Don Misher, an American director who is a master of live television glasses, dies at the age of 85.
A 15-time Emmy Award recipient and Peabody Award winner, Don Misher created some of the biggest star-studded events on live television. It airs two Olympic opening ceremonies, six Super Bowl Halftime Show and the mastermind behind President Obama’s inauguration.
Misher, considered one of the live television shows’ most talented directors and producers, passed away Friday in Los Angeles, according to his spokesman Annette Wolf. He was 85 years old.
“The Don was simply iconic,” Lesli Linka Glatter, president of the American Directors Guild, said in a statement. “His mastery of overseeing live events has been a meticulously fast-planned symphony combined with on-site decisions that elevated the biggest cultural events in our country and always captured the human spirit behind them. From the Oscars to the Super Bowl halftime show, the opening ceremony of the Olympics, political practices, and Don’s skills as director’s command as innovation as director’s existence, it creates lifelong memories for an audience around the world.”
From humble upbringing in South Texas, Misher became interested in live television while studying at the University of Texas in Austin. He later worked for the university’s public broadcasting channel after graduating. He continued to produce some of the most iconic television broadcasts in American history.
Among the most notable Misher productions was the Super Bowl halftime performance with a rainy performance by Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney, the Rolling Stones, Tom Petty and perhaps the most memorable ever, the 2007 Prince.
Misher served as a behind-the-scenes host of Hollywood’s most famous events, as executive producer at the Primetime Emmy Awards and director of the Academy Awards rituals. He was awarded the Hollywood Walk of Fame star in 2014.
Misher also provided some of the most historic live broadcasts on the political stage, including Barack Obama’s first celebration in 2009, featuring Beyoncé and Bruce Springsteen performances.
A moment before the blockbuster TV premiere aired – in situations where others may feel anxious – Misher said he had found his own peace.
“There’s no sense of a clock sitting on a track, and then all of a sudden it’s time and everyone gets quiet,” he told the Los Angeles Times in 2010.
Misher was survived by his wife, Suzan. Heather, Jennifer, Charlie and Lily have four children. and two grandchildren, Everly and Tarla.
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