Rod Daniel

Rod Daniel

Rollin Augustus "Rod" Daniel III (August 4, 1942 – April 16, 2016) was an American television and film director, active from the late 1970s to the early 2000s. His films include the 1985 Michael J. Fox comedy film Teen Wolf, which was a considerable box office success. Daniel, the son of a noted surgeon, was expected to follow in his father's footsteps. After returning to his native Tennessee from the Vietnam War, he chose to enter the advertising business, where he directed several commercials before moving to Los Angeles. There, his friendship with television producer Hugh Wilson enabled him to start a career in the television industry as a director and producer for Wilson's sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati. Daniel continued to work on shows like Magnum, P. I. and Newhart, until he eventually grew restless with television following the failure of a sitcom he had worked on and chose to make the leap into feature films. Daniel continued to direct throughout the 1980s and 1990s, with his other works including the comedies Like Father Like Son, K-9, The Super, and Beethoven's 2nd. He continued to helm episodes of television as well, directing episodes of shows including Everybody Loves Raymond and Caroline in the City. His final film, Home Alone 4, premiered on television in late 2002, after which he retired from the entertainment industry. Daniel then moved to Tennessee for several years and began refocusing on his passion for photography and music. In later interviews he described his entertainment career in a negative light. Eventually, he moved to Chicago, where he died in April 2016 from complications of Parkinson's disease.

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