Producing or directing, he made more than 50 films over 50 years, including a series on the English language and an exploration of J. Edgar Hoover’s secret life.
William Cran, an Emmy-winning master of the television documentary whose expansive body of work, primarily for the BBC and the PBS program “Frontline,” delved into complex subjects like the history of the English language and the private life of the F.B.I. director J. Edgar Hoover, died on June 4 in London. He was 79.
His wife, Vicki Barker-Cran, said cause was complications of Parkinson’s disease. He died in a hospital.
Mr. Cran produced more than 50 documentaries over 50 years and directed many of them.
He began his career with the BBC, but he mostly worked as an independent producer, toggling between jobs on both sides of the Atlantic.
He was most closely associated with “Frontline,” for which he produced 20 documentaries on a wide range of subjects — some historical, like the four-part series “From Jesus to Christ” (1998) and “The Secret Life of J. Edgar Hoover” (1993), and some focused on current events, like “Who’s Afraid of Rupert Murdoch” (1995).
He won a slew of honors, including four Emmys, four duPont-Columbia University awards, two Peabodys and an Overseas Press Club Award.
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Source: Movies - nytimes.com
