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{{Short description|American racing driver and film director (1936–2024)}}
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{{Infobox person
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| name = Bruce Kessler
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| image =
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| image_size =
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| alt =
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| caption =
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| birth_name =
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| othername =
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| birth_date = {{birth date|1936|3|23}}
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| birth_place = [[Seattle|Seattle, Washington]], U.S.
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| death_date = {{death date and age|2024|4|4|1936|3|23}}
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| death_place =
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| alma_mater =
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| occupation = Film director, television director
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| years_active = 1962–1997
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| spouse =
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| website =
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{{Infobox F1 driver|
{{Infobox F1 driver|
|embed=yes
name = Bruce Kessler |
nationality = {{flagicon|USA}} American |
birth_date = {{birth date and age|1936|3|23}} |
birth_date = {{birth date and age|1936|3|23}} |
Years = {{F1|1958}} |
Years = {{F1|1958}} |
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Last win = |
Last win = |
Last race = [[1958 Monaco Grand Prix]] |
Last race = [[1958 Monaco Grand Prix]] |
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{{Infobox person
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| name = Bruce Kessler
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| image =
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| image_size =
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| alt =
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| caption =
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| birth_name =
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| othername =
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| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1936|3|23}}
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| birth_place = [[Seattle]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]], U.S.
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| death_date =
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| death_place =
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| alma_mater =
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| occupation = Film director, television director
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| years_active = 1962–1997
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| spouse =
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| website =
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'''Bruce Kessler''' (born March 23, 1936) is an American [[racing driver]] and film and television director.<ref>[https://movies.nytimes.com/person/97281/Bruce-Kessler The New York Times]</ref><ref>[http://www.500race.org/Men/Kessler.htm Bruce Kessler profile at The 500 Owners Association] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100213194720/http://www.500race.org/Men/Kessler.htm |date=February 13, 2010 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.southernyosemite.com/kessler.htm Bruce Kessler profile at Southernyosemite.com] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716112823/http://www.southernyosemite.com/kessler.htm |date=2011-07-16 }}</ref>
'''Bruce Kessler''' (March 23, 1936 – April 4, 2024) was an American [[racing driver]] and film and television director.<ref>[https://archive.today/20130130115911/http://movies.nytimes.com/person/97281/Bruce-Kessler The New York Times]</ref><ref>[http://www.500race.org/Men/Kessler.htm Bruce Kessler profile at The 500 Owners Association] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100213194720/http://www.500race.org/Men/Kessler.htm |date=February 13, 2010 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.southernyosemite.com/kessler.htm Bruce Kessler profile at Southernyosemite.com] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716112823/http://www.southernyosemite.com/kessler.htm |date=2011-07-16 }}</ref>


==Racing career==
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He entered one World Championship [[Formula One]] Grand Prix ([[1958 Monaco Grand Prix|Monaco 1958]]) with a [[Connaught Engineering|Connaught]] owned by [[Bernie Ecclestone]], but failed to qualify, although he posted the 21st fastest time of the 28 entrants.
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Bruce Kessler was born in [[Seattle|Seattle, Washington]], and grew up in [[Beverly Hills|Beverly Hills, California]]. He was the son of a clothing designer. In the early 1950s he started racing his mother's [[Jaguar XK120]] in the [[Sports Car Club of America]] races at sixteen years old. He raced the road race courses at [[Paramount Ranch Racetrack|Paramount Ranch]] and [[Willow Springs International Motorsports Park|Willow Springs]] in California. He was a team driver along with [[Chuck Daigh]] for the [[Scarab (constructor)|Scarab]] race cars built by his good friend [[Lance Reventlow]] in the late 1950s.


