Dead in a Decade: Michael Dryhurst obit

Tuesday, September 9, 2025

Michael Dryhurst obit

RIP Michael Dryhurst

He was not on the list.

Michael John Dryhurst, beloved husband, uncle and great uncle passed away on September, 9, 2025 at the age of 87 years. Michael was born on March 22, 1938 in London, England and educated in the British public school system.

Michael led a life rich in adventure, travel and accomplishments, starting at a very early age. By the time Michael was 8 years old he was a devoted fan of public transportation, specifically buses, and spent many subsequent years contributing photos and articles to Classic Bus, Bus Magazines, and to his many admirers. At 21 years old he acquired a bus that remains in operation today, along with 6 others that he located in different countries, thus saving from demolition.

By 17 years old, Michael entered the movie industry as a clapper loader, then proceeded through the different departments to learn his craft. He worked for over 30 years in the business and attained positions such as Producer, Director, production manager and camera operator. Michael was best known as a producer and worked on films such as Excalibur, Never Say Never Again, Superman, and Hope and Glory, to name a few. One of most illustrious moments of his career in film was receiving a Golden Globe for his work on the 1987 film Hope and Glory. He is the author of several scripts and one novel entitled "Check the Gate".

Later in life Michael moved to the USA, married his wife, Karen, and earned his US citizenship in October of 1993.

Michael is survived by his devoted wife, Karen; niece, Charlotte; nephew Nick and great nephew, Tom.

Michael was preceded in death by his parents, Edward and May Roberts Dryhurst and brother, Christopher Dryhurst.

A Celebration of Michael's Life will be held at Caruth Village Funeral Home on Friday, September 19th at 11:00AM.

DRYHURST, Michael (Michael John Dryhurst)

Born: 3/22/1938, London, England, U.K.

Died: 9/9/2025, Host Springs, Arkansas, U.S.A.

Director

The Hard Way (1980)

The Hard Way

6.4

TV Movie

Director

1980

Actor

Year (2006)

Year

7.4

Morris

2006

Producer

Chores (2006)

Chores

7.9

supervising producer

2006

Year (2006)

Year

7.4

producer

2006

Windfall

producer

1998

Bruce Willis in Hudson Hawk (1991)

Hudson Hawk

5.7

co-producer

1991

Sebastian Rice-Edwards in Hope and Glory (1987)

Hope and Glory

7.3

co-producer

1987

Harem (1986)

Harem

6.0

TV Movie

producer

1986

Powers Boothe and Charley Boorman in The Emerald Forest (1985)

The Emerald Forest

6.9

co-producer

1985

Kim Basinger, Sean Connery, and Barbara Carrera in Never Say Never Again (1983)

Never Say Never Again

6.1

associate producer

1983

Excalibur (1981)

Excalibur

7.3

associate producer

1981

The Hard Way (1980)

The Hard Way

6.4

TV Movie

producer

1980

The Terminal Man (1974)

The Terminal Man

5.6

associate producer

1974

Production Manager

Richard Pryor and Christopher Reeve in Superman III (1983)

Superman III

5.0

production supervisor: Alberta

1983

Amityville II: The Possession (1982)

Amityville II: The Possession

5.6

production supervisor

1982

Second Unit or Assistant Director

Sebastian Rice-Edwards in Hope and Glory (1987)

Hope and Glory

7.3

second unit director

1987

Elliott Gould, Angela Lansbury, Cybill Shepherd, Herbert Lom, Jean Anderson, Ian Carmichael, Gerald Harper, Arthur Lowe, and Jenny Runacre in The Lady Vanishes (1979)

The Lady Vanishes

6.0

assistant director

1979

Gene Hackman, Terence Stamp, Ned Beatty, Christopher Reeve, Jackie Cooper, Sarah Douglas, Jeff East, Margot Kidder, Jack O'Halloran, Valerie Perrine, and Susannah York in Superman (1978)

Superman

7.4

assistant directorblue screen unit director (uncredited)

1978

Sam Elliott, Katharine Ross, and Roger Daltrey in The Legacy (1978)

The Legacy

5.8

assistant director

1978

Robert Mitchum and Candy Clark in The Big Sleep (1978)

The Big Sleep

5.8

assistant director

1978

Anthony Hopkins, Lisa Harrow, and Simon Ward in All Creatures Great and Small (1975)

All Creatures Great and Small

6.4

assistant director

1975

Scorpio (1973)

Scorpio

6.4

assistant director

1973

The House in Nightmare Park (1973)

The House in Nightmare Park

5.7

assistant director

1973

Leonard Nimoy and Susan Hampshire in Baffled (1972)

Baffled

5.6

TV Movie

assistant director

1972

Michael Caine and Al Lettieri in Pulp (1972)

Pulp

5.9

assistant director

1972

Shelley Winters, Peter Finch, Colin Blakely, and Linda Hayden in Something to Hide (1972)

Something to Hide

5.6

assistant director

1972

Marlon Brando in The Nightcomers (1971)

The Nightcomers

5.8

assistant director

1971

Pamela Brown, Nicholas Clay, and Patricia Neal in The Night Digger (1971)

The Night Digger

6.3

assistant director

1971

Lawman (1971)

Lawman

7.0

assistant director

1971

Peter Cook in The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer (1970)

The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer

6.9

assistant director

1970

The Games (1970)

The Games

6.1

assistant director

1970

Oliver Reed and Michael J. Pollard in Hannibal Brooks (1969)

Hannibal Brooks

6.6

assistant director

1969

A Midsummer Night's Dream (1968)

A Midsummer Night's Dream

6.5

assistant director

1968

The Long Day's Dying (1968)

The Long Day's Dying

6.5

assistant director

1968

Suzy Kendall and Dennis Waterman in Up the Junction (1968)

Up the Junction

6.9

assistant director

1968

Oliver Reed in I'll Never Forget What's'isname (1967)

I'll Never Forget What's'isname

6.2

assistant director

1967

The Naked Runner (1967)

The Naked Runner

5.9

assistant director

1967

The Yellow Hat (1966)

The Yellow Hat

assistant director

1966

The Murder Game (1965)

The Murder Game

6.1