19 Facts About Lionel Chetwynd

Lionel Chetwynd was born on January 29,1940 and is a screenwriter, director and producer from England.

Lionel Chetwynd was born to a Jewish family in Hackney, London, the son of Betty and Peter Chetwynd.

Lionel Chetwynd's family moved to Canada when he was eight years old.

Lionel Chetwynd walked into Sir George Williams University — now Montreal's Concordia University — and waited two hours to meet its principal, Henry F Hall, who had a reputation for giving students a second chance.

Lionel Chetwynd championed Sir George Williams University on televised youth panels and in debating competitions.

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Shortly after graduating as valedictorian, Lionel Chetwynd married future Hollywood actor Gloria Carlin, whom he met at Sir George.

Lionel Chetwynd excelled to the point that he earned a scholarship to Montreal's McGill University Law School.

Lionel Chetwynd quickly found a transfer to the Critical Path Section and then was moved into the Entertainment Branch.

Lionel Chetwynd wrote and helped produce the gala that celebrated the 200th anniversary of the US Constitution starring Ben Vereen, that was presented in Philadelphia before members of congress and the Supreme Court.

Lionel Chetwynd produced the Christopher Award-winning Evil in Clear River.

Lionel Chetwynd has made biblical films, notably Jacob, Joseph and Moses, which was nominated for an Emmy; the later two were both nominated for Emmys.

In 2001, Lionel Chetwynd wrote and directed Varian's War, the story of Varian Fry, an American who helped numerous intellectuals and artists escape from Nazi-occupied France during World War II.

In 2001, Chetwynd was appointed by President George W Bush to serve on the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities.

In 2002, Lionel Chetwynd wrote, produced and directed Darkness at High Noon: The Carl Foreman Documents, a PBS documentary that recounted the life and career of American Communist Party member Carl Foreman.

Lionel Chetwynd continued his work in documentaries, notably producing and directing An Improbable Dream which traced the lives of students of Canada's National Ballet School from their 10th and 11th birthdays into their early 50s.

Lionel Chetwynd has more than 60 longform and feature credits and over two dozen documentary credits, which have received numerous citations including six Writers Guild of America nominations, New York Film festival gold medal, two Christophers, six Tellys, two Genie nominations and two George Washington medals from the Freedom Foundation at Valley Forge.

In 2003, Lionel Chetwynd received the Caucus of Writers, Producers and Directors Lifetime Achievement Award, and in 2011 he received their Writer of the Year award.

In 2004, Lionel Chetwynd became a founding member of Friends of Abe, an organization of Hollywood conservatives.

Lionel Chetwynd is married to actress Gloria Carlin, who has appeared in several of his films.