DGA Announces the Winners of the 1998 Outstanding Directorial Achievement Awards and Recipients of 1999 Lifetime Achievement Awards

DGA Awards

March 6, 1999

The winners of the 1998 Directors Guild of America Outstanding Directorial Achievement Awards and the recipients of 1999 DGA Lifetime Achievement Awards were announced tonight at the 51st Annual DGA Awards Dinner at the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles. The DGA's Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film, given this year to Steven Spielberg, is traditionally a near-perfect barometer for the Academy Award for Best Director. Only four times since the DGA Award's inception has the winner not gone on to receive the Best Director Oscar.

The winners of the 1998 Directors Guild of America Awards for Outstanding Directorial Achievement and the recipients of the 1999 DGA Lifetime Achievement Awards are:

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film

STEVEN SPIELBERG
Saving Private Ryan (DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures)
Production Manager: Mark Huffam
First Assistant Director: Sergio Mimica-Gezzan
Second Assistant Director: Adam Goodman
Second Second Assistant Director: Karen Richards

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television

MICHAEL CRISTOFER
Gia, HBO (Marvin Worth Productions)
Unit Production Manager: James D. Brubaker
First Assistant Director: Mary Ellen Woods
Second Assistant Director: David Larson

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Series, Night

PARIS BARCLAY
"Hearts and Souls" (NYPD Blue), ABC (Steven Bochco Productions)
Unit Production Manager: Robert J. Doherty
First Assistant Director: Dennis White
Second Assistant Director: Suzie Pelissier

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy Series

THOMAS SCHLAMME
Pilot (Sports Night), ABC (Touchstone Television in association with Imagine Television)
Unit Production Manager/First Assistant Director: Steve Burgess
Second Assistant Director: Elena Santaballa
Technical Coordinator: Dana DeVally

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Musical Variety

PAUL MILLER
The Tony Awards, CBS (Tony Awards Productions, Inc.)
Associate Director: Christine Clark Bradley, Debbie Miller
Stage Managers: Andrew Feigin, Jeffry Gitter, Garry W. Hood, Arthur Lewis, Gary Natoli, Henry Neimark, Lauren Schneider, Doug Smith

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Daytime Serials

JAMES N. SAYEGH
One Life to Live (Episode #7572), ABC (ABC-TV)
Associate Directors: Owen Renfroe, Suzanne E. Flynn, Paul S. Glass
Stage Managers: Alan P. Needleman, Ray Hoesten
Production Assistants: Mary M. Ryan, Teresa Anne Cicala

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Children's Programs

MITCHELL KRIEGMAN
"Love is All You Need" (Bear in the Big Blue House), Disney (Tadpole Productions, Inc.)
Associate Director: Dean Gordon
Stage Manager: Henry Neimark

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Commercials

Kinka Usher
"Egg" Sony, Young and Rubicam
"Michael Johnson's World" Mtn. Dew/Pepsi, BBDO
"Cupid" Miller Brewing Co., Fallon McElligott
"Undercover Ushers" Nike, Wieden & Kennedy
"Neighbor Lady" Hallmark, Leo Burnett

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary

JERRY BLUMENTHAL, PETER GILBERT & GORDON QUINN
Vietnam: Long Time Coming
Seventh Arts Releasing

ROBERT B. ALDRICH ACHIEVEMENT AWARD - For Extraordinary Service to the DGA and to its Membership

ARTHUR HILLER

FRANK CAPRA ACHIEVEMENT AWARD - For an Assistant Director or Unit Production Manager in Recognition of Career Achievement in the Industry and Service to the DGA

TOM JOYNER

FRANKLIN J. SCHAFFNER AWARD - For an Associate Director or Stage Manager in Recognition of Service to the Industry and to the DGA

ROBERT CAMINITI

DGA DIVERSITY AWARD - For Outstanding Commitment to and Leadership in the Hiring of Women and Ethnic Minorities in DGA Categories

STEVEN BOCHCO

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT IN NEWS DIRECTION

RICHARD B. ARMSTRONG

Note: The only four times the winner of the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film and the winner of the Academy Award for Best Director have been different are:

  • 1968: Anthony Harvey won the DGA Award for The Lion in Winter while Carol Reed took home the Oscar® for Oliver!.
  • 1972: Francis Ford Coppola received the DGA's nod for The Godfather while the Academy selected Bob Fosse for Cabaret.
  • 1985: Steven Spielberg received his first DGA Award for The Color Purple while the Oscar® went to Sydney Pollack for Out of Africa.
  • 1995: Ron Howard was chosen by the DGA for his direction of Apollo 13 while Academy voters cited Mel Gibson for Braveheart.

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