Don Chaffey
Donald Chaffey (5 August 1917 – 13 November 1990) was a British film director, writer, producer, and art director. Chaffey's film career began as an art director in 1947, and his directorial debut was in 1953. His film Charley One-Eye (1973) was entered into the 24th Berlin International Film Festival.
Don Chaffey
- Name
- Don Chaffey
- Birth Name
- Donald Chaffey
- Born
- 5 August 1917
- Birthplace
- Hastings, Sussex, England
- Died
- 13 November 1990
- Place of death
- Kawau Island, New Zealand
- Occupation
- * Film director
- Full name
- Donald Chaffey.
- Nationality
- United Kingdom.
- Languages
- English.
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
VALÉORINE documentary reading
Documentary summary
Donald Chaffey (5 August 1917 – 13 November 1990) was a British film director, writer, producer, and art director. Chaffey's film career began as an art director in 1947, and his directorial debut was in 1953. His film Charley One-Eye (1973) was entered into the 24th Berlin International Film Festival.
Admitted source layer · organised and presented by VALÉORINE
Note VALÉORINE
Don Chaffey (1917–1990) was an art director, director and film director, among other activities, of British nationality. The art director was born Donald Chaffey in Hastings and died in Kawau Island. Don Chaffey worked in United Kingdom. Languages used include English.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 26 September 2026
VALÉORINE
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for Don Chaffey. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
World of VALÉORINE
Documentary connections
Only confirmed graph relationships appear here. Images are shown only when their identity and reuse rights both pass the documentary gate.
Documentary evidence
Evidence Panel
not yet certified
- Identity
- resolved
- Independent source families
- 0
- Admitted assertions
- 0
- Open conflicts
- 0
Authority files
wikidata · Q675977 · wikipedia · Don Chaffey
In this article
Biography
Biography
He is chiefly remembered for his fantasy films, which include Jason and the Argonauts (1963), The Three Lives of Thomasina (1963), One Million Years B.C. (1966), The Viking Queen (1967), Creatures the World Forgot (1971), Pete's Dragon (1977), and C.H.O.M.P.S. (1979), his final feature film. Concurrent with his theatrically released films, Chaffey directed episodes of numerous British television series, including multiple installments of Danger Man, The Prisoner, and The Avengers. From the 1980s until his death, all of his work was in American made-for-TV movies, and in such TV series as Fantasy Island, Stingray, MacGyver, Vega$, T. Hooker, Matt Houston, and Charlie's Angels.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Don Chaffey • Birth Name — Donald Chaffey • Born — 5 August 1917 • Birthplace — Hastings, Sussex, England • Died — 13 November 1990 • Place of death — Kawau Island, New Zealand • Occupation — * Film director • writer • film producer • art director • Years Active — 1948–1990 • Children — 1
Career
Career
Chaffey began his career in the art department of Gainsborough Pictures where he worked as a draftsman on Madonna of the Seven Moons (1945), The Rake's Progress (1945), and Caravan (1946). He was art director of The Adventures of Dusty Bates (1947) and The Little Ballerina (1948). He directed the documentary shorts Thames Tideway (1948) and Cape Cargoes (1948). Chaffey directed the short features The Mysterious Poacher (1950) and The Case of the Missing Scene (1950). He returned to the art department for King of the Underworld (1950), The Stolen Plans (1952), Murder at the Grange (1952), Murder at Scotland Yard (1952), and Black 13 (1953).
Director
Director
Chaffey resumed his directing career with the family film Skid Kids (1953). He made the short Watch Out (1953), then did Strange Stories (1953), Bouncer Breaks Up (1953, a short), The Mask (1952), and A Good Pull Up (1953). Chaffey directed Time Is My Enemy (1954). After the short Dead on Time (1955) he made The Secret Tent (1956), The Flesh Is Weak (1957) and The Girl in the Picture (1957). He directed episodes of TV series like Theatre Royal, The Adventures of the Big Man, Chevron Hall of Stars, The Errol Flynn Theatre, Assignment Foreign Legion, The Adventures of Robin Hood, Dial 999, and The New Adventures of Charlie Chan. He interspersed these with features like A Question of Adultery (1958), The Man Upstairs (1958), Danger Within (1959), Dentist in the Chair (1960), Lies My Father Told Me (1960), and Nearly a Nasty Accident (1961).
