Topper Carew

Colin Anthony "Topper" Carew^[1] (born July 16, 1943)^[1] is an American film director, screenwriter and producer.^[2][3][4]

Topper Carew
Born	Colin Anthony Carew[1] (1943-07-16) July 16, 1943 (age 82) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Education	Yale (B.Arch, M.S.)
Occupation(s)	Television producer, screenwriter, television writer, film director
Years active	1980–present
Spouse	Alyce Sprow (1982-2001, dec.)
Children	2

Early life

Carew was born in Boston, Massachusetts,^[5] and raised in the Roxbury section of Boston. He attended John D. O'Bryant School of Math & Science.^[6] He initially went to college at Howard University, and later transferred to Yale, where he earned a bachelor's degree in Architecture and a master's degree in Environmental Design.^[7] He also has a Doctorate in Communications from the Union Graduate School/Institute for Policy Studies.^[7]

Career

Carew began his career making documentary films about the relationship between ethnic neighborhoods and the surrounding architecture.^[7] In 1966, he founded The New Thing Art and Architecture Center in Boston.^[5]

In 1972, he worked at WGBH-TV.^[5]

In 1974, he co-founded the non-profit Rainbow Television Workshop in with his late wife, Alyce S. Carew.^[5][8]

He was a Community Fellow at MIT,^[5] and a Broadcast Fellow at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.^[7]

In 2018, he became a faculty fellow at Spelman College's Innovation Lab.^[5]

He directed and/or produced several films, including Talkin' Dirty After Dark, D.C. Cab, Breakin’ N’ Enterin’ (1983), and Be Somebody... or Be Somebody's Fool! (1984).^[5]

He was the creator and executive producer of the television series Martin.^{[6][9][10][11][12][13]}

Personal

Carew was married to Alyce Sprow Carew,^[5] who died from breast cancer in 2001.^[8] The couple had two daughters, Cicely and Lena Carew.^[8]

Honors and awards

His honors include the "National Media Hero Award," a 2013 MIT Martin Luther King Leadership Award, and more than 40 film and television awards, including four NAACP Image Awards and a Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award.^[5]

Filmography

Film

Year	Name	Role	Notes
1970	This Is the Home of Mrs. Levant Graham	Director, Producer	Short documentary
1972	A Luta Continua	Narrator	Documentary
1983	Breakin' 'N' Enterin'	Director	Documentary
	D.C. Cab	Story / Producer
1984	Be Somebody... or Be Somebody's Fool!	Producer	Direct-to-video
1985	And the Children Shall Lead	Producer	Made-for television
1989	A Little Bit Strange	Executive producer	Made-for-television
1991	Talkin' Dirty After Dark	Director / Screenwriter
2006	We Don't Die, We Multiply: The Robin Harris Story	Director	Direct-to-video documentary

Television

Year	Name	Role	Notes
1980	The Righteous Apples	Producer	11 episodes
1987	Bustin' Loose	Executive producer	27 episodes
1989	Homeroom	Executive producer	13 episodes
1992-97	Martin	Creator / Executive producer	Created 132 episodes / Produced 27 episodes
1998	The Journey of Allen Strange	Director	2 episodes
1998	Cousin Skeeter	Director	Episode "Miracle on 32nd Skeet"
2000-02	The Jersey	Director	3 episodes
2001-02	100 Deeds for Eddie McDowd	Director	2 episodes