Ric Burns
Encyclopedia
Ric Burns is an American documentary filmmaker and writer. He has written, directed and produced historical documentaries for nearly 20 years, beginning with his collaboration on the celebrated PBS
series The Civil War
(1990), which he produced with his older brother Ken Burns
and wrote with Geoffrey C. Ward.
, Maryland
, Burns moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan
at an early age, and attended Columbia University
and Cambridge University, breaking from his graduate work to join his brother on the production of the Civil War series. Since founding Steeplechase Films
in 1989, he has directed several programs for WGBH
Boston's American Experience
, including Coney Island (1991). He also wrote and directed The Donner Party (1992).
In 1995, Burns wrote, directed, and co-produced The Way West. In April 2002, Burns completed Ansel Adams
, a co-production of Steeplechase Films and Sierra Club
Productions for American Experience.
, which premiered nationally on PBS. The eight-part, seventeen-and-a-half-hour film chronicles the city’s rise from a tiny Dutch
trading post through its continuing preeminence as an economic and cultural capital of the world.
The first five episodes of New York were broadcast in November 1999; the sixth and seventh episodes in the fall of 2001; and the eighth and final episode in September 2003.
(April 2009), which tells the story of the life and hardships of Native Americans
in the United States. Another, Into the Deep: America, Whaling & the World
is the story of U.S. whaling industry and its eventual collapse following World War I
.
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
series The Civil War
The Civil War (documentary)
The Civil War is a documentary film created by Ken Burns about the American Civil War. It was first broadcast on PBS on five consecutive nights from Sunday, September 23 to Thursday, September 27, 1990. Forty million viewers watched it during its initial broadcast, making it the most-watched...
(1990), which he produced with his older brother Ken Burns
Ken Burns
Kenneth Lauren "Ken" Burns is an American director and producer of documentary films, known for his style of using archival footage and photographs...
and wrote with Geoffrey C. Ward.
Biography
Born in BaltimoreBaltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, Burns moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
at an early age, and attended Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
and Cambridge University, breaking from his graduate work to join his brother on the production of the Civil War series. Since founding Steeplechase Films
Steeplechase Films
Steeplechase Films is a documentary production company founded in 1989 by filmmaker Ric Burns. They produce films focusing on events and people in American history, mainly for the PBS series American Experience...
in 1989, he has directed several programs for WGBH
WGBH-TV
WGBH-TV, channel 2, is a non-commercial educational public television station located in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. WGBH-TV is a member station of the Public Broadcasting Service , and produces more than two-thirds of PBS's national prime time television programming...
Boston's American Experience
American Experience
American Experience is a television program airing on the Public Broadcasting Service Public television stations in the United States. The program airs documentaries, many of which have won awards, about important or interesting events and people in American history...
, including Coney Island (1991). He also wrote and directed The Donner Party (1992).
In 1995, Burns wrote, directed, and co-produced The Way West. In April 2002, Burns completed Ansel Adams
Ansel Adams
Ansel Easton Adams was an American photographer and environmentalist, best known for his black-and-white photographs of the American West, especially in Yosemite National Park....
, a co-production of Steeplechase Films and Sierra Club
Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is the oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States. It was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by the conservationist and preservationist John Muir, who became its first president...
Productions for American Experience.
New York: A Documentary Film
Burns is probably best known for his series New York: A Documentary FilmNew York: A Documentary Film
New York: A Documentary Film is an eight-part, 17½ hour, American documentary film on the history of New York City. It was directed by Ric Burns and originally aired in the U.S. on PBS. The film was a co-production of Thirteen New York and WGBH Boston....
, which premiered nationally on PBS. The eight-part, seventeen-and-a-half-hour film chronicles the city’s rise from a tiny Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
trading post through its continuing preeminence as an economic and cultural capital of the world.
The first five episodes of New York were broadcast in November 1999; the sixth and seventh episodes in the fall of 2001; and the eighth and final episode in September 2003.
Most recent films
Burns’s most recently completed projects include We Shall RemainWe Shall Remain (documentary)
We Shall Remain is a five-part, 7.5 hour documentary series about the history of Native Americans spanning the 1600s to the 1900s. It was a collaborative effort with several different directors, writers and producers working on each episode, including directors Chris Eyre, Ric Burns and Stanley...