Disney and fantasy
Disney and fantasy
He directed Greyfriars Bobby: The True Story of a Dog (1961), then A Matter of WHO (1961), a version of The Prince and the Pauper (1962) for Disney, and The Webster Boy (1962). He had a big hit with Jason and the Argonauts (1963) with Ray Harryhausen. Then it was back to Disney for The Three Lives of Thomasina (1963). Chaffey directed They All Died Laughing (1964), The Crooked Road (1965), and One Million Years B.C. (1966) for Hammer. He returned to television to do episodes of Danger Man, The Baron, The Prisoner, Man in a Suitcase, Journey to the Unknown, The Avengers, The Pathfinders, and The Protectors. Chaffey did The Viking Queen (1967) for Hammer, A Twist of Sand (1968), Creatures the World Forgot (1971) for Hammer, Clinic Exclusive (1973), Charley-One-Eye (1973), and Persecution (1974).
Australia and US TV
Australia and US TV
Chaffey went to Australia where he directed Ben Hall (1975), Ride a Wild Pony (1975), The Fourth Wish (1976), and Shimmering Light (1978). He worked in America too making CHiPs, Pete's Dragon (1977) for Disney, The Magic of Lassie (1978), Lassie: A New Beginning (1978), The Gift of Love (1978), C.H.O.M.P.S. (1979), and Casino (1980). He eventually focused almost exclusively on episodic TV: Vega$, Charlie's Angels, Strike Force, Fantasy Island, Gavilan, The Renegade, Lottery!, Hotel, Matt Houston, Finder of Lost Loves, International Airport (1985, a pilot), Spenser: For Hire, Hollywood Beat, Airwolf, Hunter, Outlaws, MacGyver, Stingray and Mission: Impossible.
Personal life
Personal life
Don Chaffey was married to Edna Chaffey for 40 years until she died in 1981 of cancer. Together they had one daughter, Nicolette Chaffey. He then married American actress Paula Kelly in 1985. Chaffey died of a heart attack in 1990 in a house he owned in New Zealand.
Television
Television
• 1955–56: Theatre Royal (TV series; 16 episodes) • 1956: The Adventures of the Big Man (TV series; 2 episodes) • 1956: Chevron Hall of Stars (TV series; 1 episode) • 1956–57: Assignment Foreign Legion (TV series; 7 episodes) • 1957: The Errol Flynn Theatre (TV series; 2 episodes) • 1957–58: The New Adventures of Charlie Chan (TV series; 13 episodes) • 1957–58: The Adventures of Robin Hood (TV series; 7 episodes) • 1959–60: The Four Just Men (TV series; 13 episodes) • 1959: Dial 999 (TV series; 1 episode) • 1962–65: Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color (TV series; 10 episodes) • 1964–66: Danger Man (TV series; 15 episodes) • 1966–67: The Baron (TV series; 2 episodes) • 1967: The Prisoner (TV series; 4 episodes) • 1968: Man in a Suitcase (TV series; 1 episode) • 1968–69: Journey to the Unknown (TV series; 2 episodes) • 1968–69: The Avengers (TV series; 5 episodes) • 1970: Journey to the Unknown (TV movie; "The Last Visitor" segment) • 1972: Pathfinders (TV series; 2 episodes) • 1972–73: The Protectors (TV series; 9 episodes) • 1975: Ben Hall (TV series; 1 episode) • 1977: CHiPs (TV series; 1 episode) • 1978–81: Vega$ (TV series; 17 episodes) • 1978–81: Charlie's Angels (TV series; 10 episodes) • 1978: Lassie: A New Beginning (TV movie) • 1978: The Gift of Love (TV movie) • 1978: Shimmering Light (TV movie) • 1979: The Wonderful World of Disney (TV series; 4 episodes) • 1980: Casino (TV movie) • 1980: Riding for the Pony Express (TV pilot episode) • 1981–82: Fantasy Island (TV series; 7 episodes) • 1982: Strike Force (TV series; 4 episodes) • 1982: Gavilan (TV series; 1 