Robert F. Colesberry
Encyclopedia
Robert F. "Bob" Colesberry, Jr. (March 7, 1946 – February 9, 2004) was an American film and television producer and first assistant director notable for his work as a producer on the Emmy Award
winning miniseries The Corner
, the Peabody Award
winning television series The Wire
for HBO
, and the Oscar-nominated movie Mississippi Burning
.
Colesberry died at the age of fifty-seven from complications following cardiac surgery in 2004. His death occurred soon after his directing debut on The Wire episode "Port in a Storm
", which was the second season finale. "Final Grades
", the final episode of the fourth season, and -30-, the final episode of the fifth season (also the Series Finale), were dedicated to him.
Colesberry had a recurring cameo on The Wire as detective Ray Cole. In episode three of the third season, entitled Dead Soldiers, Detective Cole was said to have died suddenly while exercising at a gym. Other characters held an emotional wake for Detective Cole.
Colesberry attended Southern Connecticut State University
before transferring to the Tisch School of the Arts
at New York University
. At NYU he pursued a degree in drama. Since his death a scholarship has been set up in his name for filmmakers attending the institution.
Colesberry was married to Karen L. Thorson
in 1992, also a filmmaker and producer of The Wire.
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
winning miniseries The Corner
The Corner
The Corner is a 2000 HBO drama television miniseries based on the nonfiction book The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood by David Simon and Ed Burns and adapted for television by Simon and David Mills. It premiered on premium cable network HBO in the United States on April 16,...
, the Peabody Award
Peabody Award
The George Foster Peabody Awards recognize distinguished and meritorious public service by radio and television stations, networks, producing organizations and individuals. In 1939, the National Association of Broadcasters formed a committee to recognize outstanding achievement in radio broadcasting...
winning television series The Wire
The Wire (TV series)
The Wire is an American television drama series set and produced in and around Baltimore, Maryland. Created and primarily written by author and former police reporter David Simon, the series was broadcast by the premium cable network HBO in the United States...
for HBO
Home Box Office
HBO, short for Home Box Office, is an American premium cable television network, owned by Time Warner. , HBO's programming reaches 28.2 million subscribers in the United States, making it the second largest premium network in America . In addition to its U.S...
, and the Oscar-nominated movie Mississippi Burning
Mississippi Burning
Mississippi Burning is a 1988 American crime drama film loosely based on the FBI investigation into the real-life murders of three civil rights workers in the U.S. state of Mississippi in 1964. The film focuses on two fictional FBI agents who investigate the murders...
.
Colesberry died at the age of fifty-seven from complications following cardiac surgery in 2004. His death occurred soon after his directing debut on The Wire episode "Port in a Storm
Port in a Storm (The Wire episode)
"Port in a Storm" is the twelfth and final episode of the second season of the HBO original series, The Wire. The episode was written by David Simon from a story by David Simon & Ed Burns and was directed by Robert F. Colesberry...
", which was the second season finale. "Final Grades
Final Grades (The Wire episode)
"Final Grades" is the thirteenth and final episode of the fourth season of the HBO original series The Wire. Written by David Simon from a story by David Simon & Ed Burns, and directed by Ernest Dickerson, it originally aired on December 10, 2006...
", the final episode of the fourth season, and -30-, the final episode of the fifth season (also the Series Finale), were dedicated to him.
Colesberry had a recurring cameo on The Wire as detective Ray Cole. In episode three of the third season, entitled Dead Soldiers, Detective Cole was said to have died suddenly while exercising at a gym. Other characters held an emotional wake for Detective Cole.
Colesberry attended Southern Connecticut State University
Southern Connecticut State University
Southern Connecticut State University is one of four state universities in Connecticut, and is located in the West Rock neighborhood of New Haven, Connecticut...
before transferring to the Tisch School of the Arts
Tisch School of the Arts
Tisch School of the Arts is one of the 15 schools that make up New York University ....
at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
. At NYU he pursued a degree in drama. Since his death a scholarship has been set up in his name for filmmakers attending the institution.
Colesberry was married to Karen L. Thorson
Karen L. Thorson
Karen L. Thorson is an award-winning American television producer. Thorson was married to fellow producer Robert F. Colesberry until his death in 2004. She worked on all five seasons of The Wire...
in 1992, also a filmmaker and producer of The Wire.
Filmography
- The WireThe WIREthe WIRE is the student-run College radio station at the University of Oklahoma, broadcasting in a freeform format. The WIRE serves the University of Oklahoma and surrounding communities, and is staffed by student DJs. The WIRE broadcasts at 1710 kHz AM in Norman, Oklahoma...
(2002) (producer/director/actor) (TV series) (seasons 1-3) - K-PAXK-PAX (film)K-PAX is a 2001 American science fiction and mystery film directed by Iain Softley and starring Kevin Spacey, Jeff Bridges, Mary McCormack and Alfre Woodard. The screenplay, written by Gene Brewer and Charles Leavitt, is based on a novel of the same name by Brewer about a psychiatric patient who...
