| Ray Santilli | |
| Native Name: | Raymond Santilli |
| Birth Date: | 30 September 1958 |
| Birth Place: | Marylebone, London, England |
| Nationality: | British |
| Occupation: | Television producer, Musician, Film producer, and Record producer |
| Years Active: | 1982 – Present |
| Known For: | Founder of Orbital Media |
| Credits: | , which produces label "Notable credit(s)"; or by |
| Works: | , which produces label "Works" --> |
Ray Santilli (born 30 September 1958) is a British musician, record and film producer. He is best known for his exploitation in 1995 of the controversial "alien autopsy" footage and subject of the Warner Bros. film Alien Autopsy.[1] [2] [3]
Born in London, Santilli was the son of Italian immigrants. He spent his childhood in Islington London.
Ray Santilli started his professional career in 1974 as a session musician, record producer and music distributor.[4] In 1982, Santilli founded AMP Entertainment, where he produced and promoted acts of the day.[4] [5]
In 1981, Santilli produced The Tweets album which featured "The Birdy Song". In 1985 he founded Music Broadcasting Services Ltd, an independent record label which handled the exclusive rights to the Walt Disney Audio Soundtrack Catalogue in the United Kingdom.[6] [7]
In 1987 Santilli produced the charity record "The Wishing Well" featuring Boy George, Dollar and Grace Kennedy for Great Ormond Street Hospital. In 1991, Santilli founded the Merlin Group. The company specialised in the re-recording of hits with original artists. Merlin also produced and marketed a number of television specials.[8] In 1994 Santilli formed Orbital Media Ltd where he produced a succession of TV documentaries and films for television.[4]
Santilli is best known for his claim to have discovered footage which depicted the autopsy of an alien creature.[9] [10] The Alien autopsy footage, supposedly of extraterrestrial corpses from the so-called Roswell UFO incident, was broadcast to a worldwide audience on 28 August 1995.[11] [12] [13] The film and those who took part in the making of it have all admitted it is a hoax, although Santilli still maintains it is real despite him changing his story numerous times. He also claims Kodak have analysed the film and confirmed its date, but when asked to resubmit the film with the images, Santilli has always refused.[14]
In 2006 the story of Ray Santilli and the autopsy was the subject of a Warner Bros. film Alien Autopsy featuring the British double act Ant & Dec.[15] [16] Dec plays Ray Santilli with Ant as Santilli's real life business partner and friend Gary Shoefield.[17] [18] [19] That same year, Ray Santilli claimed that sections of the autopsy footage had been 'restored'.[20] [21]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | The Beatles, The Long and Winding Road: The Life and Times | Co-producer | TV movie documentary |
| 1994 | The Life of Bruce Lee | Executive producer | TV movie documentary |
| 1994 | Batmad | Producer, writer | TV movie |
| 1995 | Alan Shearer: Sheer Magic | Producer | Video documentary |
| 1995 | Alien Autopsy: (Fact or Fiction?) | Producer-uncredited, Actor | TV movie documentary |
| 1995 | The Doctors, 30 Years of Time Travel and Beyond | Executive producer | Video documentary |
| 1999 | Bruce Lee: The Legend Lives On | Producer, writer, Director | TV movie |
| 2001 | Elvis: The Missing Years | Producer, director | Video documentary |
| 2001 | The Beatles... Off the Record: Newsreel Footage 1964-1966 | Producer, writer, Director | TV movie documentary) |
| 2002 | John Lennon: The Messenger | Producer, writer, Director | TV movie documentary) |
| 2002 | Beckham Mania: The Kick Off | Producer | TV movie documentary) |
| 2002 | George Harrison: The Quiet One | Producer, writer, Director | Video documentary) |
| 2002 | Irish Tenor Trio: A Classic Irish Christmas | Producer, writer | TV movie |
| 2003 | Alien Signs: Undeniable Evidence - The Message | Executive producer | TV movie documentary |
| 2003 | Elvis: The Journey | Co-producer, Writer, Director | TV movie |
| 2004 | Bob Marley: Spiritual Journey | Co-executive producer, Writer, Director, Editor | TV movie |
| 2004 | Benny Goodman: Legends in Concert - The Last Performance | Producer, director | TV movie |
| 2004 | Jimi Hendrix: The Last 24 Hours | Executive producer, Writer | TV movie documentary |
| 2005 | Elvis: The Last 24 Hours | Producer | TV movie |
| 2005 | Nat King Cole: For Sentimental Reasons | Co-producer, Writer, Director | TV movie |
| 2005 | Viva Joe Strummer: The Clash and Beyond | Producer, writer | Video documentary |
| 2005 | Marc Bolan: Ride On | Producer | Video documentary |
| 2005 | Tom Jones: Up Close and Personal | Co-producer, Writer, Director | TV movie |
| 2005 | Johnny Cash: The Man in Black - His Early Years | Executive producer | Video documentary |
| 2005 | Frank Sinatra: A Reflection | Producer, writer | TV movie documentary |
| 2006 | Clash: The Joe Strummer Story | Producer | TV movie |
| 2006 | Dean Martin: A Reflection | Producer, writer | TV movie documentary |
| 2006 | Alien Autopsy | Executive producer, Cameo as himself | Film |
| 2006 | Thin Lizzy: Outlawed - The Real Phil Lynott | Executive producer | TV movie documentary |
| 2006 | Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash: The Road Show | Executive producer | Video documentary |
| 2007 | Bob Marley Freedom Road | Executive producer | Documentary |
| 2008 | Blue Rendezvous | Producer, writer, Director | TV movie |
| 2012 | One Direction: All for One | Executive producer | Documentary |
| 2013 | Hendrix on Hendrix | Executive producer | Documentary |