episode) • 1982–83: T. J. Hooker (TV series; 6 episodes) • 1982–84: Matt Houston (TV series; 12 episodes) • 1983: The Renegades (TV series; 1 episode) • 1983: Lottery! (TV series; 1 episode) • 1983: Hotel (TV series; 2 episodes) • 1984–85: Finder of Lost Loves (TV series; 6 episodes) • 1985: Hollywood Beat (TV series; 4 episodes) • 1985: International Airport (TV movie) • 1985: Spenser: For Hire (TV series; 1 episode) • 1986: Airwolf (TV series; 1 episode) • 1986: Hunter (TV series; 1 episode) • 1986–87: MacGyver (TV series; 2 episodes) • 1987: Outlaws (TV series; 1 episode) • 1987: Stingray (TV series; 2 episodes) • 1989: Mission: Impossible (TV series; 4 episodes)
Identity
Identity
Don Chaffey is recorded as screenwriter, film producer and director. Recorded at birth as Donald Chaffey.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
1990
Don Chaffey died in 1990 at Kawau Island.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Hastings.
Birth place
Kawau Island.
Death place
Film
• 1953: Strange Stories ("Strange Journey" segment) • 1953: Skid Kids • 1954: Time Is My Enemy • 1956: The Secret Tent • 1957: The Girl in the Picture • 1957: The Flesh Is Weak • 1958: A Question of Adultery • 1958: The Man Upstairs • 1959: Danger Within • 1960: Lies My Father Told Me • 1960: Dentist in the Chair • 1961: Nearly a Nasty Accident • 1961: Greyfriars Bobby • 1961: A Matter of WHO • 1962 The Prince and the Pauper • 1962: The Webster Boy • 1963: Jason and the Argonauts • 1963: The Three Lives of Thomasina • 1964: A Jolly Bad Fellow • 1965: The Crooked Road • 1966: One Million Years B.C. • 1967: The Viking Queen • 1968: A Twist of Sand • 1971: Clinic Exclusive • 1971: Creatures the World Forgot • 1973: Charley One-Eye • 1974: Persecution • 1975: Ride a Wild Pony • 1976: The Fourth Wish • 1977: Born to Run • 1977: Pete's Dragon • 1978: The Magic of Lassie • 1979: C.H.O.M.P.S. (final theatrical film)
Literature
Scholarly footprint
A count of publications is evidence of attention, not of standing, and is given here only as a measure.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Don Chaffey; Directed Films, TV, Disney Features. Los Angeles Times. 24. 19 November 1990.
- 2.Nepean, Edith. Round the British Studios: "Danger Within". Picture Show. 72. 1866 (3 January 1959). 11.
- 3.The Prince and the Pauper, The. Monthly Film Bulletin. 29. 336. 83. 1 January 1962.
- 4.Bergan, Ronald. Disney and the Argonauts. The Guardian. 39. 3 December 1990.
- 5.Desert Bondship. The New York Times. 52. 19 April 1973.
- 6.Lightman, Herb A. Film-Making "Down Under". American Cinematographer. 57. 9 (Sep 1976). 980, 982–985, 1022–1023, 1054–1056.
- 7.Fisher, Bob. Behind the Camera on Pete's Dragon. American Cinematographer. 58. 10 (Oct 1977). 1026–1029, 1082–1083.
- 8.Staff writers. Don Chaffey; Directed Films, TV, Disney Features. Los Angeles Times. 1990-11-19.
- 9.Directory: New Releases on Tape and Disc. Video. 9. 1. 57–63. April 4, 1985.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Partially resolvedreference work
Partially resolved
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Film memorabilia
37,408 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Don BoydPerson
- Don BrockettPerson
- Don BrodiePerson
- Don CarmodyPerson
- Don CollierPerson
- Don CoscarelliPerson
- Don CouttsPerson
- Don DaGradiPerson
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own a work by Don Chaffey?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.