Has long been involved in the trawler industry after his driving career ended after a series of heavy crashes, although he is now retired. He was also a very respected TV director, as he can list shows like Knight Rider, The A-Team, Ironside, I Dream of Jeannie, Rockford Files and Diagnosis Murder, amongst many others, to his credit. Now retired, he was also a skeet and trap shooter. Kessler's racing career, therefore, is almost a side note to what else he has achieved in his life, but he was a capable SCCA sportscar driver on the West Coast circuits. He survived - just - three massive accidents in 1959, 1959 and 1961. The son of a swimwear designer, Kessler married the actress Joan Freeman, whose most notable roles were either in Western TV shows as a child or in a few musical film's in the 1960's, where she played the love interest of Elvis Presley and Roy Orbison.

Biography last updated 26 Dec 2015