Ken Hannam

Ken Hannam (12 July 1929 – 16 November 2004) was an Australian film and television director.

Born in St Kilda, Melbourne, the eldest of three boys, Hannam lived in his youth in Sydney and was educated at Wollaroi College in Orange, New South Wales. He worked in Australian radio and television, then moved in 1968 to England. He worked in English television, and returned to direct Australian feature films.

His first feature Sunday Too Far Away (1975) marked the emergence of an internationally recognised Australian film industry. He went on to direct Summerfield (1977) and other films. His 1979 film Dawn! was entered into the 11th Moscow International Film Festival.

Hannam died of cancer aged 75 on 16 November 2004 in London. He was survived by his three wives, two brothers, two children and three grand-children.

He married his first wife Lena Melocco in 1958; their daughter Vicki was born in 1960. His second wife was Wendy Dickson, his art director on Break of Day, whom he married in 1968. They divorced in 1985. His third wife was Madlena, a Nicaraguan; they married in 1990, and adopted a son, Christopher.

Feature films directed

• Sunday Too Far Away (1975)
• Break of Day (1976)
• Summerfield (1977)
• Dawn! (1979)
• The Mismatch (1979) (TV movie)

TV work

• Captain Fortune (1963)
• Adventure Unlimited (1963)
• Contrabandits
• Paul Temple (7 episodes, 1970–1971)
• Spy Trap (8 episodes, 1972)
• Moonbase 3 (3 episodes, 1973)
• Colditz (2 episodes, 1974)
• The Day of the Triffids (6 episodes, 1981)
• Robbery Under Arms (1985; co-directed with Donald Crombie)
• Lovejoy (3 episodes, 1986)
• Boon (2 episodes, 1987)
• Crossfire (TV drama) (1988) TV mini-series
• Hannay (2 episodes, 1989)
• Campion (2 episodes, 1990)
• The House of Eliott (2 episodes, 1992)
• Strathblair (6 episodes, 1992–1993)
• Soldier Soldier (3 episodes, 1995)
• Dangerfield (4 episodes, 1997–1998)
• The Bill (9 episodes, 2000–2001)