Oliansky, Joel 1935-2002
OLIANSKY, Joel 1935-2002
OBITUARY NOTICE—See index for CA sketch: Born October 11, 1935, in New York, NY; died of heart failure July 29, 2002, in Los Angeles, CA. Director and author. Oliansky was an award-winning director of television programs and movies, many of which he also wrote. A 1959 graduate of Hofstra University, where he earned a bachelor's degree, and Yale University, where he received an M.F.A. in 1962, Oliansky worked for a few years as playwright-inresidence at Yale before moving to California in 1964. In Hollywood he launched a prosperous career directing episodes of such television series as Kojak, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and Quincy. Despite becoming a respected director, however, Oliansky was even more highly regarded as a writer. He was honored with an Emmy award for his script for The Senator (1970) and with Writers Guild awards for The Law (1979) and Masada (1981). He was also the author of the play Bedford Forrest and of the novel Shame, Shame on the Johnson Boys (1966). Oliansky's more recent work includes writing and directing The Competition (1980), writing Bird (1988), which drew on his extensive knowledge of jazz music, and directing In Defense of a Married Man (1990).
OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:
periodicals
Los Angeles Times, August 1, 2002, p. B13.
New York Times, August 5, 2002, p. A12.
Washington Post, August 3, 2002, p. B7.