{{Short description|Television and film director (1928–1989)}} {{Cleanup biography|date=February 2013}} {{Infobox person | image = | image_size = | name = Harvey Hart | birth_date = {{Birth date|1928|03|19}} | birth_place = Toronto, Ontario, Canada | death_date = {{death date and age|1989|11|22|1928|08|30}} | death_place = Toronto, Ontario, Canada | education = University of Toronto<br>Dramatic Workshop | other_names = | resting_place = Mount Sinai Memorial Park | occupation = Film director<br>Television director<br>Television producer | years_active = 1952–1989 }}
'''Harvey Hart''' (March 19, 1928 – November 22, 1989) was a Canadian television and film director and a television producer.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/5/Harvey-Hart.html |title=Harvey Hart Biography - Film Reference}}</ref>
==Career== A University of Toronto alumnus, class of 1949, Hart soon set his sights on a career in television. That decision, coupled with the fact that Canada was, as yet, still in its pre-television era, dictated his next move, from Canada's biggest city to its U.S. counterpart, where Hart supported himself as an Arthur Murray Studio dance instructor while attending Erwin Piscator's New School-affiliated Dramatic Workshop.<ref name="lanken">Lanken, Dane (February 6, 1971). [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-gazette/193711649/ "Director Harvey Hart - A Fortune for an apostle"]. ''The Montreal Gazette''. p. 38. Retrieved March 20, 2026. "Hart is certainly one to know about the early days of television. After graduating from the University of Toronto, he decided he wanted to be a television director. The only problem was that in those days, around 1949, there was no television in Canada. So Hart went down to New York, studied at the Dramatic Workshop, supported himself as an Arthur Murray dancing instructor, and waited for Canadian TV to be born. When it was, he was one of the original "Twelve Apostles" who formed the nucleus of the CBC's production crew."</ref>
Returning in 1952, Hart was promptly hired by the CBC,<ref name="lanken"/> for whom he created over 30 television productions, among them several episodes of an anthology series, ''Festival'', like ''Home of the Brave'' (1961) and ''The Luck of Ginger Coffey'' (1961), respective adaptations of the like-named 1946 play and 1960 novel. In October 1959, Hart produced the North American television premiere of Arthur Miller's ''The Crucible'' for the series ''Startime'', starring Leslie Nielsen as John Proctor.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=GMAtAAAAIBAJ&sjid=G50FAAAAIBAJ&pg=5631%2C4963529 "Miller's Crucible to Feature Nielsen"]. ''The Montreal Gazette''. October 24, 1959. p. 29. Retrieved March 19, 2026.</ref>
In 1963 he left the CBC and moved to the United States, where, in the following years, he directed episodes for TV series such as ''The Alfred Hitchcock Hour'' and ''Star Trek'', as well as theatrical features, including ''Bus Riley's Back in Town'' (1965) and ''The Sweet Ride'' (1968).<ref name="Rist">Rist, Peter Harry (2001). "Harvey Hart", in ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=7uKs4fKOotUC&dq=%22harvey+hart%22+%22peter+rist%22&pg=PA91 Guide to the Cinema(s) of Canada]''. Edited by Rist. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press. {{ISBN|9780313299315}}. pp. 91-92.</ref>
He moved back to Toronto in 1970 where he directed several feature films, including ''Fortune and Men's Eyes'' (1971), ''The Pyx'' (1973), ''Shoot'' (1976) and ''Goldenrod'' (1976), for which he won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Director.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tiff.net/CANADIANFILMENCYCLOPEDIA/content/bios/harvey-hart |title=Harvey Hart - Canadian Film Encyclopedia |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121006104130/http://tiff.net/CANADIANFILMENCYCLOPEDIA/content/bios/harvey-hart |archivedate=2012-10-06 }}</ref> In the mid 1970s Hart directed four episodes of ''Columbo'': ''By Dawn's Early Light'' (1974), ''A Deadly State of Mind'' (1975), ''Forgotten Lady'' (1975), and ''Now You See Him'' (1976).
