David Lloyd Wolper (January 11, 1928 – August 10, 2010) was an American television and film producer, responsible for shows such as
Roots,
The Thorn Birds,
North & South,
L.A. Confidential, and the film
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971). He also produced numerous documentaries and documentary series including
Biography (1961–63),
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich (TV),
Appointment with Destiny (TV series),
This is Elvis,
Four Days in November, ,
Visions of Eight (1973), and others. Wolper directed the 1959 documentary
The Race for Space, which was nominated for an
Academy Award. His 1971 film (as executive producer) about the study of insects,
The Hellstrom Chronicle, won an
Academy Award.