About

Known credits:
54
Birthday:
1922-07-23
Place of birth:
Kearny, New Jersey, USA
Website:
N/A

Buzz Kulik

Overview

Seymour "Buzz" Kulik (July 23, 1922 – January 13, 1999) was an American film director and producer. He directed 72 films and television shows, including the landmark CBS television network anthology series Playhouse 90 and several episodes of The Twilight Zone. Kulik went on to direct made-for-TV movies, such as Brian's Song.

After leaving the army as a first lieutenant after World War II, Kulik went to work in the mail room at J. Walter Thompson Advertising Agency in New York. He eventually saw a notice at work that they were looking for people to direct programs for a new medium called television, and Kulik responded. A lifelong baseball fan, he started directing the cameras at Yankee Stadium before starting a career directing live television programming such as Playhouse 90 and Lux Video Theater. He moved to Los Angeles in 1953 and eventually began directing some of the landmark series of the 1950s and 1960s including Perry Mason, Gunsmoke, Have Gun Will Travel, Wagon Train, Rawhide, Dr. Kildare and The Defenders (for which he directed the pilot episode). He directed a dozen episodes of Twilight Zone, which brought him lasting fame and recognition among the legion of fans who religiously watch the Twilight Zone marathons that continue to air on holidays to this day.

Kulik also began directing feature films in the 1960s including Explosive Generation with William Shatner, Warning Shot with David Jansen, Villa Rides with Robert Mitchum, Yul Brynner, and Charles Bronson, and Riot with Gene Hackman and Jim Brown. He directed the first television mini-series, Vanished, with Richard Widmark and James Farentino. In 1971, he directed what many critics and fans feel is the greatest television film ever made, Brian's Song, for which he received "Best Director" honors from the Directors Guild of America. For several years in a row the lead actors in the films he directed won "Best Actor" of the year including Peter Ustinov for A Storm in Summer, James Caan for Brian's Song, Alan Alda for Kill Me if You Can, Susan Clark for Babe, and Anthony Hopkins for The Lindbergh Kidnapping. Some of the prominent long-form mini series he directed were From Here to Eternity with Natalie Wood and William Devane, Around the World in 80 Days with Pierce Brosnin and Peter Ustinov, and Kane and Abel with Peter Strauss.

In the 1970s and 1980s he also directed feature films including To Find a Man, Shamus with Burt Reynolds, and The Hunter with Steve McQueen.

Over the course of a career that lasted more than 40 years, Buzz Kulik established himself, and is remembered today, as one of the greatest television directors of all time.

Known for

Directing
1990 Lucky Chances Directing Director 69
Fair
1988 Too Young The Hero Directing Director 58
Average
1987 Her Secret Life Directing Director 59
Average
1986 Women of Valor Directing Director 59
Average
1984 George Washington Directing Director 69
Fair
1983 Rage of Angels Directing Director 69
Fair
1983 Rage of Angels Directing Director 59
Average
1981 The Pursuit of D.B. Cooper Directing Director 58
Average
1980 The Hunter Directing Director 58
Average
1979 From Here to Eternity Directing Director 69
Fair
1978 Ziegfeld: The Man and His Women Directing Director 59
Average
1977 Kill Me If You Can Directing Director N/A
N/A
1977 Corey: For the People Directing Director N/A
N/A
1977 Never Con a Killer Directing Director N/A
N/A
1976 The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case Directing Director 59
Average
1975 Babe Directing Director 58
Average
1975 Matt Helm Directing Director N/A
N/A
1975 Cage Without a Key Directing Director N/A
N/A
1974 Bad Ronald Directing Director 59
Average
1974 Remember When Directing Director N/A
N/A
1973 Pioneer Woman Directing Director 58
Average
1973 Portrait: A Man Whose Name Was John Directing Director N/A
N/A
1973 Shamus Directing Director 59
Average
1973 Incident on a Dark Street Directing Director 58
Average
1972 The Man Who Came to Dinner Directing Director N/A
N/A
1972 Crawlspace Directing Director 58
Average
1972 To Find a Man Directing Director 59
Average
1971 Brian's Song Directing Director 60
Fair
1971 Vanished Directing Director 70
Good
1970 A Storm in Summer Directing Director 58
Average
1969 Riot Directing Director 58
Average
1968 Villa Rides Directing Director 59
Average
1968 Sergeant Ryker Directing Director 59
Average
1967 Warning Shot Directing Director 59
Average
1964 Ready for the People Directing Director N/A
N/A
1963 The Yellow Canary Directing Director N/A
N/A
1961 The Explosive Generation Directing Director 58
Average
1959 The Killers of Mussolini Directing Director N/A
N/A
1957 Collector’s Item Directing Director N/A
N/A
1956 No Right to Kill Directing Director N/A
N/A

Writing
1984 George Washington Writing Writer 69
Fair

Production
1987 Her Secret Life Production Producer 59
Average
1986 Women of Valor Production Producer 59
Average
1984 George Washington Production Associate Producer 69
Fair
1984 George Washington Production Producer 69
Fair
1979 From Here to Eternity Production Producer 69
Fair
1978 Ziegfeld: The Man and His Women Production Producer 59
Average
1977 Corey: For the People Production Executive Producer N/A
N/A
1977 Never Con a Killer Production Producer N/A
N/A
1975 Matt Helm Production Producer N/A
N/A
1975 Cage Without a Key Production Producer N/A
N/A
1967 Warning Shot Production Producer 59
Average
1964 Kentucky Jones Production Producer 69
Fair

Crew
1981 The Pursuit of D.B. Cooper Crew Additional Writing 58
Average