⚫
Kessler entered one World Championship [[Formula One]] Grand Prix ([[1958 Monaco Grand Prix|Monaco 1958]]) with a [[Connaught Engineering|Connaught]] owned by [[Bernie Ecclestone]], but failed to qualify, although he posted the 21st-fastest time of the 28 entrants.{{cn|date=April 2024}}
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Kessler born in [[Seattle]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]] and grew up in [[Beverly Hills]], [[California]]. He was the son of a clothing designer. In the early 1950s he started racing his mother's [[Jaguar XK120]] in the [[Sports Car Club of America]] races at sixteen years old. He raced the road race courses at [[Paramount Ranch Racetrack|Paramount Ranch]] and [[Willow_Springs_International_Motorsports_Park|Willow Springs]] in California. He was a team driver along with [[Chuck Daigh]] for the [[Scarab (constructor)|Scarab]] race cars built by his good friend [[Lance Reventlow]] in the late 1950s.


Kessler and Reventlow, driving Reventlow's Mercedes-Benz SL aluminum coupe had stopped at Blackwells Corner on CA Rt. 466/133 on September 30, 1955 on their way to the Salinas Road Races when [[James Dean]] and his mechanic, [[Rolf Wutherich]] pulled in with Dean's Porsche Spyder. They all agreed to meet for dinner at Paso Robles, about 60 miles away that evening. Reventlow and Kessler took off 10 minutes earlier. Dean never made it as he was involved in a fatal two-car crash at Rt. 466/41 near Cholame 30 miles away. Kessler, today, remains the last person alive who spoke with James Dean before his death.<ref>Raskin, Lee: ''James Dean: At Speed''. David Bull Publishing, 2005. {{ISBN|1893618498}}</ref>
Kessler and Reventlow, driving Reventlow's Mercedes-Benz SL aluminum coupe had stopped at Blackwells Corner on CA Rt. 466/133 on September 30, 1955 on their way to the Salinas Road Races when [[James Dean]] and his mechanic, [[Rolf Wutherich]], pulled in with Dean's Porsche Spyder. They all agreed to meet for dinner at Paso Robles, about 60 miles away that evening. Reventlow and Kessler took off 10 minutes earlier. Dean never made it as he was involved in a fatal two-car crash at Rt. 466/41 near Cholame 30 miles away. Kessler remained the last person alive who spoke with James Dean before his death.<ref>Raskin, Lee: ''James Dean: At Speed''. David Bull Publishing, 2005. {{ISBN|1893618498}}</ref>
The Scarabs won the International Grand Prix at [[Riverside International Raceway|Riverside]], California beating the famous driver [[Phil Hill]] and the [[Ferrari]] team. Kessler was invited to Europe to drive at [[24 Hours of Le Mans|Le Mans]].
The Scarabs won the International Grand Prix at [[Riverside International Raceway|Riverside]], California beating the famous driver [[Phil Hill]] in a [[Ferrari]]. Kessler was invited to Europe to drive at [[24 Hours of Le Mans|Le Mans]].
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On 22 March 1958 Kessler became class winner at "12 hour Florida International Grand Prix of Endurance for the AMOCO Trophy" (12 h Sebring), driving a Ferrari 250 GT LWB (#0773GT).


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On March 22, 1958, Kessler became class winner at "12 hour Florida International Grand Prix of Endurance for the AMOCO Trophy" (12 h Sebring), driving a Ferrari 250 GT LWB (#0773GT).
⚫
After a serious crash at the 1959 Examiner Grand Prix at Pomona, California, he spent days in a coma. Soon after, he retired from racing.

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After a serious crash at the 1959 Examiner Grand Prix at [[Pomona, California]], Kessler spent days in a coma.{{cn|date=April 2024}} Soon after, he retired from racing.
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Kessler came back to California and became a film and television director. He directed many television films and series. One of his earliest efforts was a short film he directed on the Scarab race car for his friend Lance Reventlow called ''The Sound of Speed''. As a film and television director, some his credits include ''[[Angels from Hell]]'', ''[[The Monkees (TV series)|The Monkees]]'', ''[[The Flying Nun]]'', ''[[Mission: Impossible (1966 TV series)|Mission: Impossible]]'', ''[[It Takes a Thief (1968 TV series)|It Takes a Thief]]'', ''[[Marcus Welby, M.D.]]'', ''[[The Rockford Files]]'', ''[[McCloud (TV series)|McCloud]]'', ''[[CHiPs]]'', ''[[The Greatest American Hero]]'', ''[[The A-Team]]'', ''[[Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer (1984 TV series)|Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer]]'', ''[[Hunter (1984 U.S. TV series)|Hunter]]'' and ''[[Renegade (TV series)|Renegade]]'', his last directing credit.

