Don Chaffey

Don Chaffey
Chaffey c. 1965
Born
Donald Chaffey

(1917-08-05)5 August 1917
Died13 November 1990(1990-11-13) (aged 73)
Kawau Island, New Zealand
Occupations
  • Film director
  • writer
  • film producer
  • art director
Years active1948–1989
Spouses
Edna Judd Chaffey
(m. 1940; died 1981)
(m. 1985)
Children1

Donald Chaffey (5 August 1917 – 13 November 1990) was a British film director, writer, producer, and art director.

Chaffey's film career began as an art director in 1947, and his directorial debut was in 1953. He remained active in the industry until his death in 1990 from heart failure. His film Charley One-Eye (1973) was entered into the 24th Berlin International Film Festival.[citation needed]

He is chiefly remembered for his fantasy films, which include Jason and the Argonauts (1963), The Three Lives of Thomasina (1963), One Million Years B.C. (1966), The Viking Queen (1967), Creatures the World Forgot (1971), Pete's Dragon (1977), and C.H.O.M.P.S. (1979), his final feature film.

Concurrent with his theatrically released films, Chaffey directed episodes of numerous British television series, including multiple installments of Danger Man, The Prisoner, and The Avengers. From the 1980s until his death, all of his work was in American made-for-TV movies, and in such TV series as Fantasy Island, Stingray, MacGyver, Vega$, T. J. Hooker, Matt Houston, and Charlie's Angels.