Celebrated television director, producer, and actor Michael Preece, known for directing Dallas and Walker, Texas Ranger, sadly passed away on Thursday, February 27. According to his daughter, Gretchen Preece-Newman, Preece died of heart failure.
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Gretchen Preece-Newman confirmed the news to The Hollywood Reporter, revealing that he passed in his Brentwood home in Los Angeles. Michel Preece is survived by Gretchen, his son, Gary, his grandchildren Jason, Ariana, Molly, Patrick, Alice, and Adrian, his great-grandchildren Jason, Emma, and Jon, and his great-great-grandson Julian.
Many reacted to the news of Preece's passing. Roundhouse Roulette, a Walker, Texas Ranger podcast posted pictures of Preece on
Facebook, sharing that they were able to have him on the podcast almost 4 years ago."We were saddened to learn of WTR director Michael Preece's passing," they wrote. "In October of 2021 he was kind enough to talk with us about his amazing career and we thought we'd reshare that interview in our podcast feed. Our thoughts go out to his friends and family. What a life!"
Users online also reacted to the news, with some even having personal stories with the renowned director.
"Just on visuals alone (scenery, facial reaction shots, and so on), it takes a talented sort in the director's chair to tie it all together," one user wrote. "Preece's work on Dallas, as I'm rewatching the whole classic series, was some of the best in the business." Another user said, "So sad to hear he was a Facebook friend of mine and spoke about Falcon Crest and Dallas."
Remembering Michael Preece
Born in Los Angeles, California, on September 15, 1936, Michael Conway Preece went on to study at Santa Monica City College. While a freshman, he started working as a script supervisor, working for TV series such as Hawaii Five-O or movies such as True Grit or The Hawaiians.
From 1981 to 1991, Preece would go on to direct an outstanding 52 episodes of CBS' Dallas, for a total of 14 seasons. From 1993 to 2001, he would do the same with Walker, Texas Ranger, directing a total of 70 episodes. His other director credits include TV series such as Knots Landing, Falcon Crest, and Hunter, as well as movies such as The Prize Fighter, Beretta's Island, and The President's Man.
Preece married his first wife Paula in 1953 until 1968 when they divorced. They had four children, including Gretchen, who married Randy Newman. He would then marry Evelyn Thomas in 1968. They remained married until Preece's death.
