38 Facts About Gerry Anderson

Gerald Alexander Anderson was an English television and film producer, director, writer and occasional voice artist, who is known for his futuristic television programmes, especially his 1960s productions filmed with "Supermarionation".

Gerry Anderson wrote and produced several feature films, including Doppelganger.

Gerry Anderson's parents were Deborah and Joseph Abrahams.

Gerry Anderson began his career in photography, earning a traineeship with the British Colonial Film Unit after the war.

Gerry Anderson developed an interest in film editing and moved on to Gainsborough Pictures, where he gained further experience.

Gerry Anderson served part of his time in air-traffic control.

Gerry Anderson then worked freelance on a series of feature films.

Gerry Anderson continued his freelance directing work to obtain funds to maintain the fledgling company.

Gerry Anderson used them primarily to get attention from and a good reputation with TV networks, hoping to have them serve as a stepping stone to his goal of making live-action film and TV drama.

Crossroads to Crime was a low-budget B-grade crime thriller, and although Gerry Anderson hoped that its success might enable him to move into mainstream film-making, it failed at the box office.

At the time it was the company's biggest success, garnering the honour of being the only Gerry Anderson series sold to an American TV network, NBC.

Gerry Anderson initially wanted actress Fenella Fielding to perform the voice of Lady Penelope, but Sylvia convinced her husband that she herself ought to play the role.

Gerry Anderson was so excited by the result that he insisted that the episodes be extended to fifty minutes.

In later interviews, Gerry Anderson said that he considered divorce, but this was halted when Sylvia announced that she was pregnant.

The production was difficult for Gerry Anderson, who clashed with the famously difficult Vaughn.

The Andersons' marriage broke down during the first series of Space: 1999 in 1975; Gerry announced his intention to separate on the evening of the wrap party.

Between making the two series of Space: 1999, Gerry Anderson produced a one-off television special, The Day After Tomorrow, about two spacefaring families en route to Alpha Centauri, for an NBC series of programmes illustrating current scientific theory for popular consumption.

Gerry Anderson had claimed on record that he would rather forget the show.

Gerry Anderson hoped to continue his renewed success with a series called Space Police, a new show mixing live action and puppets.

Gerry Anderson then joined the Moving Picture Company as a commercials director, and provided special effects direction for the musical comedy Return to the Forbidden Planet.

In 1991 Gerry Anderson asked journalist and author Simon Archer to write his biography, following an interview by the latter for a series of articles for Century 21 magazine.

The fan base for the Gerry Anderson shows was now worldwide and growing steadily, and Gerry Anderson found himself in demand for personal and media appearances.

Gerry Anderson made numerous media and personal appearances to tie in with revivals and video cassette releases of Stingray, Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet and Joe 90.

Gerry Anderson was interviewed for the BBC's 1993 Doctor Who documentary, Thirty Years in the TARDIS.

Gerry Anderson joked that, despite his career of making children's programming, the "real tragedy of my life" was that his own son Jamie was a Doctor Who fanatic.

Finally, in 1994, Gerry Anderson was able to get Space Precinct into production.

Gerry Anderson was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 2001 Birthday Honours for services to Animation.

Gerry Anderson was originally approached to be involved in a live-action feature film adaptation of Thunderbirds as far back as 1996, but he was actually turned away by the producers of the 2004 film Thunderbirds, which was directed by Jonathan Frakes, after first being invited to meet with them.

Gerry Anderson distanced himself overtly from the project, later turning down an offer of $750,000 simply to write an endorsement of the film shortly before its release; Sylvia Anderson served as a consultant on the project and received a "special thanks" credit in the film.

In March 2011, Gerry Anderson was working with Daniel Pickering and Annix Studios on a new project named Christmas Miracle, a children's CGI animated feature.

In June 2012 it was reported that Gerry Anderson had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.

Gerry Anderson died in his sleep on 26 December 2012, at the age of 83.

Gerry Anderson died peacefully in his sleep at midday today, having suffered with mixed dementia for the past few years.

Gerry Anderson's legacy is that he inspired so many people and continues to bring so much joy to so many millions of people around the world.

Gerry Anderson was cremated, following a ceremony that brought together hundreds of colleagues, family and fans.

Gerry Anderson's coffin was decorated with a floral Thunderbird 2 as his body was taken into the service, where musical scores of the Thunderbirds theme tune and "Aqua Marina" from Stingray were played.

Gerry Anderson's office was like the Oval Office at The White House at times, such was the mystique of the place.

In 2019 a pilot episode for a new puppet-based science fiction series based upon concepts developed by Gerry Anderson, Firestorm, was released on YouTube by Gerry Anderson Entertainment.