Dabney Coleman, one of the best-known character actors of the late 20th century, has died at the age of 92. The news of his death has been confirmed by IndieWire.
In a statement obtained from his manager Jeffrey Goldberg, Coleman’s daughter Quincy wrote, “My father, Dabney Wharton Coleman, took his last earthly breath peacefully and exquisitely at 92 in his Santa Monica home on Thursday May 16th, 2024 at 1:50pm. My father crafted his time here on earth with a curious mind, a generous heart, and a soul on fire with passion, desire, and humor that tickled the funny bone of humanity. As he lived, he moved through this final act of his life with elegance, excellence and mastery. A teacher, a hero, and a king, Dabney Coleman is a gift and blessing in life and in death as his spirit will shine through his work, his loved ones and his legacy…...
In a statement obtained from his manager Jeffrey Goldberg, Coleman’s daughter Quincy wrote, “My father, Dabney Wharton Coleman, took his last earthly breath peacefully and exquisitely at 92 in his Santa Monica home on Thursday May 16th, 2024 at 1:50pm. My father crafted his time here on earth with a curious mind, a generous heart, and a soul on fire with passion, desire, and humor that tickled the funny bone of humanity. As he lived, he moved through this final act of his life with elegance, excellence and mastery. A teacher, a hero, and a king, Dabney Coleman is a gift and blessing in life and in death as his spirit will shine through his work, his loved ones and his legacy…...
- 5/17/2024
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
Dabney Coleman, the Emmy-winning character actor who starred in the 1980 comedy classic “9 to 5” and whose career in film and television spanned six decades, died Thursday at his home in Santa Monica, Calif. He was 92.
Coleman’s death was confirmed to Variety by his daughter, Quincy Coleman.
“My father crafted his time here on earth with a curious mind, a generous heart, and a soul on fire with passion, desire and humor that tickled the funny bone of humanity,” Quincy Coleman said in a statment. “As he lived, he moved through this final act of his life with elegance, excellence and mastery. A teacher, a hero, and a king, Dabney Coleman is a gift and blessing in life and in death as his spirit will shine through his work, his loved ones and his legacy… eternally. And always, ‘A goddamn, good looking man.'”
A stage actor early in his career,...
Coleman’s death was confirmed to Variety by his daughter, Quincy Coleman.
“My father crafted his time here on earth with a curious mind, a generous heart, and a soul on fire with passion, desire and humor that tickled the funny bone of humanity,” Quincy Coleman said in a statment. “As he lived, he moved through this final act of his life with elegance, excellence and mastery. A teacher, a hero, and a king, Dabney Coleman is a gift and blessing in life and in death as his spirit will shine through his work, his loved ones and his legacy… eternally. And always, ‘A goddamn, good looking man.'”
A stage actor early in his career,...
- 5/17/2024
- by J. Kim Murphy
- Variety Film + TV
Mark Damon, who starred in the Vincent Price horror classic House of Usher and spaghetti Westerns before revolutionizing the foreign sales and distribution film business and producing features including 9 1/2 Weeks, Monster and Lone Survivor, has died. He was 91.
Damon died Sunday of natural causes in Los Angeles, his daughter, Alexis Damon Ribaut, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Damon spent the first 20 years of his career as an actor, including about a dozen as a leading man in Italian action movies, before he transitioned to the business side.
He had early success as an executive producer with two movies written and directed by Wolfgang Petersen: the German-language World War II drama Das Boot (1981), which received six Oscar nominations, and The NeverEnding Story (1984), a big-budget fantasy film that featured a Damon-commissioned score by Giorgio Moroder for non-German audiences.
He shared an Independent Spirit Award with director Patty Jenkins and others...
Damon died Sunday of natural causes in Los Angeles, his daughter, Alexis Damon Ribaut, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Damon spent the first 20 years of his career as an actor, including about a dozen as a leading man in Italian action movies, before he transitioned to the business side.
He had early success as an executive producer with two movies written and directed by Wolfgang Petersen: the German-language World War II drama Das Boot (1981), which received six Oscar nominations, and The NeverEnding Story (1984), a big-budget fantasy film that featured a Damon-commissioned score by Giorgio Moroder for non-German audiences.
He shared an Independent Spirit Award with director Patty Jenkins and others...
