Judith Crawley

Judith Crawley, "Judy," film producer, director, scriptwriter (b at Ottawa 21 Apr 1914; d there 15 Sept 1986). She was close collaborator and wife of Frank "Budge" CRAWLEY, and her contribution to their company was extensive throughout its history. They made their first film, Île d'Orléans (1938), on their honeymoon, and shortly thereafter formed Crawley Films, which became one of Canada's foremost independent production companies. She directed a number of documentaries in the 1940s and 1950s, many of which dealt with child care, most notably the Ages and Stages series (1949-57). After 1961 she gave up directing and concentrated her energies on producing and writing. These activities culminated in the Academy Award for best documentary film the couple won for producing THE MAN WHO SKIED DOWN EVEREST (1975). While "Budge" turned his energies to producing feature films, she continued to produce educational documentaries. From 1979 to 1982 she was president of the Canadian Film Institute.

Author PIERS HANDLING