Lee Stanley

Lee got his first supporting role in Hotel (1967) after reading a scene opposite a friend as a favor in an audition for the film. His first screen test was a love scene with Karen Black which led him to become an actor under contract with MGM Studios, where he co-starred in Ice Station Zebra (1968) with Rock Hudson as well as various Aaron Spelling productions. After years of acting, Lee found a passion for working behind the camera and, in 1971, directed his first feature film, On the Line (1971). His son, Shane Stanley, was the youngest to ever receive an Emmy Award when he was 16 years old for his work on Desperate Passage (1987), which Lee directed and won two Emmys for. That special launched The Desperate Passage Series, which was nominated for thirty-three Emmys and won thirteen over a six year period. Daughter Quinn Gonzalez, from Lee's first marriage, is the granddaughter of legendary songwriter Johnny Burke of the Burke & Van Heusen team, (Misty, Pennies From Heaven, Swingin' on a Star). His film Street Pirates (1994) won him a CINE Golden Eagle Award for Best Documentary. Lee received The Christopher Award as well as many other top humanitarian honors for his work with America's probated youth, which were the theme for many of his TV specials. Lee wrote and directed Held for Ransom (2000) starring Dennis Hopper based on the novel by Lois Duncan I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) as well as co-writing and directing Carman: The Champion (2001) which starred Michael Nouri Patricia Manterola and long time friend Jed Allan.

Works

Paloma's Flight

Beautiful, elusive, photo-journalist, Paloma Ramirez, lost her husband, a U.S. Navy SEAL in a botched raid in Afghanistan, but not her passion to fulfill their life-long dream - to capture the spirit, the people and the adventures of exotic Mexico.

Release Date: 2022-06-07

Department: Directing

Job: Director

The Untold Story

Edward Forester's career and personal life have hit rock bottom-but not his spirit. At 64, the handsome bachelor moves in to a tiny apartment and must start over again.

Release Date: 2019-01-11

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

Vote Count: 5

Gridiron Gang

Under the leadership of their counselor, teenagers at a juvenile detention center gain self-esteem by playing football together.

Release Date: 2006-09-15

Department: Production

Job: Producer

Vote Count: 1015

Dream Chasers

Release Date: 2003-05-09

Department: Directing

Job: Director

Character: -

Carman: The Champion

Former champion boxer Orlando Leone (Carmen) is "The Preacher" at an inner-city youth center. Wanting to give something back to the community, he bought a large building for a church youth center. But the cash ran out before he could finish fixing it up and now, the mortgage company is about to foreclose. With his bills mounting he agrees to one last fight.

Release Date: 2001-03-02

Department: Directing

Job: Director

Vote Count: 6

Held for Ransom

Held for Ransom is a 2000 direct-to-video film about five high-school students that are kidnapped and held for ransom in a remote swamp area in Florida. It was directed and written by Lee Stanley based on the novel by Lois Duncan.

Release Date: 2000-11-14

Department: Directing

Job: Director

Vote Count: 4

A Step Apart

Some experts say the American family isn't working anymore. In this production, seven step families bare their hearts and tell what it takes to make a step family work. A must-see for any step family members.

Release Date: 1992-04-19

Department: Directing

Job: Director

The Thorn Birds

The story based on a novel by Colleen McCullough focuses on three generations of the Cleary family living on a sheep station in the Australian outback.

Release Date: 1983-03-27

Department: Production

Job: Co-Producer

Episode Count: 4

Vote Count: 119

S.W.A.T.

S.W.A.T. is an American action/crime drama series about the adventures of a Special Weapons And Tactics team operating in an unidentified California city. A spin-off of The Rookies, the series aired on ABC from February 1975 to April 1976. Like The Rookies, S.W.A.T. was produced by Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg.

Release Date: 1975-02-24

Department: Creator

Job: Creator

Vote Count: 67

Terror in the Sky

On a transcontinental flight, the flight crew suffer from food poisoning and become incapacitated. Now it's up to one of the passengers to safely land the plane.

Release Date: 1971-09-17

Character: Radio Room Operator

Vote Count: 6

Assault on the Wayne

The U.S. submarine Anthony Wayne is underway for a top-secret mission. Onboard is a highly classified device that will give the Americans a decided nuclear advantage. The entire mission and the secret technology are threatened when the sub commander discovers his crew has been infiltrated by enemy agents. The commander is charged with trying to protect the device while ferreting out the enemy agents. Compounding matters is the state of the commander's physical and mental condition, which is being questioned by his crew.

Release Date: 1971-01-12

Character: Lt. Manners

Vote Count: 2

The Immortal

The Immortal is an American television series, which aired on ABC from September 1970 to January 1971. The series is based on a pilot movie of the same name, which aired in September 1969. The pilot is based on the science fiction novel The Immortals, by James Gunn. Although the series was canceled at midseason, episodes were rerun by ABC in the summer of 1971. It was later shown in reruns on the Sci Fi Channel.

Release Date: 1970-09-24

Episode Count: 1

Vote Count: 7

Ice Station Zebra

A top-secret Soviet spy satellite -- using stolen Western technology -- malfunctions and then goes into a descent that lands it near an isolated Arctic research encampment called Ice Station Zebra, belonging to the British, which starts sending out distress signals before falling silent. The atomic submarine Tigerfish, commanded by Cmdr. James Ferraday (Rock Hudson), is dispatched to save them.

Release Date: 1968-10-23

Character: Lt. Mitgang

Vote Count: 166

Adam-12

Adam-12 is a television police drama that followed two police officers of the Los Angeles Police Department, Pete Malloy and Jim Reed, as they patrolled the streets of Los Angeles in their patrol unit, 1-Adam-12.

Release Date: 1968-09-21

Character: Officer Brinkman

Episode Count: 1

Vote Count: 39

Mannix

Mannix is an American television detective series that ran from 1967 through 1975 on CBS. Created by Richard Levinson and William Link and developed by executive producer Bruce Geller, the title character, Joe Mannix, is a private investigator. He is played by Mike Connors. Mannix was the last series produced by Desilu Productions.

Release Date: 1967-09-16

Episode Count: 1

Vote Count: 51

Blackboard Jungle

Richard Dadier is a teacher at North Manual High School, an inner-city school where many of the pupils frequently engage in anti-social behavior. Dadier makes various attempts to engage the students' interest in education, challenging both the school staff and the pupils. He is subjected to violence as well as duplicitous schemes.

Release Date: 1955-03-25

Character: Kid (uncredited)

Vote Count: 150