- 5/13/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Veteran television actress Jean Allison, best known for roles in shows like Bonanza, Gunsmoke, and Perry Mason, has died at 94. Her family’s obituary said she died Feb. 28 in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, but no cause was given.
Allison, a character actress, built a long resume in popular TV. She appeared in episodes of Charlie’s Angels, The Detectives, Emergency!, Hawaiian Eye, Starsky & Hutch, The Waltons and many others.
Born on Oct. 24, 1929, she grew up in Tarrytown, New York. She eventually attended Adelphi College on Long Island and later studied acting under Sanford Meisner.
She was spotted while appearing in a stage performance of the drama Teach Me How to Cry, which led to her debut in an episode of the CBS anthology General Electric Theater in 1957.
Allison also appeared in such films as Edge of Fury, (1958) The Devil’s Partner (1960), The Steagle (1971), Bad Company (1972) and Hardcore (1979).
Allison married three times,...
Allison, a character actress, built a long resume in popular TV. She appeared in episodes of Charlie’s Angels, The Detectives, Emergency!, Hawaiian Eye, Starsky & Hutch, The Waltons and many others.
Born on Oct. 24, 1929, she grew up in Tarrytown, New York. She eventually attended Adelphi College on Long Island and later studied acting under Sanford Meisner.
She was spotted while appearing in a stage performance of the drama Teach Me How to Cry, which led to her debut in an episode of the CBS anthology General Electric Theater in 1957.
Allison also appeared in such films as Edge of Fury, (1958) The Devil’s Partner (1960), The Steagle (1971), Bad Company (1972) and Hardcore (1979).
Allison married three times,...
- 3/9/2024
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
1986 was an important year for DC Comics. "Crisis on Infinite Earths" rebooted the decades-old continuity, and Frank Miller reinvigorated Batman with "The Dark Knight Returns." Miller's tale depicted an aged Bruce Wayne coming out of retirement to fight the evils of the 1980s, from street gangs to the Cold War to Ronald Reagan. If you've ever wondered what the beginning of dark and gritty Batman was, it was this book.
The next year, DC was relaunching the main "Batman" title for the "Post-Crisis" era, and Miller was the obvious choice to kick it off. The result was "Year One," running four issues from "Batman" #404-407. The book follows Bruce Wayne's early days as a crime fighter when Gotham City was menaced by the mob, not super-villains. Batman refines his tactics through trial and error and slowly wins the trust of James Gordon — not yet a commissioner, but a rare...
The next year, DC was relaunching the main "Batman" title for the "Post-Crisis" era, and Miller was the obvious choice to kick it off. The result was "Year One," running four issues from "Batman" #404-407. The book follows Bruce Wayne's early days as a crime fighter when Gotham City was menaced by the mob, not super-villains. Batman refines his tactics through trial and error and slowly wins the trust of James Gordon — not yet a commissioner, but a rare...
- 1/16/2024
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
Even if you don’t immediately recognize the name Frances Sternhagen, there’s still a good chance that you’ve seen her acting in something at some point over the decades. Sternhagen has stage and screen credits going back decades, and over that time she racked up Emmy nominations and Tony wins. Sadly, it’s being reported today that she passed away of natural causes this past Monday, at the age of 93.
Sternhagen earned her first screen credit on the TV show Producers’ Showcase in 1955, and went on to work on 75 other projects, including the Burt Reynolds comedy Starting Over, the Sean Connery sci-fi classic Outland, Independence Day – the 1983 drama, not the alien invasion movie; Dudley Moore’s Romantic Comedy, the John Lithgow / Morgan Freeman drama Resting Place, the Michael J. Fox drama Bright Lights, Big City and the Michael J. Fox comedy Doc Hollywood, Tales from the Crypt, The Outer Limits,...
Sternhagen earned her first screen credit on the TV show Producers’ Showcase in 1955, and went on to work on 75 other projects, including the Burt Reynolds comedy Starting Over, the Sean Connery sci-fi classic Outland, Independence Day – the 1983 drama, not the alien invasion movie; Dudley Moore’s Romantic Comedy, the John Lithgow / Morgan Freeman drama Resting Place, the Michael J. Fox drama Bright Lights, Big City and the Michael J. Fox comedy Doc Hollywood, Tales from the Crypt, The Outer Limits,...
