TV Legend Michael Preece: ‘Dallas’ and ‘Walker, Texas Ranger’ Director Dies at 88

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88-year-old Michael Preece, a script supervisor turned director who oversaw numerous episodes of shows like Hunter, Dallas, and Walker, Texas Ranger, has sadly passed away on Thursday.

Preece passed away due to a heart issue at his residence in Brentwood, Los Angeles. His daughter, Gretchen Preece-Newman (who is married to two-time Academy Award-winning musician Randy Newman), confirmed this to The Hollywood Reporter.

Between 1984 and 1990, Preece oversaw the production of 19 episodes of NBC’s series Hunter, spanning its first six seasons. From 1981 to 1991, he directed 62 individual episodes for CBS’s Dallas, starting from season four and continuing through season 14. Additionally, he was in charge of the 1997 reunion movie titled War of the Ewings. Lastly, during the nine-season run of CBS’s Walker, Texas Ranger, from 1993 to 2001, Preece directed a total of 70 episodes.

I’ve had the privilege of contributing to an impressive array of television shows throughout my career. From iconic classics like The Bionic Woman, Barnaby Jones, Fantasy Island, Flamingo Road, T.J. Hooker, The New Mike Hammer, Riptide, Knots Landing, Falcon Crest, MacGyver, and 7th Heaven, to numerous others, I’ve been fortunate to be part of these memorable productions before deciding to retire in 2007.

Michael Conway Preece, born on September 15, 1936, in Los Angeles, is the son of Thelma, who established the Script Clerks Guild (which later became IATSE’s Script Supervisor Local 871), and Harold, a man involved in the sales of cigarettes and cigars.

In the summer of 1955, during his first year at Santa Monica City College, Preece secured a position in set continuity for the syndicated series “Waterfront,” which featured Preston Foster as the lead actor.

Afterward, he spent his time working as a supervisor for scripts on NBC’s show “I Spy” during its entire run from 1965 to 1968. He also worked on various films such as “The Old Man and the Sea” (1958), “Mutiny on the Bounty” (1962), “How the West Was Won” (1962), “True Grit” (1969), “The Hawaiians” (1970), “The Getaway” (1972), “The Paper Chase” (1973), and “Breakheart Pass” (1975).

Preece ascended to the director’s chair in 1975 during an episode of ABC’s “The Streets of San Francisco,” subsequently directing two films, namely “The Prize Fighter” in 1979 and “Beretta’s Island” in 1993.

In 1975, Preece was promoted to director during an episode of ABC’s series “The Streets of San Francisco.” Later on, he directed two movies, specifically “The Prize Fighter” (1979) and “Beretta’s Island” (1993).

As a dedicated gamer, I’ve got to hand it to myself – I’ve steered the most “Walker, Texas Ranger” episodes, and on “Dallas”, it was only Leonard Katzman who outranked me, by a mere five more episodes, if you can believe that!

In a 2012 interview, Preece mentioned that on the set of Dallas, there was an expression that the show was “impenetrable to directors,” implying that no director could ruin it.

Larry Hagman understood his character well. He often went a bit overboard, so we’d try to tone him down slightly, as he put it. On occasions when he struggled with his lines, he’d use cue cards, and I’d remind him, ‘Larry, you sound like you’re reading from them.’ However, he required minimal guidance – something that was true for most of the cast; they made our jobs easier.

For quite some time, Preece was an employee at Lorimar Productions. Before he could direct an episode of Dallas, he filmed every cast member firing a gun to make sure no one would know who actually shot Hagman’s character J.R. Ewing in the show’s memorable third-season finale that aired in March 1979.

Apart from his daughter, it is noted that he was particularly proud to have a talented musician like Newman as his son-in-law. Among the survivors are his son Gary, grandchildren Jason, Ariana, Molly, Patrick, Alice, and Adrian; great-grandchildren Jason and Emma; and great-great-grandson Julian.

He encountered his initial spouse, Paula, in Hamilton, and their marriage lasted from 1953 up until their divorce in 1968. Subsequently, he was wedded to the Hollywood hairstylist Evelyn Preece from 1969 until her passing in 2017.

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2025-02-28 04:25