Gregg E. Champion

Gregg E. Champion: Biography in Details

Who is Gregg Champion?

Gregg Champion is an award-winning American director and producer for movies and television. Gregg Champion is renowned for the movies Blue Thunder, American Flyers, and Short Time (1990).

He also worked as a second unit director in the Biography TV mini-series Bonnie & Clyde Part 2 in 2013.

Late Boris Sagal, the four-time Primetime Emmy Awards nominee director, is the stepfather of Gregg Champion. Boris is widely known for movies like; The Omega Man (1971) and Hauser’s Memory (1970).

Gregg E. Champion- A Story of Two Families

1st Family- The Champions

Gregg Champion was born Gregg E. Champion on 20th November 1956 in Los Angeles, California, US, to the actor Gower Champion, and Marge Champion, a renowned dance choreographer. His brother is Blake Champion and they are the nephews of John C. Champion.

Actor Gower Champion died in a car accident on May 21, 1987, in Lee, Massachusetts, USA.

Gregg E. Champion is the grandson of John W. Champion and Beatrice Carlisle. His maternal grandfather Ernest Belcher too was a choreographer in Hollywood.

2nd Family- Star-studded Sagals

Boris Sagal married Marge Champion on 1st January 1977 and they lived together till the day he died. Mr. Boris Sagal was tragically killed on 22nd May 1981 by a spinning helicopter blade while he was directing on the sets of the 1982 movie World War III in Oregon, USA. He was just 57 years young.

Gregg E. Champion was raised with the star-studded Sagal siblings from his mother’s marriage to Mr. Boris Sagal. They are, his twin sisters Liz and Jean Sagal, Cathey Sagal, Joey Sagal, and the eldest David Lewis Sagal.

The Sagal Siblings

David Lewis Segal was born on 1st February 1955. He is a Senior Vice President, Business & Legal Affairs at Warner Bros. at Burbank, California, and is married to actress Jean Ellen McNally. They have three children.

David and Jean Ellen’s daughter Nora who is also the Sagal siblings’ niece, was invited as the chosen wedding singer by George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin at their first dance as Mr. and Mrs. Clooney.

‘Joey’ Joseph B. Sagal on 12th February 1957 in Los Angeles, California, is an actor and writer. Joey was nominated for the 2012 Page Award for Writing, Category- Best Historical Film, for the 2016 movie, Elvis & Nixon.

Joey’s ex-wife is the executive Canadian Hanana Suzan-Stadner Sagal, an award-winning screenwriter, and executive at Cable TV. She is credited for making history as the first vlogger.

Cathy Sagal was born on 19th January 1954, in Hollywood, Los Angeles, CA. She too is an actress and is married to Kurt Sutter, the creator of the 2008 series Sons of Anarchy, in which movie Cathy is the protagonist.

The Double Trouble Twins, Liz and Jean Barbara Sagal were born on 9th October 1961, in Los Angeles, California, US.,

Liz is an actress and script supervisor and actress among others and is married to Bruce Grayson. She is renowned for the series Sons of Anarchy.

Jean Barbara is an actress and a director. She is the associate director for the prime-time series of 2 Broke Girls which was originally released on 19th September 2011. Jean has directed Two and a Half Men among others.

Daniil Sagal, the great Russian actor, is the paternal uncle of Gregg Champion-Sagal and his Sagal siblings.

In which school did Gregg E. Champion attend?

Gregg Champion was educated at the USC School of Cinema located in Los Angels, California.

After completing the USC School of Cinema, Gregg Champion apprenticed with several directors including directors like Blake Edwards, Nicholas Roeg, and John Badham of the movie ‘Stakeout’ fame for eight years and more.

Professional Career

-The Entertainment Industry

In 1974, Gregg E. Champion started his career in the entertainment industry and started as an assistant to the director of the crime movie ‘Bank Shot’ for a time.

Thereafter, Gregg E. Champion worked as a director for hit movies like the 1994 movie, The Cowboy Way, the 2004 movie, Miracle Run, and the 2010 movie, Amish Grace.

With time he soon matured into a successful producer, Champion worked as a supervising producer for the 1986 movie Short Circuit, and the 1987 movie, Stakeout.

Champion also worked as the Action-Director on Warner Bros’ bicycle racing 1985 movie, “American Flyers” starring Kevin Costner, and the 1990 movie “Short Time”.