==Film career==
{{unsourced section|date=April 2024}}
Kessler returned to California and became a film and television director. One of his earliest efforts was a short film he directed on the Scarab race car for his friend Lance Reventlow called ''The Sound of Speed''.

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As a film and television director, some of his credits include the television series ''[[The Monkees (TV series)|The Monkees]]'', ''[[The Flying Nun]]'', ''[[Mission: Impossible (1966 TV series)|Mission: Impossible]]'', ''[[It Takes a Thief (1968 TV series)|It Takes a Thief]]'', ''[[Marcus Welby, M.D.]]'', ''[[The Rockford Files]]'', ''[[McCloud (TV series)|McCloud]]'', ''[[CHiPs]]'', ''[[The Greatest American Hero]]'', ''[[The A-Team]]'', ''[[Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer (1984 TV series)|Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer]]'', ''[[Hunter (1984 U.S. TV series)|Hunter]]'', and ''[[Renegade (TV series)|Renegade]]'', his final directing credit.

Kessler was a [[second unit director]] on [[Howard Hawks]]' ''[[Red Line 7000]]'' (1965). Kessler directed the feature films ''[[Angels from Hell]]'' (1968), ''[[Killers Three]]'' (1968), ''[[The Gay Deceivers]]'' (1969), and ''[[Simon, King of the Witches]]'' (1971), as well as several [[made for television film]]s.

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Kessler was also a world class [[Skeet shooting|skeet]] and [[Trap shooting|trap]] shooter. He was retired to [[Marina Del Rey]], California.

==Personal life==
Kessler was married to [[Joan_Freeman_(actress)|Joan Freeman]] and had two brothers, poet and writer Stephen Kessler, who lives in northern California, and Rick, who lives near Palm Springs.


Kessler entered hospice care on March 31, 2024,<ref>{{cite news |last=Kessler |first=Stephen |date=March 31, 2024 |title=Instead of an elegy for my dying brother|url=https://www.santacruzsentinel.com/2024/03/31/stephen-kessler-instead-of-an-elegy-for-my-dying-brother/ |url-status= |work= |location= |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=April 1, 2024}}</ref> and died on April 4, at the age of 88.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Baker |first1=Milt |title=Adventurer Bruce Kessler Dies at 88 |url=https://www.soundingsonline.com/news/adventurer-bruce-kessler-dies-at-88 |access-date=7 April 2024 |publisher=Soundings |date=5 April 2024}}</ref>
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Kessler was also a world class [[Skeet shooting|skeet]] and [[Trap shooting|trap]] shooter. He is now retired in Marina Del Rey, California.


==Complete Formula One results==
==Complete Formula One results==
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[[Category:1936 births]]
[[Category:1936 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:2024 deaths]]
[[Category:American Formula One drivers]]
[[Category:American Formula One drivers]]
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[[Category:American racing drivers]]
[[Category:American television directors]]
[[Category:American television directors]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Beverly Hills, California]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Beverly Hills, California]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Seattle]]
[[Category:Racing drivers from Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Film directors from California]]
[[Category:Film directors from California]]
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[[Category:Racing drivers from Seattle]]

Latest revision as of 07:11, 10 April 2024

Bruce Kessler
Born(1936-03-23)March 23, 1936
Seattle, Washington, U.S.
DiedApril 4, 2024(2024-04-04) (aged 88)
Occupation(s)Film director, television director
Years active1962–1997
Formula One World Championship career
Active years1958
TeamsPrivateer Connaught
Entries1 (0 starts)
Championships0
Wins0
Podiums0
Career points0
Pole positions0
Fastest laps0
First entry1958 Monaco Grand Prix
Last entry1958 Monaco Grand Prix

