Sidney Hayers

Hayers in 1990

Sidney Hayers (24 August 1921 – 8 February 2000) was a British film and television director, writer and producer.[1]

Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Hayers began his career as a film editor.[2] Among the films he directed are Circus of Horrors (1960), the occult thriller Night of the Eagle (1962), a musical Three Hats for Lisa (1965), and the adventure films The Southern Star (1969) and The Trap (1966).[3] He made a British kitchen sink drama with This is My Street but it made little impact. Filmink magazine argued, "If you don’t think critics make a difference, just ask Sidney Hayers," comparing him with Clive Donner who also made a movie for the same studio, Nothing but the Best.. "Donner is no better director than Hayers, but he got the reviews [for Nothing But the Best] and was thus whisked off to Hollywood; Hayers toiled in B-land for the rest of his career."[4]

In British TV, his credits included The Persuaders! and The New Avengers; he later directed several American TV shows, including episodes of Magnum, P.I., The A-Team, Knight Rider, T. J. Hooker, Baywatch and The Famous Five.[5]

Hayers died of cancer in 2000 in Altea, Spain. His wife was the actress Erika Remberg.[3] He had two children, Susan and Robert from his first marriage, to Patricia.[6]

Filmography

As writer

• Edith – original screenplay from researched notes.
• A Spy for a Spy – Screenplay adapted from the novel The Springers in collaboration with author Berkeley Mather.
• The Sweetwater Point Motel – Screenplay adapted from the novel of the same name by Peter Saab.
• The Tangled Web – Screenplay adapted fram the novel The Molester by Lee Sarokin.
• Spy Now, Pay Later – Original screenplay in collaboration with Carl Johnson and Karl-Heinz Willschrei.
• Blaues Blut [fr] (TV Series) – Additional material and rewrites for seven episodes.

Feature films as director/producer

• While the Sun Shines (1947) – sound editor
• Warning to Wantons (1949) – editor
• Stop Press Girl (1949) – editor
• Prelude to Fame (1950) – editor
• White Corridors (1951) – editor
• Never Take No for an Answer (1951) aka The Small Miracle – editor
• Something Money Can't Buy (1952) – editor
• Deadly Nightshade (directed by John Gilling, 1953) – editor
• Recoil (directed by John Gilling, 1953) – editor
• Romeo and Juliet (1954) – editor
• Passage Home (directed by Roy Ward Baker, 1955) – editor
• A Town Like Alice (1956) – editor
• Triple Deception (1956) aka House of Secrets – editor
• High Tide at Noon (1957) – editor
• The One That Got Away (directed by Roy Ward Baker 1957) – editor
• A Night to Remember (directed by Roy Ward Baker, 1958) – 2nd Unit Director/Film Editor
• Tiger Bay (directed by J. Lee Thompson, 1959) – editor
• Violent Moment (1959) aka Rebound – director, editor
• Operation Amsterdam (directed by Michael McCarthy, 1959) – 2nd Unit Director
• The White Trap (1959) – director
• Circus of Horrors (1960) – Director, editor
• The Malpas Mystery (1960) – director
• Payroll (1961) aka I Promised to Pay – Director
• Echo of Barbara (1961) – director
• Night of the Eagle (US: Burn Witch Burn, 1962) – Director
• This Is My Street (1963) – Director
• The Human Jungle (1963–64) (TV series) - director
• Three Hats for Lisa (1965) (Musical) – Director
• The Trap (1966) – Director
• Finders Keepers (1966) – Director
• The Avengers (1965–67) (TV series) – director, 2nd unit director
• The Southern Star (1969) – Director
• Mister Jerico (1970) (TV) – Director
• Assault (1971) aka In the Devil's Garden – Director
• The Firechasers (1971) – Director
• Revenge (1971) aka Inn of the Frightened People – Director
• Shirley's World (1971) (TV series) – director
• The Persuaders! (1971–72) (TV series) – director
• All Coppers Are... (1972) – Director
• Arthur of the Britons (1972–73) (TV series) – director
• The Zoo Gang (1974) (TV series) – director
• Deadly Strangers (1974) – Co-Producer/Director
• What Changed Charley Farthing? (1974) aka The Bananas Boat – Co-Producer/Director
• Diagnosis: Murder (1975) – Co-Producer/Director
• One Away (1976) – Co-Producer/Director
• The New Avengers (1976–77) (TV series) - director
• A Bridge Too Far (directed by Richard Attenborough, 1977) – Director of action sequences
• The Professionals (1977–78) (TV series) – director, producer
• The Famous Five (1978–79) (TV series) – director, producer
• The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries (1979) (TV series) – director
• The Last Convertible (1979) (mini series) – director
• The Seekers (1979) (mini series) – Director
• Galactica 1980 (1980) (TV series) – director
• Condominium (1980) – Director
• The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo (1981) (TV series) – director
• The Fall Guy (1981) (TV series) – director
• The Greatest American Hero (1981) (TV series) – director
• Magnum, P.I. (1981) (TV series) – director
• Terror at Alcatraz (1982) (TV movie) – director
• Knight Rider (1982–86) (TV series) – director
• Remington Steele (1982–83) (TV series) – director
• The Family Tree (1983) (TV series) – director
• Philip Marlowe, Private Eye (1983) (TV series) – director
• Manimal (1983) (TV series) – director
• Masquerade (1983–84) (TV series) – director
• The Master (1984) (TV series) – director
• T.J. Hooker (1984) (TV series) – director
• Cover Up (1984–85) (TV series) – director
• Hardcastle and McCormick (1985) (TV series) – director
• Airwolf (1985) (TV series) – director
• Hunter (1985) (TV series) – director
• The A-Team (1985–86) (TV series) – director
• Scarecrow and Mrs. King (1986–87) (TV series) – director
• Werewolf (1987) (TV series) – director
• Blue Blood (1988–89) (TV series) – director
• Dragnet (1990) (TV series) – director
• They Came from Outer Space (1990) (TV series) – director
• The New Adam-12 (1991) (TV series) – director
• Super Force (1991–92) (TV series) – director
• Tarzán (1992–95) (TV series) – director
• Baywatch (1993) (TV series) – director
• Acapulco H.E.A.T. (1993–94) (TV series) – director, writer
• Space Precinct (1994–95) (TV series) – director
• CI5: The New Professionals (1995) (TV series) – director

References

1. "Sidney Hayers". BFI. Archived from the original on 7 April 2016.
2. "Sidney Hayers | Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos". AllMovie.
3. III, Harris M. Lentz (24 October 2008). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2000: Film, Television, Radio, Theatre, Dance, Music, Cartoons and Pop Culture. McFarland. ISBN 9780786452057 – via Google Books.
4. Vagg, Stephen (21 January 2025). "Forgotten British Moguls: Nat Cohen – Part Three (1962-68)". Filmink. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
5. "Sidney Hayers". aveleyman.com.
6. Obituaries: Sidney Hayers Lentz, Harris M, III. Science Fiction Chronicle; Radford Vol. 21, Iss. 4, (Aug/Sep 2000): 51.

External links

• Sidney Hayers at IMDb