Oscar-winning film producer Michael Deeley has produced more than 20 movies, including such classics as The Italian Job, The Deer Hunter and Blade Runner. He has made films for Universal, Paramount, Twentieth Century Fox, Warner Brothers, Columbia, United Artists, EMI, HBO, CBS and NBC. Born in London in 1932 he was educated at Stowe and served as a Second Lieutenant in the British army in Malaya. Entering the film industry in 1952 as an assistant editor, he worked for Jacques Tati and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. before joining the editing team on several US TV series including the popular Robin Hood. In 1956 Deeley produced his first film starring Peter Sellers and Spike Milligan. Two B-pictures followed before in 1958 he joined MCA Universal as head of TV film distribution in Great Britain. By 1964 Deeley had become General Manager and producer of Woodfall Films - the most innovative production company in London, responsible for a series of films culminating in the Oscar winning Tom Jones. During his tenure he oversaw the production of the swinging-sixties classic The Knack which won the prestigious Palme d'Or. During the late 60s, as an independent, Deeley produced a number of movies for Paramount Pictures including The Italian Job starring Michael Caine and Noël Coward and Murphy's War starring Peter O'Toole. In 1967 he was part of a successful bid for the British independent TV franchise for Wales and the West of England. In 1973 he became managing director and later owner of British Lion Films which successfully produced eight films in Britain, Italy and the USA including Nicolas Roeg's Don't Look Now and The Man Who Fell To Earth and Robin Hardy's The Wicker Man which later developed a cult following. In the mid-70s, Deeley sold British Lion to EMI and became Managing Director of EMI Films Ltd and President of EMI Films Inc. Films included Sam Peckinpah's Convoy, Death On The Nile and in 1979 he won an Oscar as producer of The Deer Hunter starring Robert De Niro. In addition EMI Films Inc invested in Columbia Pictures' Close Encounters Of The Third Kind and The Deep. In 1982 Deeley finished work with Ridley Scott on a four year project, which turned out to be the biggest picture of his career - Blade Runner. Between 1985 and 1990 he was Head of Production for Consolidated Entertainment Inc, responsible for numerous TV movies including the period drama Young Catherine starring Vanessa Redgrave. Michael Deeley is Deputy Chairman of The British Screen Advisory Council and recently completed work on his autobiography Don't Shoot The Producer.
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Biography from IMDb.
- August 6, 1932 (94)
- Wandsworth, London, England, UK
- Producer, also actor
- 14 on MovieCove · 21 credits in all
What are Michael Deeley's films like?
Across their 17 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Society.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 2 · Wry 0 · Earnest 15
A split, not a type: Light 7 · Serious 4 · Dark 6
A split, not a type: Grounded 11 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 4
Gentle 6 · Charged 6 · Intense 5
Steady 11 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 3
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 10 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 3
Slow burn 10 · Even-paced 7 · Relentless 0
Casual 3 · Engaged 13 · Full focus 1
A split, not a type: Easy watch 10 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 5
A split, not a type: Resolved 10 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 3
Moods and endings
- Happy1
- Bittersweet5
- Tragic1
- Ambiguous10
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Michael Deeley's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 9 of their 14 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
- Howdy, show their 2 titles on Howdy
- BFI Player, show their title on BFI Player
- Cineverse, show their title on Cineverse
- Lionsgate+, show their title on Lionsgate+
- Midnight Pulp, show their title on Midnight Pulp
- MovieSphere+, show their title on MovieSphere+
- ScreenPix, show their title on ScreenPix
- Shout! TV, show their title on Shout! TV
Subscription and free streaming for Michael Deeley's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
21 credits, 14 with a MovieCove page; 7 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Nudes, Nudists & Nudism: Volume 4 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)
Young Catherine (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)
Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films
A Gathering of Old Men(1987)
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films
Finnegan Begin Again (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)
Blade Runner(1982)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
The Deer Hunter(1978)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Convoy(1978)
Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films
Conduct Unbecoming(1975)
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films
Murphy's War(1971)
Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films
The Italian Job(1969)
Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films
Sleep is Lovely (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)
The Long Day's Dying(1968)
Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films
Robbery(1967)
Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films
The White Bus(1967)
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films
One Way Pendulum(1965)
Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films
The Reluctant Nudist (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)
Crosstrap (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)
At the Stroke of Nine (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)
Career shape
A full career of 19 titles from 1957 to 2000.
