Beloved Memphis actor, director, visual artist, and bon vivant Donald Meyers has passed away after an extended illness. He was 86 years old.
Meyers was a staple in the Memphis independent film scene, starring in productions large and small. His IMDB page lists 99 credits, including acting, directing, and editing. His final acting role was in “Dear Lady Joan,” a short film that won the 2021 Memphis Film Prize last month. His directing credits include the acclaimed psychological horror short “Hypnotic Induction,” which he helmed from a script by novelist Corey Mesler.
Meyers was also a prolific painter and photographer who made his living as a graphic designer in Mad Men-era Chicago, where he broke into the industry working for Hugh Hefner’s Playboy magazine. Later, he decamped to Los Angeles, where he did design work for films including 1987’s Predator, and earned his Screen Actor’s Guild card as a day player on General Hospital.
In his later years, he moved to Memphis, where he threw himself into the independent film scene, says Lydia Meyers, his wife of 40 years. “That was his love, it’s what he wanted to do. So I let him fly.”
Meyers is also survived by a daughter and stepson and one grandchild. You can read more about Meyers’ amazing life in this Memphis Magazine profile from 2020.
