Oscar-Nominated Filmmaker Bill Jersey, 99, Dead

Bill Jersey, a celebrated Bay Area documentarian with a career exceeding half a century, has passed away at the age of 99. He died on July 24th from congestive heart failure at his home in Lambertville, New Jersey. Jersey was widely recognized for his extensive work, earning two Academy Award nominations and three Emmy nominations throughout his prolific career.

His Oscar-nominated films include "A Time for Burning" (1967), which explored racial dynamics, and "Super Chief: The Life and Legacy of Earl Warren" (1990). Jersey also received an International Documentary Association prize and two Emmy nominations for his contributions to the influential PBS miniseries "The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow" (2002). He was also involved in documentaries about the making of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and "Amadeus."

Jersey founded Quest Productions in 1960 in New York City, later relocating to Emeryville, California, in 1981. He served as a mentor to filmmakers for approximately 40 years from the Zaentz Media Center in Berkeley. His diverse body of work tackled subjects ranging from political and historical figures to scientific and social issues, including a Peabody Award-winning documentary on designers Charles and Ray Eames.

Born in Queens, New York, on June 9, 1927, Jersey served in the U.S. Navy before pursuing his education. His early career included art direction on films like "The Blob." Beyond filmmaking, Jersey was also a landscape painter. He is survived by his wife, Shirley Kessler, and his five children.