- 11/29/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Frances Sternhagen, a Tony-winning actress with many decades on the stage and screen, died Monday of natural causes in New Rochelle, N.Y.
She was known for her recurring role as the regal grandmother of Dr. Carter (Noah Wyle) on “ER” and as Cliff’s mother on “Cheers,” for which she was twice nominated for Emmys.
“Frannie, as she was known to her family, friends, and colleagues was a hardworking, award-winning, beloved and celebrated actress for over 60 years. Her foundation was the theater, but she was known for roles in film, television, and spoken arts. She was versatile – adept at comedy as well as drama, character roles and leading ladies,” her family said in a statement.
Sternhagen made a distinct impression in her role as the doctor who helps Sean Connery’s cop in Peter Hyams’ 1981 sci-film “Outland” and in “Misery,” she played the sheriff’s wife Virginia, who was...
She was known for her recurring role as the regal grandmother of Dr. Carter (Noah Wyle) on “ER” and as Cliff’s mother on “Cheers,” for which she was twice nominated for Emmys.
“Frannie, as she was known to her family, friends, and colleagues was a hardworking, award-winning, beloved and celebrated actress for over 60 years. Her foundation was the theater, but she was known for roles in film, television, and spoken arts. She was versatile – adept at comedy as well as drama, character roles and leading ladies,” her family said in a statement.
Sternhagen made a distinct impression in her role as the doctor who helps Sean Connery’s cop in Peter Hyams’ 1981 sci-film “Outland” and in “Misery,” she played the sheriff’s wife Virginia, who was...
- 11/29/2023
- by Carmel Dagan
- Variety Film + TV
Suzanne Shepherd, an actress known for playing mothers to key characters in Goodfellas and The Sopranos, has died. She was 89.
Shepherd died peacefully in her home in New York City early Friday morning, her agent told The Hollywood Reporter.
Shepherd appeared in 20 episodes of The Sopranos as Mary DeAngelis, the mother of Edie Falco’s Carmela Soprano, and played the mother of Lorraine Bracco’s Karen Hill in Goodfellas.
Sopranos actor Ray Abruzzo remembered Shepherd on Instagram, calling her “a force of nature.”
Her other credits include roles in movies like Mystic Pizza, Uncle Buck, Lolita, Requiem for a Dream, Living Out Loud and Working Girl and guest appearances in TV shows like Ed, Blue Bloods, Law & Order and Third Watch.
Shepherd’s last onscreen role was in 2023’s The Performance as Tess.
Born Oct. 31, 1934, Shepherd graduated from Bennington College and studied with Larry Arrick, Herbert Berghoff and Sanford Meisner...
Shepherd died peacefully in her home in New York City early Friday morning, her agent told The Hollywood Reporter.
Shepherd appeared in 20 episodes of The Sopranos as Mary DeAngelis, the mother of Edie Falco’s Carmela Soprano, and played the mother of Lorraine Bracco’s Karen Hill in Goodfellas.
Sopranos actor Ray Abruzzo remembered Shepherd on Instagram, calling her “a force of nature.”
Her other credits include roles in movies like Mystic Pizza, Uncle Buck, Lolita, Requiem for a Dream, Living Out Loud and Working Girl and guest appearances in TV shows like Ed, Blue Bloods, Law & Order and Third Watch.
Shepherd’s last onscreen role was in 2023’s The Performance as Tess.
Born Oct. 31, 1934, Shepherd graduated from Bennington College and studied with Larry Arrick, Herbert Berghoff and Sanford Meisner...
- 11/19/2023
- by Hilary Lewis
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Goodfellas actress Suzanne Shepherd has died aged 89, her family has confirmed.
The veteran actress was best known for her roles in Martin Scorsese’s big screen hit about the mob, as well as The Sopranos on TV.
Fans were quick to pay tribute on social media, with one calling her “the go-to mother actress.” Sopranos star Ray Abruzzo also posted a tribute on Instagram, saying:
“Sad to hear of the passing of Suzanne Shepherd.
“A force of nature. Actress, teacher.”
Shepherd portrayed the mother of the character Karen Hill (played by Lorraine Bracco) in Goodfellas.
In The Sopranos, she played Mary DeAngelis, the mother of Carmela Soprano (played by actress Edie Falco).
