Al Daff

Alfred Edward Daff (born 18 August 1902 – 1991) was an Australian born executive who became head of Universal Pictures. He was the most successful Australian film executive of his time.[1][2][3]

Biography

Daff was born in Melbourne. He joined the Melbourne office of Universal Pictures at 18 years of age. In 1922 he took what were probably the first aerial newsreel pictures of New Guinea.[3]

In 1924 he made a 20-minute send-up of wrestling called Who's Who In The Wrestling World - And Why?.[4]

In 1935 he visited the Universal Studios in Hollywood. The following year he was appointed in charge of Universal's Japanese territories; two years after that he became Far East supervisor, then also the Middle East. In 1943 he became Universal Foreign Supervisor, covering all markets outside the US.[5]

In 1949 he became President of Universal International Films, the overseas subsidiary of Universal Pictures Company.[3] In 1952 he became Executive Vice President of Universal Pictures Company in 1952.[6] He retired in 1958 but continued working as a consultant until the 1970s.[4]

In was married twice and had one daughter.[7]

Al Daff
Al Daff
Directed byKeith Salvat
Produced byKeith Salvat
StarringAl Daff
Ken G. Hall
Production
company
Keisel – Bonza Film
Release date
1975
Running time
49 mins
CountryAustralia

Daff was the topic of a 1975 documentary Al Daff. The documentary consists of Daff being interviewed by Ken G. Hall. He offers advice for Australian filmmakers and reminisces about his own career.[8]

References
  1. "Top Film Job To Australian". The Sunday Times. Perth. 23 November 1952. p. 6 Section: Sporting Section. Retrieved 29 November 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
  2. Richard Dyer MacCann (Mar 1, 1956). "Executive Discusses Films Aimed at World Audience: Hollywood Letter". The Christian Science Monitor. p. 6.
  3. Daff, Alfred Edward (1921), Papers of Alfred Edward Daff, 1921–1976, retrieved 7 April 2016
  4. "Insider on film". The Canberra Times. 51 (14, 817). 1 July 1977. p. 21. Retrieved 7 April 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. "Top Film Job To Australian". Sunday Times (Perth) (2855). Western Australia. 23 November 1952. p. 6 (Sporting Section). Retrieved 7 April 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. "MAN IN THE PUBLIC EYE THE ALL-AMERICAN". The Sun-Herald. New South Wales, Australia. 19 December 1954. p. 22. Retrieved 7 April 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. "THE ARGUS Woman's Parade". The Argus (33, 182). Melbourne. 8 January 1953. p. 7. Retrieved 7 April 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  8. Curators notes on Al Daff at Australian Screen Online
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.