Zale Dalen, AKA David James Scott, started his career in the film business as a script writer (“Another Smith for Paradise” directed by Tom Shandell in 1972) assistant editor, soundman, editor, and sponsored/educational film director. His big break came in 1976 with the funding of his first feature film, “Skip Tracer”. Since then he has directed four more Canadian features – “The Hounds of Notre Dame”, “Terminal City Ricochet”, “Expect No Mercy”, and “Passion” – two of which are considered Canadian classics, one of which was a job of work made for the exploitation market in third world countries, and one of which, “Passion”. is a work of pure genius that remains totally unrecognized. Along the way he directed two made for TV movies – “Anything to Survive” and “On Thin Ice, the Tai Babalonia Story” – and quite a few episodes of television series like Alfred Hitchcock, Wiseguy, Scene of the Crime, Friday’s Curse, Kung Fu the Legend Continues, Beachcombers and For the Record.
