James Sheldon

{{about||the American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator|James M. Sheldon|the English footballer|Jamie Sheldon}} {{short description|American television director}} {{Infobox person |name = James Sheldon |birth_name = Leonard James Schleifer<ref name="a">{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/18/arts/television/james-sheldon-director-whose-career-reflected-tvs-evolution-dies-at-95.html|title=James Sheldon, Director, Dies at 95; Career Reflected TV's Evolution|first=Anita|last=Gates|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=March 17, 2016|access-date=January 4, 2022}}</ref> |birth_date = {{birth date|1920|11|12}} |birth_place = [[Manhattan, New York]], U.S. |death_date = {{death date and age|2016|03|12|1920|11|12}} |death_place = [[Manhattan, New York]], U.S. |occupation = Television director |alma_mater = [[University of North Carolina]]<ref name="b">{{Cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/james-sheldon-dead-television-director-876923/|title=James Sheldon, Prolific Director for Television, Dies at 95|first=Mike|last=Barnes|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|date=March 20, 2016|access-date=January 4, 2022}}</ref> |years_active = 1952–1986 |children = 2<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thewrap.com/james-sheldon-pioneering-and-prolific-tv-director-dies-at-95/|title=James Sheldon, Pioneering and Prolific TV Director, Dies at 95|first=Todd|last=Cunningham|work=[[TheWrap]]|date=March 20, 2016|access-date=January 4, 2022}}</ref> }}

'''Leonard James Schleifer''', also known as '''James Sheldon''' (November 12, 1920 – March 12, 2016), was an American [[television director]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/lifestyle-news/late-director-james-sheldon-james-dean-affairs-men-1302428/|title=Late Director James Sheldon on James Dean and Affairs With Men|first=Matthew|last=Rettenmund|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|date=July 9, 2020|access-date=January 4, 2022}}</ref>

Sheldon directed for television programs including ''[[The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)|The Twilight Zone]]'', ''[[The Fugitive (1963 TV series)|The Fugitive]]'', ''[[The Donna Reed Show]]'', ''[[The Millionaire (TV series)|The Millionaire]]'', ''[[Death Valley Days]]'', ''[[Route 66 (TV series)|Route 66]]'', ''[[The Love Boat]]'', ''[[M*A*S*H (TV series)|M*A*S*H]]'', ''[[The Dukes of Hazzard]]'', ''[[Gunsmoke#Television series (1955–1975) and TV movies|Gunsmoke]]'', ''[[Bridget Loves Bernie]]'', ''[[Room 222]]'', ''[[Harbor Command]]'', ''[[Love, American Style]]'', ''[[The Waltons]]'', ''[[The Virginian (TV series)|The Virginian]]'', ''[[That Girl]]''. ''[[The Man from U.N.C.L.E.]]'', ''[[My Three Sons]]'', ''[[Petticoat Junction]]'', ''[[Naked City (TV series)|Naked City]]'' and ''[[Sledge Hammer!]]''.<ref name="a" /><ref name="b" /> He died in March 2016 at his home in [[Manhattan, New York]] from complications of [[cancer]], at the age of 95.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2016/tv/news/james-sheldon-dead-tv-director-1201734880/|title=James Sheldon, Prolific TV Director, Dies at 95|first=Alex|last=Stedman|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=March 20, 2016|access-date=January 4, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/2016/03/20/james-sheldon-dead-tv-director-dies-95/|title=James Sheldon dead: Twilight Zone, MASH TV director dies at 95|first=Nick|last=Romano|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|date=March 20, 2016|access-date=January 4, 2022}}</ref>

In an interview with novelist [[Matthew Rettenmund]] in 2015, Sheldon spoke candidly about his bisexuality, his relationships with actress [[Loretta Young]] and actor [[Clark Gable]]'s daughter [[Judy Lewis]] and [[Ernst Lubitsch]]'s daughter Nicola Lubitsch, discovering [[Troy Donohue]], and his friendships with [[Tony Randall]] and [[James Dean]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/lifestyle-news/late-director-james-sheldon-james-dean-affairs-men-1302428/|title=Late Director James Sheldon on James Dean and Affairs With Men|first=Matthew|last=Rettenmund|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|date=9 July 2020|access-date=18 March 2022}}</ref>

== References == {{reflist}}

== External links == *{{IMDb name|0791027}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sheldon, James}} [[Category:1920 births]] [[Category:2016 deaths]] [[Category:Mass media people from Manhattan]] [[Category:American television directors]] [[Category:American bisexual men]] [[Category:Deaths from cancer in New York (state)]] [[Category:University of North Carolina alumni]] [[Category:LGBTQ television directors]] [[Category:LGBTQ people from New York (state)]]