Zelda Barron | |
---|---|
Born | Zelda Ruth Solomons 31 March 1929 Manchester, England |
Died | 14 August 2006 Ireland | (aged 77)
Occupation | Filmmaker |
Children | 2, including director Steve Barron |
Zelda Barron (nee Zelda Ruth Solomons, 31 March 1929 – 14 August 2006)[1] was a British director, screenwriter, and producer known for films like Shag, Secret Places, and The Bulldance.[2]
Barron was born in Manchester, the fifth of six children born to a Russian Jewish father tailor and an English mother from a wealthy family. She wanted to attend university, but her parents pushed her to go to secretarial school.[3] She married British actor Ron Barron in 1953 while working as a secretary in the British film industry.[4] By the 1960s, she was working as a script supervisor at Woodfall Film Productions on films like If... and Isadora,[5] eventually gaining recognition for her talents as a script doctor on films like Reds and Yentl.[6]
Under Skreba Productions, which she co-founded with Simon Relph and Ann Skinner, Barron worked on her own films, including Secret Places, which she wrote and directed. She is also known for her work as a music video director; she directed four videos for Boy George in the 1980s.[7]
Barron retired from filmmaking after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. She died in Ireland at the age of 77.[8] Her son, Steve, is also a filmmaker,[9] and her daughter, Siobhan, is a costume designer.