(April 2009), which tells the story of the life and hardships of Native Americans
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
in the United States. Another, Into the Deep: America, Whaling & the World
Into the Deep: America, Whaling & the World
Into the Deep: America, Whaling & the World is a two hour documentary by Ric Burns about the history of the whaling industry in the United States....
is the story of U.S. whaling industry and its eventual collapse following World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
Selected filmography
- Coney IslandConey Island (documentary)'Coney Island is a 1991 documentary film traces the history of Coney Island from its 1609 discovery by Henry Hudson, to its 1870s incarnation as a respectable beach destination for city-dwellers and showcase of the new developments ushered in by the machine age to the turn of the century, when...
(1991) - The Donner PartyThe Donner Party (documentary)The Donner Party is a 1992 documentary film traces the history of the Donner Party, an ill-fated pioneer group from Springfield, Illinois to Sutter's Fort, California - a disastrous journey of 2500 miles made famous by the tales of cannibalism the survivors told upon reaching their destination...
(1992) on the Donner PartyDonner PartyThe Donner Party was a group of American pioneers who set out for California in a wagon train. Delayed by a series of mishaps, they spent the winter of 1846–47 snowbound in the Sierra Nevada... - The Way West (1995)
- New York: A Documentary FilmNew York: A Documentary FilmNew York: A Documentary Film is an eight-part, 17½ hour, American documentary film on the history of New York City. It was directed by Ric Burns and originally aired in the U.S. on PBS. The film was a co-production of Thirteen New York and WGBH Boston....
(1999; expanded 2003) - Ansel Adams: A Documentary FilmAnsel Adams: A Documentary FilmThis 2002 biographical documentary film traces the life of the American photographer Ansel Adams who was known for his landscape images of the American West...
(2002) - Eugene O'Neill: A Documentary Film (2006)
- Andy Warhol: A Documentary FilmAndy Warhol: A Documentary FilmAndy Warhol: A Documentary Film is a four-hour 2006 documentary by Ric Burns about pop artist Andy Warhol.The film is Burns' cinematic argument that Warhol was the greatest artist of the second half of the 20th Century...
(2006) - We Shall RemainWe Shall Remain (documentary)We Shall Remain is a five-part, 7.5 hour documentary series about the history of Native Americans spanning the 1600s to the 1900s. It was a collaborative effort with several different directors, writers and producers working on each episode, including directors Chris Eyre, Ric Burns and Stanley...
(2009), on Native Americans - Into the Deep: America, Whaling & the WorldInto the Deep: America, Whaling & the WorldInto the Deep: America, Whaling & the World is a two hour documentary by Ric Burns about the history of the whaling industry in the United States....
(2010) - Nantucket (2011)
Selected list of awards and nominations
- 31st News & Documentary Emmy Awards31st News & Documentary Emmy AwardsThe 31st News & Documentary Emmy Awards were held September 27, 2010 at Rose Hall, Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center, located in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Awards were presented in 41 categories, including Breaking News, Investigative Reporting, Outstanding Interview, and Best Documentary...
(2010) - Outstanding Nonfiction Series (nominated) for Into the Deep: America, Whaling & The World - 27th News & Documentary Emmy Awards (2006) - Outstanding Writing for Nonfiction Programming (won) for Andy Warhol: A Documentary FilmAndy Warhol: A Documentary FilmAndy Warhol: A Documentary Film is a four-hour 2006 documentary by Ric Burns about pop artist Andy Warhol.The film is Burns' cinematic argument that Warhol was the greatest artist of the second half of the 20th Century...
- 27th News & Documentary Emmy Awards (2006) - Outstanding Nonfiction Series (nominated) for Andy Warhol: A Documentary Film under the American MastersAmerican MastersAmerican Masters is a PBS television show which produces biographies on the artists, actors and writers of the United States who have left a profound impact on the nation's popular culture. It is produced by WNET in New York City...
series. - 27th News & Documentary Emmy Awards (2006) - Outstanding Individual Achievement in a Craft: Writing (won) for Eugene O'Neill
- Peabody AwardPeabody AwardThe George Foster Peabody Awards recognize distinguished and meritorious public service by radio and television stations, networks, producing organizations and individuals. In 1939, the National Association of Broadcasters formed a committee to recognize outstanding achievement in radio broadcasting...
(2006) - (won) for Andy Warhol: A Documentary Film