Kieth W. Merrill^[1] (born May 22, 1940)^[2] is an American filmmaker who has worked as a writer, director, and producer in the film industry since 1967. He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Directors Guild of America, and received an Academy Award for The Great American Cowboy (1973) and a nomination for Amazon (1997). He is also known for directing The Testaments of One Fold and One Shepherd^[3], Legacy^[4] and Windwalker^[5][6].

He published a novel, The Evolution of Thomas Hall, through Shadow Mountain in 2011. His first fantasy novel, The Immortal Crown, was published by Shadow Mountain in 2016.

The son of artist/landscape architect David Merrill and playwright/actress Leola Green Merrill, Kieth Merrill was born and raised in Farmington, Utah, a small, pioneer-founded town 20 miles north of Salt Lake City.^[7]

As an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he served as a missionary for the church in Denmark for two-and-a-half years.^[8][9]

Merrill graduated in 1967 with a bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University (BYU). He is married to Dagny Johnson, and they are the parents of eight children. They reside in Northern California.^[7] Merrill was commissioned by the LDS Church's First Presidency to produce the films Legacy and The Testaments for the state-of-the-art 70 mm Legacy Theater at Temple Square in Salt Lake City.^{[citation needed]}

Merrill has been a member of the Board of Trustees of Southern Virginia University and president of the BYU Alumni Association. He received the Franklin S. Harris Fine Arts Award from BYU^[10] when he delivered the commencement address to the BYU College of Fine Arts and Communications in 2007.^[11]

In 2021, his refusal to watch Never Rarely Sometimes Always for Academy Awards consideration as a voting member garnered some attention.^[12]

Merrill has done work in various formats, including IMAX and 70mm. He has created feature films, documentaries, television commercials, and miniseries.^[13][14]

• The Great American Cowboy (1973 Documentary Academy Award Winner)^[15]
• A Matter of Winning (1973)
• Great American Indian (1976)
• Three Warriors (1977)
• Take Down (1979)
• Kenny Rogers and the American Cowboy (1979)
• Windwalker (1980)
• Mr. Krueger's Christmas (1980)
• Wheels of Fire (1981)
• Harry's War (1981)
• Rivals (1981)
• The Cherokee Trail (1981)
• Grand Canyon: The Hidden Secrets (1984, IMAX)
• Niagara: Miracles, Myths and Magic (1986, IMAX)
• Alamo: The Price of Freedom (1988)
• Legacy (1990)
• Polynesian Odyssey (1991, IMAX)
• On The Way Home (1992)
• The Wild West (1993, TV miniseries, Emmy nomination)
• Yellowstone (1994, IMAX)
• Passion for Life (1995, IMAX)
• Ozarks: Legacy and Legends (1995, IMAX)
• San Francisco: The Movie (1995, IMAX)
• Zion Canyon: Treasure of the Gods (1996, IMAX)
• Amazon (1997, IMAX, nominated for Academy Award)
• The Witness (1997, IMAX)
• Olympic Glory (1999, IMAX)
• The Testaments (2000)
• The 12 Dogs of Christmas (2005)
• The 12 Dogs of Christmas – Great Puppy Rescue (2012)

• The Evolution of Thomas Hall (May 2011, ISBN 9781606418369, Shadow Mountain)
• Saga of Kings series
  • The Immortal Crown (May 2016, ISBN 978-1-62972-025-8, Shadow Mountain)

• Kieth Merrill at the MLCA Database
• Kieth Merrill at IMDb