Biggest box office
The Deer Hunter (1978)
Highest rated
The Deer Hunter (1978)
Most popular right now
Blade Runner (1982)
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do Michael Deeley's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 61st percentile, the median of all 14; across their 17 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 66th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up4
- 50th to 74th8
- 25th to 49th1
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
9 of their 14 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved2
- Crowd Pleaser9
- Mixed3
Reviewers score the acting 76/100 in their films, across 13 reviewed titles; fans 81, detractors 48. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Michael Deeley's work okay for kids?
Across up to 5 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity runs heavier than most films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does Michael Deeley work with?
People who share at least 2 of Michael Deeley's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Barry Spikings shares the most, 4.
Directors
- Peter YatesShared titles: Murphy's War (1971), Robbery (1967), One Way Pendulum (1965)See all 3 shared titles with Peter Yates
- Peter CollinsonShared titles: The Italian Job (1969), The Long Day's Dying (1968)See all 2 shared titles with Peter Collinson
Writers
- Charles WoodShared titles: The Long Day's Dying (1968), The Knack... and How to Get It (1965)See all 2 shared titles with Charles Wood
Actors
- Hampton FancherShared titles: Sacrificial Sheep: The Novel vs. the Film (2007), On the Edge of 'Blade Runner' (2000), Blade Runner (1982)See all 3 shared titles with Hampton Fancher
- Katherine HaberShared titles: Visual Futurist: The Art & Life of Syd Mead (2006), On the Edge of 'Blade Runner' (2000)See all 2 shared titles with Katherine Haber
- Syd MeadShared titles: Visual Futurist: The Art & Life of Syd Mead (2006), On the Edge of 'Blade Runner' (2000)See all 2 shared titles with Syd Mead
- Daryl HannahShared titles: On the Edge of 'Blade Runner' (2000), Blade Runner (1982)See all 2 shared titles with Daryl Hannah
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Douglas SlocombeShared titles: Murphy's War (1971), The Italian Job (1969), Robbery (1967)See all 3 shared titles with Douglas Slocombe
- Stanley MyersShared titles: The Deer Hunter (1978), Conduct Unbecoming (1975)See all 2 shared titles with Stanley Myers
- John GlenShared titles: Conduct Unbecoming (1975), Murphy's War (1971)See all 2 shared titles with John Glen
- John TrumperShared titles: The Italian Job (1969), The Long Day's Dying (1968)See all 2 shared titles with John Trumper
Producers
- Barry SpikingsShared titles: Convoy (1978), The Deer Hunter (1978), The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976), Conduct Unbecoming (1975)See all 4 shared titles with Barry Spikings
- Oscar LewensteinShared titles: The White Bus (1967), One Way Pendulum (1965), The Knack... and How to Get It (1965)See all 3 shared titles with Oscar Lewenstein
- Paul PrischmanShared titles: Sacrificial Sheep: The Novel vs. the Film (2007), Blade Runner (1982)See all 2 shared titles with Paul Prischman
- John PeverallShared titles: The Deer Hunter (1978), The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)See all 2 shared titles with John Peverall
Mixed roles
- Philip K. DickShared titles: Sacrificial Sheep: The Novel vs. the Film (2007), Blade Runner (1982)See all 2 shared titles with Philip K. Dick
- Ridley ScottShared titles: Sacrificial Sheep: The Novel vs. the Film (2007), Blade Runner (1982)See all 2 shared titles with Ridley Scott
