A prolific, workhorse director whose later credit list reads like a greatest-hits compilation of 1980s television, Sidney Hayers' early focus was on features, though he did helm episodes of the classic British adventure series The Avengers. Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1921, Hayers began his film career in the cutting room, editing such features as Romeo and Juliet (1954) and A Night to Remember (1958). He broke into directing with 1958's Violent Moment and kept busy with such features as Circus of Horrors (1960) and Night of the Eagle (1962). With The Avengers, he established himself as a bankable TV director, as well. Hayers' penchant for tension and the macabre often found him stepping behind the camera for such horror-flavored thrillers as Assault (1970), Revenge (1971), Deadly Strangers (1974), and Diagnosis: Murder (1974). After directing episodes of The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries in 1977, Hayers turned his attention almost exclusively to the small screen. Comfortable working on both sides of the pond, the director frequently shifted between the U.K. and the U.S., with stateside work including such '80s series popcorn fare as Magnum, P.I., The Fall Guy, T.J. Hooker, Knight Rider, The A-Team, and Baywatch. Hayers' pace slowed somewhat in the '90s. He died of cancer February 8, 2000, in Altea, Spain.
by Jason Buchanan
biography
