Introduction
Michael A. Hoey (1934 – August 17, 2014) was a British author and film and television writer, director, and producer. He was the son of Dennis Hoey, who played Inspector Lestrade in Universal's Sherlock Holmes series.
Film and television
Hoey began in Hollywood working as an editor. He later was given the opportunity to write, direct and produce a number of feature films, including the teen comedy Palm Springs Weekend, the cult horror flick The Navy vs. the Night Monsters, and two movies starring Elvis Presley . Hoey transitioned to television where he wrote and directed a number of movies and shows, most notably a multi-year run on Fame.
Hoey was elected to membership in the American Cinema Editors.
Writing
Hoey extensively discussed his father Dennis Hoey's early life, career, marriages and death, as well as his own experiences working in film in his 2007 book Elvis, Sherlock and Me: How I Survived Growing Up in Hollywood. He also wrote about his experiences working on the TV series Fame in his 2010 book Inside Fame on Television: A Behind the Scenes History. In his third book Sherlock Holmes and the Fabulous Faces: The Universal Pictures Repertory Company (2011) he discussed the lives and careers of the many character actors and actresses who supported Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce in the 12 Holmes films made at Universal between 1942-1946.
Personal life
He was a widower living in San Clemente, California, when he died on August 17, 2014. He was 79.
Selected filmography
- The Legend of Mandinga (1961), Writer / Director
- Palm Springs Weekend (1963), Producer
- The Navy vs. the Night Monsters (1966), Writer / Director
- Live a Little, Love a Little (1968), Screenplay
- Stay Away, Joe (1968), Screenplay
- Palm Springs Weekend at the American Film Institute Catalog