Ray Austin obit

Raymond Austin: Director, Producer, Screenwriter and Novelist Has Died

He was not on the list.

Raymond died peacefully at his home in Virginia with his wife Wendy and daughter Johanna by his side. He was 90 years old. He had an incredibly wonderful life and bought great joy to not only his family but to many people around the world.

Austin was born in London on 5 December 1932. He started his career as a stunt performer on such films as North by Northwest (1959) and Spartacus (1960). From 1965 to 1967 he served as stunt coordinator on 50 episodes of The Avengers. For The Champions he initially became involved as a second unit director, subsequently rising to the position of full director.

His work as a television director included episodes of The Avengers (1968), Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) (1969–70), Space: 1999 (1975–76), The New Avengers (1976–77), and V (1984). He directed 50 of the 88 episodes of the series Zorro, which was filmed in Madrid between 1989 and 1992 for the American ABC Family channel. He had also directed some made-for-TV films, including The Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1983), and some feature films such as Virgin Witch (1972) and House of the Living Dead (1974).

The Guinness World Records states that "In 1965, Dame Diana Rigg (UK) became the first western actress to perform kung fu on Television when the combat choreographers Ray Austin (UK) and Chee Soo (UK/China) worked elements of the martial art into her fight scenes on The Avengers. Certificate presentation was done on The New Paul O'Grady Show.

In 1976, Austin married actress Yasuko Nagazumi, who performed in some of the series he worked on, notably Space: 1999. He later divorced Nagazumi and married British producer and writer Wendy DeVere Knight-Wilton in 1984; they later lived in Earlysville, Virginia.

 

Television

 

Stunts

Highway Patrol, 1955–59 (stunt performer)

Thunder Road, 1958 (stunt performer)

North by Northwest, 1959 (stunt performer)

Operation Petticoat, 1959 (stunt performer)

Spartacus, 1960 (stunt performer)

The Sundowners, 1960 (stunt performer)

Have Gun – Will Travel, 1957–63 (performer)

Peter Gunn, 1958–60, 1960–61 (performer)

Guns of Navarone, 1961 (stunt performer)

Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, 1961 (stunt arranger)

The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, 1962 (stunt arranger)

Tarzan, 1963 (stunt performer)

Tom Jones, 1963 (stunt arranger)

Cleopatra, 1963 (stunt arranger)

The Dirty Dozen, 1967 (stunt performer)

The Avengers (arranger)

 

Actor

The Saint, 1963–64, 1966

The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, 1962 (Mr Clay)

Tom Jones, 1963 (Thug)

Clash by Night, 1963 (Intruder)

The V.I.P.s, 1963 (Chauffeur)

Ghost Squad, 1964

The Avengers, 1965

Director

The Baron, 1966

The Saint, 1968 (2 episodes)

The Avengers, 1968 (2 episodes)

The Champions, 1968

Journey to the Unknown, 1968–69

The Ugliest Girl in Town, 1968–69

Department S, 1969 (4 episodes)

Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased), 1969–70 (6 episodes)

Strange Report, 1971

Shirley's World, 1971–72

The Adventures of Black Beauty, 1974

Space: 1999, 1975–76

The New Avengers, 1976 (1 episode)

The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, 1977–79

W.E.B., 1978

The Professionals, 1978 (2 episodes)

Return of the Saint, 1978 (1 episode)

Barnaby Jones, 1978 (1 episode)

Sword of Justice, 1978 (2 episodes)

Vega$, 1978–81

Salvage 1, 1979 (2 episodes)

A Man Called Sloane, 1979 (1 episode)

Hawaii Five-O, 1979 (1 episode)

B. J. and the Bear, 1979–80 (1 episode)

Hart to Hart, 1979–80, 1984 (5 episodes)

Wonder Woman, 1979

From Here to Eternity, 1980

The Love Boat, 1980 (4 episodes)

House Calls, 1980–82

Quincy, M.E., 1981 (2 episodes)

Magnum, P.I., 1981–86

Simon & Simon, 1982 (2 episodes)

Tales of the Gold Monkey, 1982 (pilot episode)

The Mississippi, 1983–84

The Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E., 1983 (pilot)

Jessie, 1984

The Master, 1984

Airwolf, 1984 (1 episode)

The Fall Guy, 1984 (2 episodes)

Lime Street, 1985, 1987 (5 episodes, including pilot)

V, 1985 (1 episode)

Our House, 1986–87

The Return of the Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman, 1987 (film)

Snoops, 1989

The New Alfred Hitchcock Presents, 1989 (3 episode)

Zorro, 1992

The Boys of Twilight, 1992

Highlander: The Series, 1992–93 (10 episode)

Pensacola: Wings of Gold, 1997 (4 episode)

CI5: The New Professionals, 1999 (5 episodes)

 

Writer

Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased), 1969

Department S, 1971

Shirley's World, 1971–72

The Adventures of Black Beauty, 1974

Magnum, P.I., 1980–86

Hart to Hart, 1984

The Master, 1984

The Zany Adventures of Robin Hood, 1984 (TV film)

Airwolf, 1985

Lime Street, 1985

Spenser: For Hire, 1986

Our House, 1986–88

Producer

Shirley's World, 1971–72

JAG, 1995–96, 1997

The New Avengers

Zorro

 

Film

Stunts

North by Northwest, 1959 (stunt performer)

Operation Petticoat, 1959 (stunt performer)

Spartacus, 1960 (stunt performer)

Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, 1961 (stunt arranger)

The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, 1962 (stunt arranger)

Cleopatra, 1963 (stunt arranger)

Tom Jones, 1963 (stunt arranger)

 

Director

Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, 1961 (second unit)

Fun and Games, 1971

Virgin Witch, 1972

House of the Living Dead, 1973

 

Actor

The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962) as Craig

The V.I.P.s (1963) as Rolls-Royce chauffeur

Clash by Night (1963) as Intruder

 

Novelist

Beauford Sloan Mysteries series:

The Eagle Heist (2002)

Dead Again (2002)

Your Turn to Die (2006)

Keep Running Or Die (2020)

Love Loves A Mystery (2020)

Home For The Holiday (2021)