Raymond Austin

Distinguished filmmaker, producer, screenwriter, and British aristocrat Baron De Vere-Austin of Delvin, Lord of Bradwell, also known as Raymond Austin, is best known in the U.S. for his prolific work on numerous television programs. Born in London and educated at Merton, De Vere-Austin was in the British Army between 1950 and 1952. At first he served in the Royal Artillery but then transferred to the Army Physical Training Corps and went to Korea. An accomplished gymnast, he represented the Army on the parallel and horizontal bars in 1952. Later that year De Vere Austin made his U.S. feature film debut as a stunt man/bit player in Spartacus. He also appeared in a few television episodes of such action shows as Highway Patrol, Peter Gunn, and Have Gun Will Travel. Following his return to England, he was appointed stunt director for Cleopatra and also worked as a second unit director/stunt coordinator on the Rome location. De Vere Austin continued working as a stunt director and actor in several more films, including The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, in which he played Mr. Clay. In the late '60s, he began writing teleplays and directing episodes for The Saint and The Avengers. He also worked on other distinguished television shows including The Prisoner and Black Beauty. In 1970, De Vere Austin was named Outstanding Producer/Director and Writer of the Year by the London Film Festival for the short, The Perfumed Garden. He won the same award the following year for another short-film, The Sandal, which also earned him honors at that year's Cannes Film Festival. He remained in Britain through 1978 and then moved back to the U.S. to work on scores of television shows as a director, producer, and writer. Shows he worked on include Hawaii 5-0, Magnum P.I., The Fall Guy, and Simon and Simon. He also worked on many television movies and feature films that include two installments of the Highlander saga, Highlander 3: The Gathering and Highlander 2: The Quickening. In addition to continuing his prolific work behind-the-scenes through the 1990s, De Vere Austin has also lectured about film and television at U.C.L.A., the L.A. Actors Play House, and at the London Film School. In the late '80s, De Vere Austin and his wife Lady Wendy moved permanently to a small estate in the Virginia countryside. Though he spends his leisure time there, he still maintains a busy career directing episodes of television series such as JAG and Silk Stalkings and touring the country as a lecturer.

~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide