John Adrian Cowell (2 February 1934 – 11 October 2011) was a British filmmaker, born in Tongshan or Tangshan, China.
[1] He was best known for producing documentaries about Chico Mendes and deforestation in the Amazon and the opium/heroin trade out of the Shan States, Burma (Myanmar).
In his obituary in The Guardian, Anthony Hayward wrote that he was "one of the most successful" documentary makers of his generation.
[1] His documentaries about the rain forest brought the subject significant political attention.
Cowell formed an extramarital relationship with Barbara Bramble in 1987.