Michael Hoey

Michael Hoey was a writer, director, producer and picture editor who worked on dozens of television productions during a career that spanned four decades. His TV credits included the popular series Falcon Crest and Fame.

Born in London, Hoey was the son of British actor Dennis Hoey, who played Inspector Lestrade in the Sherlock Holmes series of films released by Universal in the 1940s.

Hoey grew up surrounded by the movie business and got his start as an assistant editor. He eventually became a full-fledged editor, and in the years that followed, he also became a writer, director and producer.

His editing credits included features such as Cancel My Reservation, Sounder and The Class of ’44, and TV programs like Fame, Eddie Dodd and Brewster Place.

He also wrote two films starring Elvis Presley — Stay Away, Joe and Live a Little, Love a Little — and episodes of such TV series as The Rat Patrol, Get Christie Love!, The Lazarus Syndrome and Fame.

In addition, he directed the features Palm Springs Weekend, The Navy vs. The Night Monsters and episodes of Murder, She Wrote, Dallas, Fame, Falcon Crest and more. He also produced Fame and a number of made-for-TV movies.

A longtime member of the Television Academy, Hoey served multiple terms as a governor of the picture editors peer group and was a member of the Executive Committee and Budget Review Committee. He was also an executive producer of the Creative Arts Emmy Awards for several years.

In 1982, for his work on Fame, Hoey was nominated for two Emmy Awards — for editing and for graphic design and title sequence. His other awards included an A.C.E. Eddie Award.

In later years, he became an author of three books — Elvis, Sherlock and Me: How I Survived Growing Up in Hollywood, Inside Fame on Television: A Behind the Scenes History and Sherlock Holmes and the Fabulous Faces: The Universal Pictures Repertory Company.

Hoey died August 17, 2014. He was 69.