Bruce Kessler (March 23, 1936 – April 4, 2024) was an American racing driver and film and television director.[1][2][3]

Racing career[edit]

Bruce Kessler was born in Seattle, Washington, and grew up in Beverly Hills, California. He was the son of a clothing designer. In the early 1950s he started racing his mother's Jaguar XK120 in the Sports Car Club of America races at sixteen years old. He raced the road race courses at Paramount Ranch and Willow Springs in California. He was a team driver along with Chuck Daigh for the Scarab race cars built by his good friend Lance Reventlow in the late 1950s.

Kessler entered one World Championship Formula One Grand Prix (Monaco 1958) with a Connaught owned by Bernie Ecclestone, but failed to qualify, although he posted the 21st-fastest time of the 28 entrants.[citation needed]

Kessler and Reventlow, driving Reventlow's Mercedes-Benz SL aluminum coupe had stopped at Blackwells Corner on CA Rt. 466/133 on September 30, 1955 on their way to the Salinas Road Races when James Dean and his mechanic, Rolf Wutherich, pulled in with Dean's Porsche Spyder. They all agreed to meet for dinner at Paso Robles, about 60 miles away that evening. Reventlow and Kessler took off 10 minutes earlier. Dean never made it as he was involved in a fatal two-car crash at Rt. 466/41 near Cholame 30 miles away. Kessler remained the last person alive who spoke with James Dean before his death.[4]

The Scarabs won the International Grand Prix at Riverside, California beating the famous driver Phil Hill in a Ferrari. Kessler was invited to Europe to drive at Le Mans.

On March 22, 1958, Kessler became class winner at "12 hour Florida International Grand Prix of Endurance for the AMOCO Trophy" (12 h Sebring), driving a Ferrari 250 GT LWB (#0773GT).

After a serious crash at the 1959 Examiner Grand Prix at Pomona, California, Kessler spent days in a coma.[citation needed] Soon after, he retired from racing.

Film career[edit]

Kessler returned to California and became a film and television director. One of his earliest efforts was a short film he directed on the Scarab race car for his friend Lance Reventlow called The Sound of Speed.

As a film and television director, some of his credits include the television series The Monkees, The Flying Nun, Mission: Impossible, It Takes a Thief, Marcus Welby, M.D., The Rockford Files, McCloud, CHiPs, The Greatest American Hero, The A-Team, Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer, Hunter, and Renegade, his final directing credit.

Kessler was a second unit director on Howard Hawks' Red Line 7000 (1965). Kessler directed the feature films Angels from Hell (1968), Killers Three (1968), The Gay Deceivers (1969), and Simon, King of the Witches (1971), as well as several made for television films.

Kessler was also a world class skeet and trap shooter. He was retired to Marina Del Rey, California.

Personal life[edit]

Kessler was married to Joan Freeman and had two brothers, poet and writer Stephen Kessler, who lives in northern California, and Rick, who lives near Palm Springs.

Kessler entered hospice care on March 31, 2024,[5] and died on April 4, at the age of 88.[6]

Complete Formula One results[edit]

(key)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 WDC Points
1958 Bernie Ecclestone Connaught Type B Alta Straight-4 ARG MON
DNQ 		NED 500 BEL FRA GBR GER POR ITA MOR NC 0

References[edit]

  1. ^ The New York Times
  2. ^ Bruce Kessler profile at The 500 Owners Association Archived February 13, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ Bruce Kessler profile at Southernyosemite.com Archived 2011-07-16 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Raskin, Lee: James Dean: At Speed. David Bull Publishing, 2005. ISBN 1893618498
  5. ^ Kessler, Stephen (March 31, 2024). "Instead of an elegy for my dying brother". Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  6. ^ Baker, Milt (April 5, 2024). "Adventurer Bruce Kessler Dies at 88". Soundings. Retrieved April 7, 2024.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bruce_Kessler&oldid=1218185735"