Gary Leva
male

Known for Directing
Biography
Filmmaker and film historian Gary Leva has distinguished himself as the creative force behind scores of documentaries, broadcast programs and Special Features, many of them focused on the cinematic arts. His feature documentary, Fog City Mavericks, which highlights 100 years in the history of San Francisco's vibrant filmmaking community, had its world premiere at the 50th San Francisco International Film Festival prior to its continuing life on cable television and disc. Leva's documentaries have made a lasting contribution to the history of film. His award- winning A Legacy of Filmmakers premiered at the Telluride Film Festival and received a New York Film Society screening at Manhattan's Guggenheim Museum. This documentary illuminates the creation of Francis Ford Coppola's landmark film company American Zoetrope, set against the changing landscape of American cinema in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The film is now a part of the curricula at several top universities. Leva's celebrated documentaries on the cinema of George Lucas span the entire range of Lucas' career, from his earliest student films to his first feature, THX 1138, to the Star Wars series and beyond. His collections of documentaries on filmmakers Alfred Hitchcock, Clint Eastwood and Stanley Kubrick are often regarded as the top anthology on each of these master's works. Having earned a distinguished reputation as a leader in his field, Leva continues to work with the top filmmakers of our time, including Christopher Nolan, Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Spike Lee, Robert Redford, Oliver Stone and many others. Beyond the world of cinema, Leva has produced documentaries on subjects as varied as the struggle for investigative journalists to stay relevant in the Internet age and the ways in which the achievements of Alexander the Great are reflected in our modern lives. Other projects include the award-winning narrative feature film, Plan B, starring Jon Cryer, the mockumentary R2-D2: Beneath the Dome, broadcast nationally on Fox, and 1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year, broadcast nationally on TCM. Leva is an adjunct professor at the USC School of Cinematic Arts.
Cast Credits
No credits available
Crew Credits
- 2023
- 2021
- 2020
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We Met At Midway - Two Survivors Remember
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Director
2020
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We Met At Midway - Two Survivors Remember
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Producer
2020
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Joe Rochefort - Breaking The Japanese Code
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Director
2020
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The Men of Midway
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Editor
2020
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The Men of Midway
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Director
2020
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Roland Emmerich: Man on a Mission
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Producer
2020
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Roland Emmerich: Man on a Mission
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Editor
2020
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Turning Point: The Legacy of Midway
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Director
2020
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Getting It Right: The Making of Midway
as
Director
2020
- 2019
Godzilla: King of the Monsters- Monster Tech: Monarch Joins the Fight
as
Director
2019
Godzilla: King of the Monsters- Castle Bravo
as
Director
2019
Making Mothra
as
Director
2019
Monsters are Real
as
Director
2019
Godzilla: King of the Monsters - Godzilla 2.0
as
Director
2019
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Reimagining Rodan
as
Director
2019
Creating Ghidorah
as
Director
2019
Godzilla: King of The Monsters- The Antarctic Base
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Director
2019
- 2018
- 2016
- 2015
One Soldier's Story: The Journey of American Sniper
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Director
2015
One Soldier's Story: The Journey of American Sniper
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Writer
2015
One Soldier's Story: The Journey of American Sniper
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Producer
2015
One Soldier's Story: The Journey of American Sniper
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Editor
2015
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I Am Spartacus: A Conversation with Kirk Douglas
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Producer
2015
- 2013
The Making of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz
as
Producer
2013
The Making of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz
as
Editor
2013
The Making of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz
as
Director
2013
The Fugitive: Thrill of the Chase
as
Director
2013
The Fugitive: Thrill of the Chase
as
Producer
2013
Cabaret: The Musical That Changed Musicals
as
Director of Photography
2013
Cabaret: The Musical That Changed Musicals
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Writer
2013
Cabaret: The Musical That Changed Musicals
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Producer
2013
- 2012
Casablanca: An Unlikely Classic
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Producer
2012
Casablanca: An Unlikely Classic
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Writer
2012
Casablanca: An Unlikely Classic
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Director
2012
The Birds: Hitchcock's Monster Movie
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Producer
2012
Michael Curtiz: The Greatest Director You Never Heard Of
as
Producer
2012
Michael Curtiz: The Greatest Director You Never Heard Of
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Director
2012
- 2011
- 2009
1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year
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Writer
2009
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Fasten Your Seatbelt: The Thrilling Art of Alfred Hitchcock
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Producer
2009
Gone With The Wind: The Legend Lives On
as
Director
2009
The Master's Touch: Hitchcock's Signature Style
as
Director
2009
North by Northwest: One for the Ages
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Director
2009
North by Northwest: One for the Ages
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Producer
2009
Victor Fleming: Master Craftsman
as
Producer
2009
Victor Fleming: Master Craftsman
