Biography
Michael Lennick was born in Toronto, Canada, to Canadian actors Sylvia Lennick and Ben Lennick. Raised alongside his siblings, David and Julie, in the vibrant environments of Canadian theaters and film sets, he absorbed the creative world shaped by their traveling parents. During this time, Michael immersed himself in a vast amount of classic science fiction and hard science literature, which greatly influenced and inspired his various career paths.
He co-created, co-wrote, and directed the Canadian cult TV favorite The All-Night Show (1980), among several television projects he contributed to during that era. Recently, the original ANS team reunited to produce a feature-length anniversary special.
After spending two decades crafting visual effects for films like Videodrome (1983) and TV series such as War of the Worlds (1988), as well as writing and directing episodes for numerous Canadian children’s shows—including the multi-season PBS/CBC series OWL/TV, where he created and portrayed the talking skeleton Boneparte—Michael gradually transitioned full-time to the parallel career he had started in 1976: producing, writing, and directing science and history documentaries.
Initially, each documentary was filmed on actual film stock—a lengthy and demanding process, especially in terms of funding. The mid-1990s brought a revolution with affordable, high-quality video production and non-linear editing technologies, alongside a surge in specialty cable channels, transforming documentary production into a sustainable full-time profession.
Currently, Michael serves as president and CEO of Foolish Earthling Productions, which produces space and technology-focused documentary series and specials for The Discovery Channel, PBS, and other outlets. Their work has earned top awards at numerous international film festivals.
Michael and Shirley divide their time between Canada, Los Angeles, and Alamogordo, New Mexico—their chosen home-away-from-home and the production center for many of their recent documentary projects. When not traveling, they reside with two lively dogs in a forested area about two hours north of Toronto. There, they also produce books, articles, and special projects for DVD companies like Criterion (Robinson Crusoe on Mars, First Men Into Space), as well as for space and science museums worldwide.
