Noel Black (June 30, 1937 – July 5, 2014) was an American film and television director, screenwriter, and producer.Black was born in Chicago, Illinois. He won awards at the 1966 Cannes Film Festival for an 18-minute short subject filmed in 1965 called Skaterdater. It had no dialogue, but used music and sound effects to advance the plot. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film in 1966.He directed the 1968 cult film Pretty Poison, and subsequently concentrated on directing for television, occasionally directing films such as Private School.As a screenwriter, he wrote the 1985 coming-of-age comedy Mischief, set in the 1950s.Black died of bacterial pneumonia in Santa Barbara, California on July 5, 2014. He was 77.