Joseph Pevney (born September 15, 1911) is an American film and television director born in New York City, New York.
Pevney made his debut in vaudeville as a boy soprano in 1924. Although he hated vaudeville, he loved the theatre and developed a career as a stage actor, appearing in such plays as The World We Make, Key Largo, Golden Boy and Nature Son. A short career as a film actor followed, his most notable appearance being in the classic 1947 boxing film Body and Soul in which he played the role of Shorty Pulaski. Subsequently Pevney became a prolific film and television director, with a directing career that spanned over 80 productions from 1950 to 1984. Among those were films including the Debbie Reynolds/Leslie Nielsen pairing in Tammy and the Bachelor (1957), the James Cagney vehicle, Man of a Thousand Faces (1957), and Westerns such as The Plunderers (1960).
Pevney also helmed multiple episodes of noted television series, including Bonanza, Star Trek, The Paper Chase, and Trapper John, M.D.. His Star Trek episodes include the fan favorites, "Arena", "The City on the Edge of Forever", "Amok Time", and "The Trouble with Tribbles".
Broadway actor/director from 1936-46.