From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. David Leaf (born April 20, 1952) is an American writer, producer and director known for documentaries, music programs and pop culture retrospectives. Among his best known documentaries are The Night James Brown Saved Boston (2008), The U.S. vs. John Lennon (2006) and Beautiful Dreamer: Brian Wilson and the Story of SMiLE (2004). He also wrote the landmark Brian Wilson biography The Beach Boys and The California Myth (1978). Description above from the Wikipedia article David Leaf, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia