Kieth Merrill

Born: May 22, 1940 (age 84); Farmington, Utah, U.S.
Notable works: The Great American Cowboy (1973)
The Wild West (1993)
Amazon (1997)
Various films for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Notable awards: Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film (1973)

Kieth W. Merrill (born May 22, 1940) is an American filmmaker who has worked as a writer, director, and producer in the film industry since 1967. He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Directors Guild of America, and received an Academy Award for The Great American Cowboy (1973) and a nomination for Amazon (1997).

He published a novel, The Evolution of Thomas Hall, through Shadow Mountain in 2011. His first fantasy novel, The Immortal Crown, was published by Shadow Mountain in 2016.

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Larry Mahan, the Elvis of Rodeo, Is Dead at 79

His eight championships made him a legend to his fans. His mod style, swashbuckling lifestyle and flirtations with Hollywood made him a star.

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Branching into Western wear, he developed a line of cowboy togs including signature boots that became as coveted among lonesome-trail types as prime Air Jordans are among sneakerheads. (Josh Brolin’s character asks for a pair of Larry Mahans, size 11, when shopping for fresh clothes in the 2007 film “No Country for Old Men.”) ... He also made his matinee-idol reputation at least a tad literal, studying acting in Los Angeles and appearing in “The Honkers,” a 1972 rodeo drama starring James Coburn and Slim Pickens; “Sixpack Annie,” a racy 1975 drive-in special; and “The Good Old Boys,” a star-studded 1995 television western directed by and starring Tommy Lee Jones. {snip} Perhaps his biggest mark on popular culture came in 1973, when he was the subject of “The Great American Cowboy,” which won the Academy Award for best documentary feature.


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