Endaf Emlyn

Biography

Endaf Emlyn is a Welsh musician, film, and television director. Emlyn was born in Bangor, Caernarfonshire, Wales. He was brought up in Pwllheli and played violin in the National Youth Orchestra of Wales alongside Karl Jenkins and John Cale. Emlyn trained initially as a teacher but shortly decided to pursue a career in the media instead. Upon the founding of Harlech Television in May 1968, he became one of the franchise's first four announcers as host of the quiz show Up to Date. He also worked as a script-writer, but had a simultaneous career as a musician. He began his television career as a scriptwriter and publisher with HTV, and then a presenter on some of the first Welsh language pop programs, as well as working behind the scenes as a floor manager. In the late 1970s he was producer of the HTV Wales music program Sgrech. In 1983 he began to make his name as a director, releasing the documentary Shampŵ, which won the Celtic Film and Television Festival Spirit of the Festival award. His film Gaucho was released in 1984, which brought attention and praise to his directorial work. He established a film and television company in the 1990s, also named Gaucho, in reference to his earlier release. In May 2017 he was awarded the John Hefin Lifetime Contribution Award at the Carmarthen Bay Film Festival.