Ross James Jennings (13 November 1944 – 25 March 2016) was a New Zealand actor, becoming one of New Zealand's most experienced television producers and directors, whose credits included The Mad Dog Gang, Close to Home, Moynihan, Inside Straight, feature film I Live with Me Dad, Australian TV series Special Squad and Acropolis Now, NZ's soap Homeward Bound, New Zealand's first reality series, Police Ten 7, Middlemore, Strip Search, Heroes and Melody Rules.[1]
Born in Hāwera in 1944, Jennings was raised by his mother in Taihape and Hāwera, his father having died during World War II.[2]
As a member of the NZ Players and Children's Art Theatre, Ross Jennings toured NZ as an actor before being granted a QE2 Arts Council Grant to study acting in England where he worked at Salisbury Theatre and took on minor television and film roles, before returning to New Zealand in 1971.
He joined the NZBC in 1973, and the Drama Department within 18 months, mentored by producer Tony Issac.
He was appointed Head of Drama for TVNZ in the late 70's and left for Australia to work with Grundy Productions and finally to head Crawford Production's Development Department in 1982. During this period he produced his first feature film, I Live with Me Dad.
His return to New Zealand in 1987, after having 2 children, saw him create and produce some of New Zealand's most successful television amongst which is NZ's longest running reality series, Police Ten 7, Heroes, which re-created everyday New Zealanders heroic stories and the hugely successful Strip Search.
He devised, created and produced TVNZ's highly successful 36 hr live to air Millenium Show as well as devising, creating and producing Māori Television's ANZAC Day show - a 17-hour, annual, live to air programme which played a large part in the resurgence of the ANZAC Day revitalisation in NZ, as well as becoming Māori Television's flagship programme.
In his final year, he wrote, co-directed, and produced the live, outdoor performance of The Passion Play staged at the Villa Maria winery in Māngere in 2015.
His final series, which he devised to demystify the running of NZ Parliament, Inside Parliament, was in production when he died.
Jennings died on 25 March 2016, aged 71. His death was preceded by that of his mother-in-law, Edna Peters, 96, who died the same day. He left behind his wife, Carmel Jennings, whom he ran his production company, Just The Ticket Productions with, also a television and film producer, and six children.
The family held funerals on consecutive days the following week at St Patrick's Roman Catholic Church in Pukekohe.[3] [4]
| Title | Year | Credited as | Notes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Producer | Executive producer | |||||
| scope=row | The Scarecrow | 1982 | |||||
| scope=row | I Live with Me Dad | 1988 | |||||
| scope=row | Kahu & Maia | 1994 | |||||
| scope=row | Once Were Warriors | 1994 | Script development | ||||
The numbers in writing credits refer to the number of episodes.
| Title | Year | Credited as | Network | Notes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Producer | Executive producer | ||||||
| scope=row | Richard John Seddon: Premier | 1973 | NZBC | Television documentary film Assistant to the producer | ||||
| scope=row | Close to Home | 1975–76 | (782) | Television One | Producer | |||
| scope=row | The Mad Dog Gang Meets Rotten Fred and Ratsguts | 1978 | Television film | |||||
| scope=row | All Things Being Equal | 1978 | ||||||
| scope=row | Skyways | 1979 | (4) | Network 7 | ||||
| scope=row | The Mad Dog Gang Spooks Wilkie, Wink Wink and the Wobbler | 1980 | Television One | Television film Production assistant | ||||
| scope=row | Open File | 1981 | ||||||
| scope=row | Kingi's Story | 1981 | Television film Associate producer | |||||
| scope=row | Jocko | 1981 | ||||||
| scope=row | The Monster's Christmas | 1981 | Television One | Television film Associate producer | ||||
| scope=row | Loose Enz | 1982 | ||||||
| scope=row | Casualties of Peace | 1983 | Television film | |||||
| scope=row | Prisoner | 1983–84 | (12) | Network Ten | ||||
| scope=row | Special Squad | 1984 | Associate producer | |||||
| scope=row | Carson's Law | 1984 | (2) | |||||
| scope=row | Inside Straight | 1984 | (1) | Television One | ||||
| scope=row | Space Knights | 1989 | Channel 2 | |||||
| scope=row | Betty's Bunch | 1990 | ||||||
| scope=row | Homeward Bound | 1992 | (2) | TV3 | ||||
| scope=row | Melody Rules | 1994–95 | ||||||
| scope=row | City Girls | 2004 | TV2 | |||||
| scope=row | Air Force | 2005 | TV One | Docuseries | ||||
| scope=row | Ghost Hunt | 2005–06 | TV2 | |||||
| scope=row | Wayne Anderson: Singer of Songs | 2005 | Documentary film | |||||
| scope=row | Redemption Hill | 2006 | ||||||
| scope=row | Wayne Anderson: Singer of Songs | 2006 | Mockumentary | |||||
| scope=row | Wayne Anderson: Glory Days | 2009 | Prime | Mockumentary | ||||
| scope=row | Life's a Riot | 2009 | TV One | Television film | ||||