Director Reza Badiyi (FALCON CREST, KNOTS LANDING, MODELS INC., MARY TYLER MOORE, HAWAII FIVE-O) Has Died At Age 81

Reza Badiyi, a prolific television director who set a Directors Guild of America record for directing the most hours of episodic series television, has died. He was 81.

The Iranian-born Badiyi, who launched his filmmaking career making documentaries in Iran before moving to the United States in 1955, began directing for TV in the late 1960s.

In the primetime soap world, he directed FALCON CREST, KNOTS LANDING and MODELS INC.

In March 1998, Badiyi achieved a Directors Guild milestone for directing the most hours of episodic series television when he finished his 400th TV episode, for the sci-fi series SLIDERS. Among his iconic directorial moments are the curl of the wave in the opening of HAWAII FIVE-O and Mary's exuberant hat-toss in the opening of MARY TYLER MOORE (turns out the hat belonged to his stepdaughter: Jennifer Jason Leigh).