# Geoff Wonfor

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{{Infobox person
| name          = 
| image         = <!-- filename only, no "File:" or "Image:" prefix, and no enclosing [brackets](/source/brackets) -->
| alt           = <!-- descriptive text for use by speech synthesis (text-to-speech) software -->
| caption       = 
| birth_date    = {{Birth date|1948|12|08}}
| birth_place   = [Newcastle upon Tyne](/source/Newcastle_upon_Tyne), England
| death_date    = {{Death date and age|2022|11|22|1948|12|08}}
| death_place   = Newcastle upon Tyne
| occupation    = Film and TV director
| years_active  = 
| known_for     = 
| notable_works = ''[The Beatles Anthology](/source/The_Beatles_Anthology_(TV_series))''
| spouse        = [Andrea Wonfor](/source/Andrea_Wonfor)
}}
'''Geoff Wonfor''' (8 December 1948 – 22 November 2022) was an English film and TV director best known for his work with [the Beatles](/source/the_Beatles) in the 1990s.

== Life ==
Wonfor was born in [Newcastle upon Tyne](/source/Newcastle_upon_Tyne) and, at age 15, began working for [Tyne Tees](/source/ITV_Tyne_Tees).<ref name="chronicle">{{cite news |last1=Whitfield |first1=Graeme |last2=Hodgson |first2=Barbara |title='A true legend and a lovely man': tributes to director Geoff Wonfor |url=https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/a-true-legend-lovely-man-25576766 |access-date=18 May 2026 |work=Chronicle Live |date=22 November 2022 |language=en}}</ref> He moved to the BBC in the 1970s and was part of a crew that followed boxer and activist [Muhammad Ali](/source/Muhammad_Ali) for four days during his 1977 tour of the United Kingdom.<ref>{{cite news |title=Boxer Muhammad Ali's 1977 South Shields tour bus 'like brand new' |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tyne-61901782 |access-date=17 May 2026 |agency=BBC News |date=23 June 2022 |archive-date=27 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231027224013/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tyne-61901782 |url-status=live}}</ref> While at the BBC, met his wife [Andrea](/source/Andrea_Wonfor). The two of them later worked on the Newcastle-based 1980s music show, ''[The Tube](/source/The_Tube_(1982_TV_series))''.<ref name="chronicle" /><ref name="bbc obit">{{cite news |title=Geoff Wonfor: Tributes to Beatles, Band Aid and The Tube director |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tyne-63717584 |access-date=17 May 2026 |agency=BBC News |date=22 November 2022 |archive-date=19 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230819025228/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tyne-63717584 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="AP">{{cite news |title=Geoff Wonfor, Director of Beatles 'Anthology,' Dies at 73 |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/geoff-wonfor-obit-1235176433/ |access-date=17 May 2026 |work=Billboard |agency=Associated Press |date=24 November 2022 |archive-date=9 October 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251009033537/https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/geoff-wonfor-obit-1235176433/ |url-status=live}}</ref> At ''The Tube'', Wonfor became a lifelong friend of presenter [Jools Holland](/source/Jools_Holland).<ref name="chronicle" />

Wonfor entered the Beatles orbit when he directed a documentary about the 1986 film ''[Shanghai Surprise](/source/Shanghai_Surprise)'', which had been co-produced by [George Harrison](/source/George_Harrison). As a result of this interaction, Harrison recommended to [Paul McCartney](/source/Paul_McCartney) that Wonfor direct the planned ''[Beatles Anthology](/source/The_Beatles_Anthology_(TV_series))'' documentary series.<ref name="AP" /> Wonfor spent nearly 5 years on the ''Anthology'' project, which first aired in late 1995. He won a [Grammy Award](/source/Grammy_Award) in 1997 for the project.<ref name="bbc obit" /> Wonfor also co-directed (with [Kevin Godley](/source/Kevin_Godley)) the music video for [the Beatles](/source/the_Beatles)' 1996 single, "[Real Love](/source/Real_Love_(Beatles_song))".<ref>{{cite web |title=Real Love |url=https://www.thebeatles.com/real-love-0 |publisher=The Beatles |access-date=17 May 2026 |archive-date=31 March 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260331171059/https://www.thebeatles.com/real-love-0 |url-status=live}}</ref> Wonfor continued to work with McCartney after the ''Anthology'', directing music videos to two singles from McCartney's 1997 album, ''[Flaming Pie](/source/Flaming_Pie)''—"[Young Boy](/source/Young_Boy)" and "[The World Tonight](/source/The_World_Tonight_(song))"—as well as ''[Live at the Cavern Club](/source/Live_at_the_Cavern_Club)'', a video of McCartney's December 1999 performance at [the Cavern Club](/source/the_Cavern_Club) in Liverpool.<ref name="AP" />

Wonfor also directed a documentary on [Band Aid 20](/source/Band_Aid_20)<ref name="AP" /> and the music video for [the Stone Roses](/source/the_Stone_Roses)' 1989 single, "[Fools Gold](/source/Fools_Gold)".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Spence |first1=Simon |title=The Stone Roses: War and Peace: The Definitive Story |date=2 April 2013 |publisher=Macmillan + ORM |isbn=978-1-250-03083-2 |page=171 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Stone_Roses/BhgXPZliqpcC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22geoff+wonfor%22&pg=PT171&printsec=frontcover |language=en}}</ref>

== Death ==
Wonfor died on 22 November 2022 in Newcastle.<ref name="AP" />

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wonfor, Geoff}}
category:1948 births
category:2022 deaths
category:English film directors
category:Grammy Award winners
category:people from Newcastle upon Tyne

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Geoff Wonfor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoff_Wonfor) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoff_Wonfor?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.