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Gary DePew grew up in San Diego, making backyard movies with an 8mm camera alongside his (still) best friend, Brian Peck. His first exposure to Hollywood came at a taping of The Carol Burnett Show when Burnett invited him onstage for a song and a kiss. Burnett won an Emmy that year, and DePew is still unconvinced he didn't have a role in the award.
Later, he pursued an undergraduate degree in business administration at USC. Putting himself through college, he took on roles as a background extra, notably as a leg amputee on shows like MASH, Quincy, Hill Street Blues, and Dynasty. As his grandfather pointed out, by losing a leg, Gary finally got a foot in the door. This "talent" - along with his business acumen - allowed him to corner the market on roles for peg-legged robots first in "Ice Pirates" for MGM and later in "Captain EO". The latter is a 3D musical attraction that thrilled audiences at Disneyland for over a decade, and which opened the door to his working with George Lucas, Francis Coppola, and Michael Jackson.
Gary next stepped into the role of Michael Jackson's production accountant for multiple music videos and eventually production manager on the feature-length "Moonwalker" under Jackson's MJJ banner. Subsequently, he co-founded Force Majeure Productions with Brad Southwick on the Raleigh Studios lot in Hollywood, producing seven direct-to-video titles under the SAG low-budget agreement. Later, he established Avalon Family Entertainment, raising private equity capital to focus on producing G-rated live-action films inspired by fairy tales, fables, and legends. His portfolio boasts over 20 feature films, and he proudly holds membership in the Directors Guild of America.
Taking a break from the film industry, Gary DePew has been a serial entrepreneur for about a decade. Successfully building companies in the technology, health care, and finance industries, he looks forward to returning to filmmaking when he decides he's had enough of making money.
Meanwhile, he enjoys living in the free state of Florida with his husband (Andrés) and Samoyed (Oka), and claiming his distinction as the first one-legged amusement park thrill ride to win an Emmy.
