Raymond Austin (5 December 1932 – 17 May 2023) was a British television and film director, television writer and producer, and stunt performer and actor who worked in both the United Kingdom and the United States.

Ray Austin
Austin in The Saint, 1963
Born(1932-12-05)5 December 1932
London, England
Died17 May 2023(2023-05-17) (aged 90)
Virginia, U.S.
Occupations
  • Television and film director
  • Television writer and producer
  • Crime novelist
Years active1955–2023
Spouses
(m. 1976, divorced)
Wendy DeVere Knight-Wilton
(m. 1984)
Websitewww.raymondaustin.com

Life and career

edit

Austin was born in London on 5 December 1932.[1] He started his career as a stunt performer on such films as North by Northwest (1959) and Spartacus (1960). From 1965 to 1967 he served as stunt coordinator on 50 episodes of The Avengers. For The Champions he initially became involved as a second unit director, subsequently rising to the position of full director.

His work as a television director included episodes of The Avengers (1968), Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) (1969–70), Space: 1999 (1975–76), 4 episodes of Vega$,The New Avengers (1976–77), and V (1984). He directed 50 of the 88 episodes of the series Zorro, which was filmed in Madrid between 1989 and 1992 for the American ABC Family channel. He had also directed some made-for-TV films, including The Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1983), and some feature films such as Virgin Witch (1972) and House of the Living Dead (1974).

The Guinness World Records states that "In 1965, Dame Diana Rigg (UK) became the first western actress to perform kung fu on Television when the combat choreographers Ray Austin (UK) and Chee Soo (UK/China) worked elements of the martial art into her fight scenes on The Avengers. Certificate presentation was done on The New Paul O'Grady Show."[2]

Personal life and death

edit

In 1976, Austin married actress Yasuko Nagazumi, who performed in some of the series he worked on, notably Space: 1999. His step-daughter, Miki Berenyi of the band Lush, describes her relationship with him in part 1 of her memoir Fingers Crossed.[3] He later divorced Nagazumi and married British producer and writer Wendy DeVere Knight-Wilton in 1984; they later lived in Earlysville, Virginia, US.[4]

Austin died at his home in Virginia on 17 May 2023, at the age of 90.[1]

Television

edit

Stunts

edit

Actor

edit

Director

edit

Writer

edit

Producer

edit

Film

edit

Stunts

edit

Director

edit

Actor

edit

Novelist

edit
  • Beauford Sloan Mysteries series:
    • The Eagle Heist (2002)
    • Dead Again (2002)
    • Your Turn to Die (2006)
  • Keep Running Or Die (2020)
  • Love Loves A Mystery (2020)
  • Home For The Holiday (2021)

References

edit
  1. ^ a b "Raymond Austin: Director, Producer, Screenwriter and Novelist". raymondaustin.com. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  2. ^ "First western actress to perform kung fu on television". guinnessworldrecords.com. Archived from the original on 9 October 2017. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  3. ^ Fingers Crossed: How Music Saved Me from Success (2022).
  4. ^ "Wendy Devere-Austin". Retrieved 26 April 2019.
edit