Marty Callner, Emmy-Nominated Live Events Director and ‘Hard Knocks’ Creator, Dies at 78

Marty Callner, the renowned director of stand-up specials, music videos and concerts as well as the creator of HBO’s sports docuseries “Hard Knocks,” has died. He was 78.

Through the years, Callner helmed specials and concerts with banner names like Robin Williams, Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, Cher, Aerosmith, Garth Brooks and even discovered Paul Reubens. He also helmed a number of the most iconic music videos like Cher’s “If I Could Turn Back Time” and a number of the biggest hair metal era tunes including Aerosmith’s “Cryin’,” “Crazy,” “Amazing,” “Livin’ on the Edge,” “Sweet Emotion,” “Dude Looks Like a Lady” and “Love in an Elevator,” along with Whitesnake’s “Here I Go Again.”

On top of all those music and stand-up comedy accolades, Callner is also responsible for creating the HBO docuseries “Hard Knocks” that focuses on a different NFL team’s trials and tribulations through training camp each season.

Callner’s rep Gail Parenteau confirmed his passing on Monday in his Malibu home.

The 12-time Emmy nominee was born Aug. 25, 1946, and was raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was there that he eventually got his first taste for directing while working for a news station. Callner’s long history working with HBO started after he was noticed working for the Boston Celtics in the 1970s.

Callner is also credited with creating the still-in-use format for comedy specials when he directed “An Evening With Robert Klein” for HBO in 1975. The show received positive reviews and he was off to the races, being tapped to handle the first specials for comics like George Carlin, Robin Williams and Steve Martin.

“Marty Callner was a visionary director whose work shaped the landscape of comedy for generations,” Journey Gunderson, executive director of the National Comedy Center, said in a statement to TheWrap. “From his iconic HBO specials with Robin Williams, George Carlin, Robert Klein, Billy Crystal, Chris Rock and Jerry Seinfeld to his groundbreaking concert films, he brought stand-up comedy to life in a way that was both intimate and unforgettable. We honor his extraordinary legacy and the joy he brought to audiences everywhere.”

Other notable names Callner worked with include George Lopez, Whoopi Goldberg, John Leguizamo, Redd Foxx and Will Ferrell – whose work with the actor in HBO’s “You’re Welcome America: A Final Night With George W. Bush” netted one of his 12 Emmy noms.

When asked in a 2022 New York Times profile if it bothered him that he was not more of a household name, the director gave a succinct answer.

“I didn’t become a household name,” he said. “But I did become the highest-paid television director in Hollywood, and the reason is: I made people a lot of money.”

He is survived by his wife Aleeza, his children and his grandchildren.

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