. Directors Guild of America. Archived from the original on March 16, 2010.
  2. Nazzaro, Joe (June 1996). "Fantasies in Dark and Light". Starlog (227): 70–73.
  3. "Zap2It". Zap2it. Archived from the original on January 30, 2009. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
  4. Mitovich, Matt (January 26, 2009). "Supernatural Producer-Director Kim Manners Dies after Cancer Battle". TVGuide.com. Archived from the original on June 16, 2011.
  5. "Death Takes a Holiday". Supernatural. Season 4. Episode 15. March 12, 2009.
  6. "Breakage". Breaking Bad. Season 2. Episode 5. April 5, 2009.
  7. "Behind the Touching X-Files Tribute to the Legacy of Kim Manners". TV Insider. February 2, 2016. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.