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Editor
2009
Victor Fleming: Master Craftsman
as
Director
2009
- 2008
Pure Cinema: Through the Eyes of Hitchcock
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Director
2008
Breaking Barriers: The Sound of Hitchcock
as
Director
2008
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Sunlight and Shadow: The Visual Style of 'L.A. Confidential'
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Producer
2008
Whatever You Desire: Making 'L.A. Confidential'
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Director
2008
Whatever You Desire: Making 'L.A. Confidential'
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Producer
2008
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Sunlight and Shadow: The Visual Style of 'L.A. Confidential'
as
Director
2008
Edith Head: Dressing the Master's Movies
as
Director
2008
Alma: The Master's Muse
as
Director
2008
Bernard Herrmann: Hitchcock's Maestro
as
Director
2008
Partners in Crime: Hitchcock's Collaborators
as
Director
2008
Partners in Crime: Hitchcock's Collaborators
as
Producer
2008
Saul Bass: Title Champ
as
Director
2008
In the Master's Shadow: Hitchcock's Legacy
as
Director
2008
In the Master's Shadow: Hitchcock's Legacy
as
Producer
2008
Breaking Barriers: The Sound of Hitchcock
as
Producer
2008
Pure Cinema: Through the Eyes of Hitchcock
as
Producer
2008
An Old Fashioned Love Story: Making 'The Bridges of Madison County'
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Director
2008
An Old Fashioned Love Story: Making 'The Bridges of Madison County'
as
Producer
2008
A Moral Right: The Politics of Dirty Harry
as
Director
2008
The Business End: Violence in Cinema
as
Director
2008
The Evolution of Clint Eastwood
as
Director
2008
The Craft of Dirty Harry
as
Director
2008
Super Heroes United! The Complete Justice League History
as
Director
2008
The Long Shadow of Dirty Harry
as
Director
2008
The Long Shadow of Dirty Harry
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Producer
2008
The Business End: Violence in Cinema
as
Producer
2008
The Evolution of Clint Eastwood
as
Producer
2008
A Moral Right: The Politics of Dirty Harry
as
Producer
2008
The Craft of Dirty Harry
as
Producer
2008
- 2007
Fog City Mavericks
as
Producer
2007
Fog City Mavericks
as
Writer
2007
Fog City Mavericks
as
Director
2007
Fog City Mavericks
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Editor
2007
Great Bolshy Yarblockos!: Making 'A Clockwork Orange'
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Director
2007
Great Bolshy Yarblockos!: Making 'A Clockwork Orange'
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Producer
2007
Lost Kubrick: The Unfinished Films of Stanley Kubrick
as
Director
2007
View from the Overlook: Crafting 'The Shining'
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Director
2007
The Visions of Stanley Kubrick
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Director
2007
The Visions of Stanley Kubrick
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Producer
2007
Full Metal Jacket: Between Good and Evil
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Director
2007
Vision of a Future Passed: The Prophecy of 2001
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Producer
2007
Vision of a Future Passed: The Prophecy of 2001
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Director
2007
Standing on the Shoulders of Kubrick: The Legacy of 2001
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Director
2007
- 2006
Woodward and Bernstein: Lighting the Fire
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Writer
2006
Woodward and Bernstein: Lighting the Fire
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Director
2006
Woodward and Bernstein: Lighting the Fire
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Producer
2006
Out of the Shadows: The Man Who Was Deep Throat
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Producer
2006
Out of the Shadows: The Man Who Was Deep Throat
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Writer
2006
Prohibition Opens the Floodgates
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Director
2006
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Welcome to the Big House
as
Director
2006
The Maltese Falcon: One Magnificent Bird
as
Director
2006
Telling the Truth About Lies: The Making of "All the President's Men"
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Producer
2006
Telling the Truth About Lies: The Making of "All the President's Men"
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Director
2006
Telling the Truth About Lies: The Making of "All the President's Men"
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Writer
2006
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Gangsters: The Immigrant's Hero
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Director
2006
Film Noir: Bringing Darkness to Light
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Director
2006
The Maltese Falcon: One Magnificent Bird
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Producer
2006
Out of the Shadows: The Man Who Was Deep Throat
as
Director
2006
Emotional History: The Making of 'The Unbearable Lightness of Being'
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Director
2006
Molls and Dolls: The Women of Gangster Films
as
Director
2006
- 2005
Ben-Hur: The Epic That Changed Cinema
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Director
2005
Ben-Hur: The Epic That Changed Cinema
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Producer
2005
By Any Means Necessary: The Making of 'Malcolm X'
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Producer
2005
By Any Means Necessary: The Making of 'Malcolm X'
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Writer
2005
By Any Means Necessary: The Making of 'Malcolm X'
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Editor
2005
By Any Means Necessary: The Making of 'Malcolm X'
as
Director
2005
- 2004
A Legacy of Filmmakers: The Early Years of American Zoetrope
as
Director
2004
A Legacy of Filmmakers: The Early Years of American Zoetrope
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Producer
2004
A Legacy of Filmmakers: The Early Years of American Zoetrope
as
Editor
2004
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Artifact from the Future: The Making of 'THX 1138'
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Producer
2004
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Artifact from the Future: The Making of 'THX 1138'
as
Director
2004
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Artifact from the Future: The Making of 'THX 1138'
as
Editor
2004
The Characters of Star Wars
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Producer
2004
The Characters of Star Wars
as
Editor
2004
The Characters of Star Wars
as
Writer
2004
- 2001
- 2000
- 1997