Kirk Simon

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Kirk Simon

Kirk Simon

Photo credit: 
Vince Bucci/Invision

Kirk Simon

Date of Birth: July 25, 1954
Date of Passing: April 14, 2018
Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Obituary: New York Times

Kirk Simon was an American filmmaker.

Born in Philadelphia, Simon studied at Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts, alongside fellow students Ken Burns, Buddy Squires and Roger Sherman, all of whom went on to make their mark in the documentary arena. Simon and Burns made their first documentary working together on a 1974 film about Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts.

Kirk Simon was an American filmmaker.

Born in Philadelphia, Simon studied at Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts, alongside fellow students Ken Burns, Buddy Squires and Roger Sherman, all of whom went on to make their mark in the documentary arena. Simon and Burns made their first documentary working together on a 1974 film about Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts.

Simon, a four-time Academy Award nominee, won an Oscar (shared with frequent collaborator Karen Goodman) in the "Best Documentary, Short Subjects" category for Strangers No More (2010), about the children of immigrant workers struggling to make a new life in Tel Aviv.

He also oversaw the 14-part HBO Family series Kindergarten, and produced and directed the HBO series Masterclass in which artists like Placido Domingo, Edward Albee and Frank Gehry mentor high school students. Simon won an Emmy Award in 2015 for the latter.

At the time of his death, Simon was working on a film about conductor Michael Tilson Thomas for the American Masters series and raising funds for a film about actor-director Alan Alda.

Simon died April 14, 2018, in New York City, New York. He was 63.

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Awards & Nominations

4 Nominations | 1 Emmy
Outstanding Children's Program - 2015
Outstanding Children's Program - 2013
  • Nominee
  • Kirk Simon
  • A YoungArts Masterclass
  • HBO
  • Simon & Goodman Picture Company and YoungArts in association with HBO Family
Outstanding Children's Nonfiction, Reality or Reality-Competition Program - 2011
  • Nominee
  • Kirk Simon, Produced By
  • Masterclass
  • HBO
  • Simon & Goodman Picture Company and YoungArts in association with HBO Family

The Television Academy database lists prime-time Emmy information. Click here to learn more

Karen Goodman and Kirk Simon accept their award at the 2015 Creative Arts Emmys.
Karen Goodman and Kirk Simon accept their award at the 2015 Creative Arts Emmys.
Fill 1
Fill 1
Karen Goodman and Kirk Simon accept their award at the 2015 Creative Arts Emmys.
Camera

Karen Goodman and Kirk Simon accept their award at the 2015 Creative Arts Emmys.

Invision/AP
Karen Goodman and Kirk Simon accept their award at the 2015 Creative Arts Emmys.
Camera

Karen Goodman and Kirk Simon accept their award at the 2015 Creative Arts Emmys.

Invision/AP
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