Synopsis- Movies, Series

2014, director- The Gabby Douglas Story

2011, director- movie Field of Vision

2010, director- Amish Grace

2005, director-movie 14 Hours

2004, director- Miracle Run

2003, producer-director- Stealing Christmas

2001, producer-director- The Last Brickmaker in America

1999-2000, director- The Magnificent Seven

1999, producer-director- The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn

1997, director- A Woman’s Place, Walker, Texas Ranger

1994, director- The Cowboy Way

1990, director- Short Time

1987, movie Stakeout

1986, producer- Short Circuit

1985, producer- American Flyers

1983, producer- Blue Thunder

1981, movie producer- Whose Life Is It Anyway?

Gregg E. Champion- Awards, Nominations

Movie-The Gabby Douglas Story

-Gregg E. Champion was awarded the 2015 Image Awards (NAACP). He received 9 nominations in the category of ‘Outstanding Directing in a Television Movie’ at the film festival for the 2014 movie, The Gabby Douglas Story.

-He was awarded the 2015 Christopher Award for the best movie “The Gabby Douglas Story”. Gregg is the director of the biographical movie, The Gabby Douglas Story (2014), and the story is based on the gymnast Gabby Douglas.

His most recent public appearance was when he attended the 46th NAACP Image Awards in 2015.

– He received an Emmy along with nominations for “The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn”.

– Champion was awarded an Emmy for directing the Emmy-nominated drama “Miracle Run”.

-Gregg E. Champion was awarded the Christopher Award for the best director for the action-drama “14 Hours” for TNT.

-Similarly, Champion received his second Christopher Award for directing “Amish Grace”. This movie was Lifetime Movie Network’s highest-rated original movie ever.

-Director Credits

Champion’s feature directing credits include the fish-out-of-water action-comedy “The Cowboy Way” starring Woody Harrelson and Kiefer Sutherland (Universal), and the action-comedy “Short Time” starring Dabney Coleman and Teri Garr (Fox).

Credits as Producer-Director- Television Series, Movie

-The action-drama “14 Hours” for TNT and “Amish Grace” starring Kimberly Williams-Paisley and Tammy Blanchard became Lifetime Movie Network’s highest-rated original movie ever.

-His television producing and directing credits include the award-winning and Emmy-nominated “The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn” starring Sidney Poitier, Dianne Wiest, and Mary-Louise Parker.

-Also for CBS Special Movie Presentations for the movie “Dodson’s Journey” with Ellen Burstyn and Penelope Ann Miller.

-Gregg received credits for producing and directing in television for “The Last Brickmaker in America” again starring Sidney Poitier.

-Television Series include multiples of “The Magnificent Seven” for CBS/MGM and “Walker Texas Ranger” with Chuck Norris also for CBS.

-Other long-form movies Champion directed are the Emmy-nominated drama “Miracle Run” starring Mary-Louise Parker, Aidan Quinn, and Zac Efron, and “Stealing Christmas” a romantic comedy starring Tony Danza, Lea Thompson, and Betty White for the USA Network.

-Most recently, Champion choreographed some bullet-ridden action sequences with Emile Hirsch in the A&E 4hr. mini-series “Bonnie & Clyde” in which he worked as the 2nd Unit Director and as the Director in the gymnastics bio-pic “The Gabby Douglas Story”.

-Gregg E. Champion’s feature that received credits includes “Blue Thunder”(1983, Columbia) “Short Circuit”(Tri-Star), and “Stakeout”(Touchstone).

Gregg E. Champion- Net Worth, Earnings

Gregg E. Champion has a net worth of $10 million US. His earnings as producer-director are $500k US and above.

Gregg is the producer of the comedy-crime movie; Stakeout (1987), which had a huge box office of $65.6 million across the USA.

How tall is Gregg E. Champion?

Gregg E. Champion has auburn hair and blue eyes. His height is 5′ 10″ (1.78 m).

Gregg Champion- Social Media

Gregg E. Champion has 91k followers on Instagram, 1k on Twitter, and 527 posts on YouTube.

You may want to read the review from Overview for Gregg Champion – Turner Classic Movies. Check it out!

“Champion’s second film displayed a similar penchant for multiple, and sometimes uneasily juxtaposed, film genres.

The reasonably successful fish-out-of-water film, “The Cowboy Way” (1994), featured Woody Harrelson and Kiefer Sutherland as two hayseeds who arrive in New York City and have an action-packed time trying to right some wrongdoings…”

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Gregg E. Champion's Birthday Dates