Born in Vienna, the son of a dentist who was close to the Mahler family, Hearst had begun to study medicine, but fleeing from the Nazis became imperative after the Anschluss in 1938 had driven him underground because of his Jewish background and anti-fascist activities.
Student, University Vienna, 1937. Diploma in horticulture, Reading University, England, 1940. Graduate with honors in Modern History, Oxford University, England, 1948.
The family settled in Britain, and after a brief period studying horticulture and being interned, Hearst served in the Pioneer Corps during the war. After demob, he read History at Brasenose College, Oxford. After working freelance on newsreel scripts, Hearst joined the British Broadcasting Corporation"s staff in 1952, and moving over to documentaries where he continued writing their narration.
After two years writing for programmes involving Richard Dimbleby, he was a writer-producer from 1955 to 1965, becoming executive producer of arts" programmes under Huw Wheldon, and then deputy to Humphrey Burton, the first head of British Broadcasting Corporation music and arts, in 1965.
Hearst was responsible for developing the "personal view" documentary format with Sir Compton Mackenzie"s The Glory That Was Greece (1959) and several projects with the archaeologist Sir Mortimer Wheeler, this time concerning Ancient Rome, around the same time. In 1967 he become head of television arts features and championed this approach leading to the 13 part series" Kenneth Clark"s Civilisation (1969) and Alistair Cooke"s America (1972).
By the time the latter programme was finally transmitted, Hearst had moved on to the next stage of his British Broadcasting Corporation career. Hearst clashed with music department colleagues who attempted to resist his toning down of an overtly academic approach to introducing classical music and he came up with the practice of "themed" evenings or weekends, a policy which still continues, as well as giving titles to concerts.
Simulcasts on radio and television began under Hearst, who was well aware of the poor sound quality television loudspeakers provided at the time.
He remained the controller of Radio 3 until 1978, and then joined the British Broadcasting Corporation"s Future Policy Group. In 1982, he was appointed as the special advisor of the new Director General Alasdair Milne, although Hearst had retired from the post by the time Milne was forced to resign in early 1987. "Public service broadcasting is likely to go down as the greatest British cultural invention of the 20th century", Hearst once wrote.
At the end of the 1970s, he became a Visiting Professor at Edinburgh University.
Stephen Hearst died in London.
Served to captain British Army, 1940-1946, European Theatre of Operations, North Atlantic Treaty Organization-United States. Fellow Royal Society Arts. Member British Academy Film and television Arts.
Married Lisbeth Edith Neumann, July 17, 1948. Children: Daniela Carol, David Andrew.
