Film and television director;
Born: March 31, 1918; Died: August 20, 2013.
Ted Post, who has died at the age of 95, was a veteran American film and TV director most notable for his collaborations with Clint Eastwood, on the films Magnum Force and Hang 'Em High.
He was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1918 and died in Los Angeles. He was inspired to work in cinema after working as an usher in his local picture house, although much of the work which made his name was done in television.
He first encountered Eastwood as a director on the fondly-remembered 1960s western series Rawhide, in which Eastwood appeared in 24 episodes.
They hit it off, and when he was cast in the 1968 Western Hang 'Em High, Eastwood reportedly asked for Post to direct the movie. However they were later to fall out on the set of Magnum Force, the second film in the the Dirty Harry series which made Eastwood's name.
The souring of the relationship saw a disgruntled Post later accuse Eastwood of taking much of the credit for directing Magnum Force.
"Clint's greed and ego began to affect his sensitivity and judgment," he told an interviewer, accusing the star of "a touch of megalomania". By implying he, not Post was the true director of the film, he claimed the actor had ruined his subsequent career.
He directed other films, including the 1970 sequel Beneath The Planet Of The Apes, and worked on the pre-series pilot episode of the police series Cagney & Lacey, which went on to be a big hit in the 1980s.
Post's other TV credits included directing 56 episodes of the Western series Gunsmoke and 90 instalments of prime-time soap opera Peyton Place.
In 1996, Post formed Pro Bono Productions, a company designed to showcase the skills of older, time-served members of the Hollywood movie hierarchy. By then, relations with Eastwood appeared to have been restored with the actor among many stars to endorse the scheme alongside Jack Lemmon and Gregory Peck.
Post criticised the Hollywood industry for its infatuation with youth, telling the LA Times: "We're living in an era where it's a sin to be old. It wasn't true years ago. They were looking for people with experience to guide them. But, these days, you're discarded like Kleenex."
His last directing credit was 1999's low-budget film 4 Faces.
He is survived by his wife, Thelma, two children and four grandchildren.
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