Harley Cokeliss

Biography

Harley Cokeliss (born Harley Louis Cokliss, February 11, 1945) is an American director, writer and producer of film and television. Originally brought up in Chicago, he moved to Britain in 1966 to study at the London Film School, and spent the majority of his career in the UK.

Cokeliss started making documentaries for British television in 1970, including the first filmed version of J. G. Ballard's story Crash!. Papers relating to the film Crash! are available at the British Library. Cokeliss's initial treatment and Ballard's draft script for Crash! are published in Crash: The Collector's Edition, ed. Chris Beckett. He returned to Chicago in 1972 to make a documentary about blues musicians in the city.

Cokeliss later graduated to making feature films, serving as second unit director on The Empire Strikes Back before helming films like Battletruck, Black Moon Rising, and Malone. He wrote and directed the 1988 horror film Dream Demon. He has directed episodes of various television series, including The New Adventures of Robin Hood, CI5: The New Professionals, and Xena: Warrior Princess.