Earl Arthur Bellamy (March 11, 1917 – November 30, 2003) was an American film and television director, producer, writer, and set decorator.

Biography

Bellamy was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He was also known as Earl J. Bellamy, or Earl J. Bellamy, Jr. His father was Richard James Bellamy. He moved to Hollywood in 1920 with his parents, his father was an railroad engineer. After graduating from Hollywood High School in 1935, Bellamy received a degree from Los Angeles City College and took a job as a messenger for Columbia Studios. Within four years, Bellamy had worked his way up to second assistant director before taking time off to serve in the U.S. Navy's photographic unit during World War II.

When Bellamy returned to Hollywood, he became a well-respected TV director who was particularly adept at Westerns. Although he directed nearly two dozen feature films, Bellamy was best known for his work on The Lone Ranger, Rawhide, The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin and The Virginian.

Family fare was his forte in the 1950s; he directed shows like Jungle Jim, Lassie, Leave It to Beaver and The Donna Reed Show. In the 1960s, he focused on sitcoms like Bachelor Father,Get Smart, The Munsters and McHale's Navy. Medical dramas, like M*A*S*H, Marcus Welby, M.D. and Trapper John M.D., kept him busy in the 70s. In the 1966–1967 season, he directed ABC's The Monroes starring Michael Anderson, Jr., and Barbara Hershey as orphans trying to hold together a family of siblings in the Wyoming wilderness. Before retiring in 1986, Bellamy directed the science fiction miniseries, V, and many episodes of Fantasy Island and Hart to Hart.

After his retirement, Bellamy and his wife moved to New Mexico. The state had provided him with many different filming locations.

In 2002, the Motion Picture and Television Fund gave him the prestigious Golden Boot Award.

Bellamy died suddenly on November 30, 2003, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at the age of 86. It is reported that he died of an myocardial infarction (heart attack).

He had three children, Michael, Earl Jr, and Karen. His first wife died 9 years after Earl Jr was born. His second wife (mother of Katherine) committed suicide. His third wife, Gail, survived him.

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