Mel Stuart

Mel Stuart, born Stuart Solomon (September 2, 1928 – August 9, 2012), was an American film director and producer.

Stuart directed the fantasy-musical Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971). He has directed other features, including If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium (1969), One is a Lonely Number (1972) and Running on the Sun: The Badwater 135 (2000).

Stuart also directed feature documentaries including Four Days in November and Wattstax.

In addition he has directed or produced over 180 films including movies of the week, The Triangle Factory Fire Scandal, Bill, The Chisholms, and Ruby and Oswald, the television series Ripley's Believe it Not, and the documentaries The Making of the President 1960, 1964, and 1968, The Hobart Shakespeareans, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, Man Ray — The Prophet of the Avant-Garde, George Plimpton and the Philharmonic and The Poet's View.

He was awarded four Emmy awards, an Academy Award nomination, a Peabody, and numerous other awards. Stuart also served as president of the International Documentary Association for two years.

Mel Stewart

Milton "Mel" Stewart (September 19, 1929 – February 24, 2002) was an American character actor, television director, and musician who appeared in numerous films and television shows from the 1960s to the 1990s. He is best known for playing Henry Jefferson on the popular television series All in the Family and for playing section chief Billy Melrose on the television series Scarecrow and Mrs. King. Stewart is sometimes credited as Melvin Stewart or Mel Stuart.

Career

Mel Stewart began his acting career in 1959 with small roles in TV and films. In the early 1960s, Stewart also appeared in the Broadway shows Purlie Victorious, The Hostage, The Cool World, and Simply Heavenly.

Stewart's early career also included notable work as a voice actor. He provided the narration for "Scenes in the City", a long jazz composition with a text by Lonne Elder and Langston Hughes that appeared on Charles Mingus' 1957 album A Modern Jazz Symposium of Music and Poetry. In 1961, Stewart recorded an album of Langston Hughes' poetry on Folkways Records: Langston Hughes' The Best of Simple. He was also a member of the San Francisco based improv group, The Committee and appeared in 1969 on The Dick Cavett Show.