He continued splitting his time between film work in Canada and television work in Los Angeles throughout the 1980s. He received a Golden Globe Award for Best Miniseries or Television Film for the mini-series ''East of Eden'' (1981)<ref name="Obit">{{cite news |title=Harvey Hart |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/oakland-tribune-harvey-hart-1928-1989/170698697/ |work=Oakland Tribune |date=November 24, 1989 |location=Oakland, CA |page=51 |access-date=April 20, 2025 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}}</ref> and a Gemini Award for Best Direction in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series for the television crime-drama film ''Passion and Paradise'' (1989).
==Personal life and death== Hart was married to Katherine, with whom he had three children, two daughters and one son.<ref name="b & d @ g & m"/>
On November 22, 1989, Hart died of a heart attack at Toronto General Hospital, at age 61.<ref>Downey, Donn (November 23, 1989). [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-globe-and-mail/193713782/ "OBITUARY: Harvey Hart – Director had diverse career"]. ''The Globe and Mail''. p. A27.</ref> survived by his wife, children, and three step-siblings. Hart's remains are interred in the Pride of Israel section of Mount Sinai Memorial Park in Toronto.<ref name="b & d @ g & m">[https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-globe-and-mail/193703094/ "Birth and Death Notices: Hart, Harvey"]. ''The Globe and Mail''. November 23, 1989. p. A27. Retrieved March 19, 2026. "On Wednesday, November 22, 1989 at Toronto General Hospital. Harvey, beloved husband of Katherine. Loving father and father-in-law of Anne Hart, Bethelene Hart Young, and Mathew and Nola Hart. Beloved son of Anita Applebaum [sic]. Devoted grandfather of Benjamin, Rebecca, Sarah and Emily. Also survived by Selina Lynn, Shelley and Lon Appleby. Interment [sic]"</ref>
==Selected filmography== *''The Luck of Ginger Coffey'' (1961) (TV) *''Dark Intruder'' (1965) *''Bus Riley's Back in Town'' (1965) *''Sullivan's Empire'' (1967) *''The Sweet Ride'' (1968) *''Fortune and Men's Eyes'' (1971) *''Mahoney's Last Stand'' (1972) *''The Pyx'' (1973) *''Goldenrod'' (1976) *''Shoot'' (1976) *''East of Eden'' (1981) (TV miniseries) *''The High Country'' (1981) *''Utilities'' (1983) *''Beverly Hills Madam'' (1986) (TV) *''Stone Fox'' (1987) (TV) *''Passion and Paradise'' (1989) (TV)
==References== {{Reflist}}
==Further reading== *[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=7oktAAAAIBAJ&sjid=H50FAAAAIBAJ&pg=4252%2C1058780 "Rehearsal"]. ''The Montreal Gazette''. December 5, 1959. p. 30. Retrieved March 19, 2026. "Producer Harvey Hart, right, gives Diana Maddox, Oscar Homolka ands Roy Wordsworth a briefing at rehearsal for The Secret Agents, in which they will featured on Canadian Startime, Tuesday night on CBC TV. The play was adapted from a Joseph Conrad novel of suspense and intrigue. The production originates in Toronto." *
==External links== *{{IMDb name|0366314}} {{Memory Alpha}} *[http://www.citwf.com/detailPerson.asp?personID=497859&sortOn=YEAR&sortBy=DOWN Complete Harvey Hart Filmography at CITWF] *[https://soulrideblog.com/2023/06/02/unearthed-the-films-of-harvey-hart/ UnEarthed: The Films of Harvey Hart] https://soulrideblog.com/
{{Harvey Hart}} {{ACCT Best Director}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hart, Harvey}} Category:1928 births Category:1989 deaths Category:Film directors from Toronto Category:Canadian Broadcasting Corporation people Category:Canadian television directors Category:Canadian television producers Category:University of Toronto alumni Category:Best Director Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners