Gresham was born in New York City, the son of writers William Lindsay Gresham and Joy Davidman. William Gresham was the author of Nightmare Alley, the classic of American noir literature, while Joy Davidman was best known for her book Smoke on the Mountain, about the Ten Commandments. The couple were separated in 1954, and Joy moved to England with her two sons. His mother was of Jewish descent.
C. S. Lewis
Gresham's mother had become friends with C. S. Lewis through correspondence, and the friendship blossomed, eventually leading to marriage in 1956. Gresham's mother died of cancer in 1960, and Lewis continued to raise Douglas and his elder brother David. At Lewis' death in 1963, his estate went to his brother Major Warren Hamilton Lewis, a renowned scholar of French history. The Major in turn passed the estate to Douglas and David ten years later. Douglas Gresham acknowledged in a 15November 2005 interview on NPR that he and his brother are estranged, although in a 4 December 2005 interview he did say that they are in email contact. Douglas Gresham is a Christian, as were Lewis and his mother, while David returned to the Orthodox Judaism of their mother's ancestors while still a child in Lewis's home. Lewis made an effort to find kosher food for him.
Career
Gresham hosted Focus on the Family's radio adaptations of his stepfather's most famous works, and his interest in media versions thereof was later shown again when he was named co-producer for the series of theatrical films adaptations of The Chronicles of Narnia; he also made a cameo in the as a radio newscaster, the as a "Telmarine crier" and the as a slaver. Gresham came on as executive producer of recording artist Meg Sutherland's debut album in 2014, successfully signing her to Sprig Music in March with producer Christopher Hopper.
Personal life
Douglas Gresham and his wife, Merrie, lived at Rathvinden House in Leighlinbridge, County Carlow, Ireland, before moving to their house in Malta in 2008. They have five children: three sons, James, Timothy, and Dominick, and two daughters, Lucinda, and Melodie. Prior to this he owned four farms in Tasmania, Australia, with his wife Merrie and their four children. Gresham has written an autobiography titled Lenten Lands, which chronicles his life from birth to the age of 28 in 1973. A fictionalized young Douglas Gresham is a character in the 1993 filmShadowlands, in part derived from Lenten Lands. In the film, Gresham is played by the American actor Joseph Mazzello. There is no character derived from Douglas' brother David in the film or in the stage play on which the film was based, although both Douglas and David were portrayed as characters in the original teleplay on which the stage play was based.
