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John Erman

Highest Rated: 29% Stella (1990)

Lowest Rated: 17% Making It (1971)

Birthday: Aug 3, 1935

Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, USA

John Erman got his start in the late '50s as an actor, taking bit parts in films, including "The Benny Goodman Story" with Steve Allen and Donna Reed. It was but a prelude to Erman's real calling--directing. He made his directorial debut in 1963, directing and producing an episode of the short-lived rodeo-themed series "Stoney Burke." He quickly followed this by directing single episodes of two of the better programs of the day: the sci-fi anthology show "The Outer Limits" and the popular suspense series "The Fugitive." Over the next 15 years, Erman would fill his directing resume with dozens of high-quality programs, including "My Favorite Martian," "Star Trek," and "M*A*S*H." His career would take a turn after he helmed the groundbreaking miniseries "Roots" in 1977. Adapted from the Alex Haley book about the lives of black American slaves, "Roots" was a runaway hit, receiving record-breaking Nielsen ratings and no less than 36 Emmy nominations. Afterwards, Erman would focus almost entirely on TV movies and miniseries, specializing in weighty subject matter and serious issues. He has been nominated for nine Emmy Awards but has taken home only one, for the 1983 TV movie "Who Will Love My Children" starring Ann-Margret. The Chicago-born director has also won awards from the Directors Guild of America for "Roots" and for "Early Frost," a 1985 drama starring Aidan Quinn as a young man with AIDS. John Erman died on June 25, 2021 in New York, NY at the age of 85.

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Highest-Rated Movies

29% 76% Stella
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17% Making It
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The Letter
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50% This Year's Blonde
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62% A Streetcar Named Desire
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54% The Blackwater Lightship
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Alexander: The Other Side of Dawn
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The Last Best Year
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Letters From Three Lovers
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75% Right to Kill?
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Filmography

Movies TV Shows
Candles on Bay Street 71% 2006 Director, Producer The Blackwater Lightship 54% 2004 Director, Producer Victoria & Albert 78% 2001 Director Ellen Foster 52% 1997 Director, Producer The Sunshine Boys 40% 1997 Director, Producer The Boys Next Door 88% 1996 Director, Producer Breathing Lessons 57% 1994 Director, Producer Our Sons 71% 1991 Director Carolina Skeletons 67% 1991 Director The Last to Go 1991 Director Stella 29% 76% 1990 Director The Last Best Year 1990 Director David 88% 1988 Director The Attic: The Hiding of Anne Frank 50% 1988 Director When the Time Comes 1987 Director Right to Kill? 75% 1985 Director An Early Frost 74% 1985 Director A Streetcar Named Desire 62% 1984 Director Another Woman's Child 1983 Director Who Will Love My Children? 58% 1983 Director Eleanor, First Lady of the World 71% 1982 Director The Letter 1982 Director This Year's Blonde 50% 1980 Director The Scarlett O'Hara War 64% 1980 Director The Silent Lovers 1980 Director
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