(2001) (producer) - 61* (2001) (TV film) (producer)
- Peroxide Passion (2000) (executive producer)
- The CornerThe CornerThe Corner is a 2000 HBO drama television miniseries based on the nonfiction book The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood by David Simon and Ed Burns and adapted for television by Simon and David Mills. It premiered on premium cable network HBO in the United States on April 16,...
(2000) (TV miniseries) (executive producer/actor) - Ride with the Devil (1999) (producer)
- Long Time Since (1997) (executive producer)
- The Devil's OwnThe Devil's OwnThe Devil's Own is a 1997 action thriller movie starring Harrison Ford, Brad Pitt, Rubén Blades, Natascha McElhone, Julia Stiles and Treat Williams. It was the final film directed by Alan J...
(1997) (producer) - The Scarlet LetterThe Scarlet Letter (1995 film)The Scarlet Letter is a 1995 American film adaptation of the Nathaniel Hawthorne novel of the same name. It was directed by Roland Joffé and stars Demi Moore, Gary Oldman, and Robert Duvall. This version was "freely adapted" from Hawthorne and deviated from the original story. Universally panned by...
(1995) (co-producer) - The Road to WellvilleThe Road to Wellville (film)The Road to Wellville is a 1994 American comedy-drama film adaptation of T. Coraghessan Boyle's novel of the same name, which tells the story of the doctor and clean-living advocate John Harvey Kellogg and his methods as employed at the Battle Creek Sanitarium at the start of the 20th Century...
(1994) (producer) - Being Human (1993) (producer)
- Billy Bathgate (1991) (producer/actor)
- Come See the ParadiseCome See the ParadiseCome See the Paradise is a 1990 film directed by Alan Parker, starring Dennis Quaid and Tamlyn Tomita. Set before and during World War II, the film depicts the treatment of Japanese people in America following the attack on Pearl Harbor, and the subsequent loss of civil liberties within the...
(1990) (producer/actor) - Mississippi BurningMississippi BurningMississippi Burning is a 1988 American crime drama film loosely based on the FBI investigation into the real-life murders of three civil rights workers in the U.S. state of Mississippi in 1964. The film focuses on two fictional FBI agents who investigate the murders...
(1988) (producer) - The House on Carroll Street (1988) (producer)
- Housekeeping (1987) (producer)
- Death of a SalesmanDeath of a Salesman (1985 film)Death of a Salesman is a 1985 CBS made for television film directed by Volker Schlöndorff, based on the 1949 play of the same name by Arthur Miller. It stars Dustin Hoffman, Kate Reid, John Malkovich, Stephen Lang and Charles Durning...
(1985) (TV film) (producer)...later Tod eines Handlungsreisenden (1986) (TV) (West Germany) - After HoursAfter Hours (film)After Hours is a 1985 American black comedy film, written by Joseph Minion and directed by Martin Scorsese. Paul Hackett , a New Yorker, experiences a series of adventures and perils in trying to make his way home from SoHo.-Plot:...
(1985) (producer) - Falling in Love (1984) (associate producer)
- The NaturalThe Natural (film)The Natural is a 1984 film adaptation of Bernard Malamud's 1952 baseball novel of the same name, directed by Barry Levinson and starring Robert Redford, Glenn Close and Robert Duvall...
(1984) (associate producer) - RecklessReckless (1984 film)Reckless is a 1984 love story shot in the Appalachian Mountains and Rust Belt of Steubenville, Ohio, Weirton, West Virginia and Mingo Junction, Ohio. Starring Daryl Hannah and Aidan Quinn. Directed by James Foley and written by Chris Columbus. Soundtrack by INXS, Romeo Void, Bob Seger and Thomas...
(1984) (associate producer/actor) - Baby, It's YouBaby It's You (film)Baby It's You is an American film released in 1983 written and directed by John Sayles. It stars Rosanna Arquette and Vincent Spano.This was Sayles' first film for a major Hollywood studio...
(1983) (associate producer) - The King of ComedyThe King of Comedy (1983 film)The King of Comedy is a 1983 American dark comedy film starring Robert De Niro and Jerry Lewis, and directed by Martin Scorsese. The subject of the movie is celebrity stalking...
(1983) (associate producer) - Summer of My German SoldierSummer of My German Soldier (TV film)Summer Of My German Soldier is a 1978 made-for-TV movie based on the novel of the same name written by Bette Greene. It stars Kristy McNichol as a Jewish-American girl and Bruce Davison as the German prisoner of war whom she befriends.-Plot:...
(1978) (TV film) (associate producer) - Little Girl... Big Tease (1977) (associate producer)
External links
- Robert F. Colesberry crew page at HBO's The Wire site
- Remembering Bob Colesberry at HBO's The Wire site