Director of Smith Center PBS special dies in California

Multiple Emmy-winner Michael Stevens, who directed the PBS special that introduced The Smith Center to a national TV audience, died last week while undergoing cancer treatment in Los Angeles. He was 48.

The Directors Guild of America announced Stevens' death Tuesday, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Stevens directed, co-produced and co-wrote PBS' 2012 "From Dust to Dreams: Opening Night at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts," which featured an all-star lineup including Joshua Bell, Carole King, Willie Nelson and Arturo Sandoval. Neil Patrick Harris hosted.

Beyond the music, however, "From Dust to Dreams" capitalized on Stevens' talents as "an extraordinary storyteller," according to Smith Center President Myron Martin.

"It could very easily been a concert" alone, but Stevens "started with the whole narrative about a city going from dust to dreams," Martin said. "I think the TV show did a lot for Las Vegas as a city, not just The Smith Center. People saw amazing talent on an amazing stage and found a new appreciation for our city — beyond the Strip."

Creating event-related TV specials was nothing new for Stevens, who wrote, produced and directed more than 30 of them — including the annual Kennedy Center Honors, for which he shared five Emmys with his father, American Film Institute founder George Stevens Jr.

Michael Stevens' TV credits also included several AFI Life Achievement Awards specials. HBO's "We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration" and annual "Christmas in Washington" specials.

A third-generation director, Stevens' grandfather was Oscar-winning director George Stevens, whose credits include "Shane," "Giant," "A Place in the Sun" and "The Diary of Anne Frank."

Stevens' death represents "a great loss to the arts world, the television world and the creative world," Martin said. "Even when he was sick, he remained creative and positive. He and I recently talked about doing another project together, and Michael was enthusiastic and, as always, brilliant. I'm sad I won't get the opportunity to work with him again."