Bryant Haliday
Encyclopedia
Bryant Haliday was an American actor, as well as producer, of film and stage, who was instrumental in providing a showcase for international film titles in the United States by co-founding Janus Films
with his partner Cyrus Harvey Jr.
in Cambridge, Massachusetts
, transforming an abandoned church into the American version of England's Old Vic
, producing, and acting in many of the productions there. In 1966, Haliday sold the Brattle, while Cyrus Harvey Jr continued to manage the Brattle into the 1970s.
, Federico Fellini
, Akira Kurosawa
and Michelangelo Antonioni
.
's Devil Doll
(1964) and Curse of Simba (1964). He would later return to England to appear in The Projected Man
(1966), and Tower of Evil
(1971). All were produced by his friend and fellow New Yorker Richard Gordon
.
in 1996.
Janus Films
Janus Films is a film distribution company. It was one of the first distributors to bring what are now regarded as masterpieces of world cinema to the United States...
with his partner Cyrus Harvey Jr.
Early Life and Stage Career
After entering Harvard to study law, Haliday left to found the legendary Brattle TheatreBrattle Theatre
The Brattle Theatre is a repertory movie theater located in Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts in the United States of America. The theatre is a small movie house with one screen. It is one of the few remaining movie theaters, if not the only one, that use a rear-projection system; the...
in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
, transforming an abandoned church into the American version of England's Old Vic
Old Vic
The Old Vic is a theatre located just south-east of Waterloo Station in London on the corner of The Cut and Waterloo Road. Established in 1818 as the Royal Coburg Theatre, it was taken over by Emma Cons in 1880 when it was known formally as the Royal Victoria Hall. In 1898, a niece of Cons, Lilian...
, producing, and acting in many of the productions there. In 1966, Haliday sold the Brattle, while Cyrus Harvey Jr continued to manage the Brattle into the 1970s.
Janus Films
Janus Films was founded in 1956 by Haliday and Harvey. Haliday ran the 55th Street Playhouse in New York and used it as a primary location for exhibiting Janus-distributed films, which included the films of Ingmar BergmanIngmar Bergman
Ernst Ingmar Bergman was a Swedish director, writer and producer for film, stage and television. Described by Woody Allen as "probably the greatest film artist, all things considered, since the invention of the motion picture camera", he is recognized as one of the most accomplished and...
, Federico Fellini
Federico Fellini
Federico Fellini, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI , was an Italian film director and scriptwriter. Known for a distinct style that blends fantasy and baroque images, he is considered one of the most influential and widely revered filmmakers of the 20th century...
, Akira Kurosawa
Akira Kurosawa
was a Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, Kurosawa directed 30 filmsIn 1946, Kurosawa co-directed, with Hideo Sekigawa and Kajiro Yamamoto, the feature Those Who Make Tomorrow ;...
and Michelangelo Antonioni
Michelangelo Antonioni
Michelangelo Antonioni, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was an Italian modernist film director, screenwriter, editor and short story writer.- Personal life :...
.
Horror Films
By the 1960s, Halliday was wealthy enough to look on acting as a hobby, and was able to satisfy his interest in horror films by traveling to England to appear in Lindsay ShonteffLindsay Shonteff
Lindsay Craig Shonteff was a Canadian born film director, film producer and screenwriter who achieved fame for low budget films produced in England.-Biography:...
's Devil Doll
Devil Doll (film)
Devil Doll is a horror film about an evil ventriloquist, "The Great Vorelli", and his dummy Hugo. Decades after its initial release, it was featured on a 1997 episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000.-Plot:...
(1964) and Curse of Simba (1964). He would later return to England to appear in The Projected Man
The Projected Man
The Projected Man is a British science fiction film starring Mary Peach, Bryant Haliday, Norman Wooland, and Ronald Allen. It was released in the United States by Universal Studios, as a double bill with Island of Terror. The plot revolves around a scientist, Dr...
(1966), and Tower of Evil
Tower of Evil
Tower of Evil, also known by the title Beyond the Fog in the United States and Horror of Snape Island and Horror on Snape Island in Canada, is a 1972 British horror film...
(1971). All were produced by his friend and fellow New Yorker Richard Gordon
Richard Gordon
Richard Gordon may refer to:*Richard Gordon , English novelist, screenwriter and doctor*Richard Gordon , Jewish leader*Richard Gordon , American football player*Richard F. Gordon, Jr...
.
Later Life and Death
By the mid 1970s, he was semi-retired and living in France, where he spent the last few years of his life producing, and appearing in French television. He died in ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 1996.