It is with great sadness that THN must report the passing of one of the true greats of British television broadcasting. Sir David Frost, journalist, presenter, comedy writer and hard-hitting interviewer, passed away aboard the Queen Elizabeth cruise ship on Saturday evening at the age of 74. Sir David was due to give a speech aboard the vessel that evening, but it is reported that died shortly before of a heart attack, which was confirmed by his family early yesterday.
Sir David found international stardom in the 1970s when he was conducted a series of interviews with disgraced former U.S. president Richard Nixon. The story of bringing those interviews to TV screens around the world were made into a play and subsequent movie, directed by Ron Howard and written by Peter Morgan in 2006. Michael Sheen played Sir David in the film, and the both appeared together on the red carpet premiere for the film shortly before release.
Ironically, THN were interviewing Ron Howard for his new movie RUSH earlier yesterday, where he had this to say of his former subject.
“I really enjoyed getting to know him on FROST/NIXON,” Howard told THN. “It was a pleasure and he was bright, funny, witty, all of those things. I really admired and respected his entrepreneurial side. He was a great personality he was fast and funny, smart but he had a kind of audacity or courage that I really admired both in terms of the way he tackled his work, but also the way he was a pioneer as producer. I just had a lot of respect and appreciation for him.”
Howard went on to talk about the broadcaster’s influence on American television. “When he came in and did the Nixon interviews, and the networks turned him down, and he did it his own way, selling off stations and bundling them together and yet airing them at the same time that sent a signal to the world, eventually to the Barry Dillers and the Rupert Murdochs of the world, that the united state could actually, there was ratings to be had in a fourth network. That was a gusty move he made.”
As well as bringing the Nixon interviews to the world, Sir David also presented TV shows The Frost Report, The David Frost Show, Through The Keyhole, Breakfast With Frost and Frost Over The World for Al Jazeera English.
British Prime Minister David Cameron said:
“Sir David was an extraordinary man, with charm, wit, talent, intelligence and warmth in equal measure.
“He made a huge impact on television and politics.”
A private funeral and a future memorial service are planned.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Sir David’s wife, Lady Carina Fitzalan-Howard, and his family at this difficult time.
Source: Various
