Elizabeth Deane

Elizabeth Deane, a writer and producer of historical documentaries, is best known for "Vietnam: A Television History (1983)", "Rock & Roll (1995)," and for her many films for the PBS series "American Experience (1987)," including "Nixon" (1990), "The Kennedys" (1992), "Reconstruction: The Second Civil War" (2004) and "John & Abigail Adams" (2006). "Vietnam," a landmark 13-part history of the war, won a Peabody Award, a duPont-Columbia Award, 7 News and Documentary Emmys for Outstanding Informational, Cultural, or Historical Programming, and an Erik Barnouw Award from the Organization of American Historians. After "Vietnam," Deane was Senior Producer for "Crisis in Central America" (1985), a four-part special for "Frontline (1983)" which won a Peabody Award. Deane continued to work on documentaries for WGBH-Boston as Senior Producer for "War and Peace in the Nuclear Age" (1989) and as co-creator and executive producer of the ten-part musical history "Rock & Roll (1995)." Described by The New York Times as "as good as television gets," the series won a Peabody Award, a News and Documentary Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Information or Cultural Programming, and the ASCAP Deems Taylor Award for Excellence in Music Programming, as well as a BAFTA nomination in the UK. The series, a co-production with the BBC, ran under the title "Dancing in the Street" when it was distributed in the UK. Deane has produced, directed, and/or written many episodes for the PBS series "American Experience," including "Nixon" and "The Kennedys"- both featured in "American Experience's" showcase, "The Presidents"- as well as "Reconstruction: The Second Civil War", "The Rockefellers," and "Ulysses S. Grant," among others. "The Presidents" won a Peabody Award; "Nixon" was nominated for a News and Documentary Emmy Award, and "The Kennedys" won the British Broadcasting Press Guild Award. "Reconstruction" won the Organization of American Historians Eric Barnouw Award and "Ulysses S. Grant" was given an Honorable Mention. Deane won a Writers Guild of America Award for "Nixon" and nominations for "John & Abigail Adams" and "Reconstruction." She went back to musical history in 2009 for "Latin Music USA (2009)," a four-part series celebrating music created by Latinos in the U.S., from Latin Jazz and Salsa to Tejano and Latin Pop. The series was nominated for Best Limited Series by the International Documentary Association and was featured at the Aspen Ideas Festival. Deane, an honors graduate of Wellesley College, was raised in Coconut Grove and Coral Gables, Florida. She and her husband Nicholas have two grown children and live in Boston, Massachusetts.