Shepherd’s enjoyed a career of more than three decades, after her first role as Aunt Tweedy in 1988’s Mystic Pizza. She also featured in Requiem for a Dream, Uncle Buck and Lolita.
On TV, she appeared in...
The veteran actress was best known for her roles in Martin Scorsese’s big screen hit about the mob, as well as The Sopranos on TV.
Fans were quick to pay tribute on social media, with one calling her “the go-to mother actress.” Sopranos star Ray Abruzzo also posted a tribute on Instagram, saying:
“Sad to hear of the passing of Suzanne Shepherd.
“A force of nature. Actress, teacher.”
Shepherd portrayed the mother of the character Karen Hill (played by Lorraine Bracco) in Goodfellas.
In The Sopranos, she played Mary DeAngelis, the mother of Carmela Soprano (played by actress Edie Falco).
Shepherd’s enjoyed a career of more than three decades, after her first role as Aunt Tweedy in 1988’s Mystic Pizza. She also featured in Requiem for a Dream, Uncle Buck and Lolita.
On TV, she appeared in...
- 11/19/2023
- by Caroline Frost
- Deadline Film + TV
Unleashed on theaters in 1988, director Tom Holland's "Child's Play" introduced America to Chucky, a My Buddy-like doll inhabited by the soul of a foul-mouthed serial killer. Equal parts absurd and frightening, that first movie spawned six sequels, a remake, and a TV series. Of all the iconic '80s horror villains, he's the only one still written by his original creator, Don Mancini. As such, the TV series has brought back many actors and characters from throughout the franchise's history, in an increasingly complicated -- and refreshingly LGBTQ-positive -- narrative of epic proportions. A narrative that involves Devon Sawa playing multiple roles, for some reason.
Fans of the show know where some of the original film's cast members ended up, but what about the rest? Shot in Chicago, "Child's Play" made use of several local stage talents, as well as a few veteran actors and familiar faces. Can you...
Fans of the show know where some of the original film's cast members ended up, but what about the rest? Shot in Chicago, "Child's Play" made use of several local stage talents, as well as a few veteran actors and familiar faces. Can you...
- 11/18/2023
- by Luke Y. Thompson
- Slash Film
The character actor Frederic Forrest, known for roles in films like Apocalypse Now and TV shows like 21 Jump Street has died at age 86. Bette Midler, who costarred with the Texas-born actor in The Rose, shared the news on Twitter on Friday, June 23. “The great and beloved Frederic Forrest has died,” Midler wrote. “Thank you to all of his fans and friends for all their support these last few months. He was a remarkable actor, and a brilliant human being, and I was lucky to have him in my life. He was at peace.” Forrest was born in Waxahachie, Texas, and studied acting under Sanford Meisner, according to Variety. In his breakout role, he starred as Tom Black Bull in the 1972 Western film When the Legends Die, picking up a Golden Globe nomination in the Most Promising Newcomer – Male category. He joined Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, and Martin Sheen in...
- 6/24/2023
- TV Insider
Oscar-nominated character actor Frederic Forrest, who starred in The Rose and Apocalypse Now, died Friday in Santa Monica, Calif. at 86 after a long illness.
Bette Midler, his former costar, shared the news on Twitter.
“The great and beloved Frederic Forrest has died,” Midler, 77, wrote Friday. “Thank you to all of his fans and friends for all their support these last few months. He was a remarkable actor, and a brilliant human being, and I was lucky to have him in my life. He was at peace.”
Director Francis Ford Coppola, who worked with him on Apocalypse Now and other films, issued a statement.
“Freddie Forrest was a sweet, much beloved person, a wonderful actor and a good friend. His loss is heartbreaking to me.”
Midler and Forrest starred in the The Rose (1979), with Forrest portraying her limousine-driver-turned-love-interest, Huston Dyer.
The role earned Forrest Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actor.
Bette Midler, his former costar, shared the news on Twitter.
“The great and beloved Frederic Forrest has died,” Midler, 77, wrote Friday. “Thank you to all of his fans and friends for all their support these last few months. He was a remarkable actor, and a brilliant human being, and I was lucky to have him in my life. He was at peace.”
Director Francis Ford Coppola, who worked with him on Apocalypse Now and other films, issued a statement.
“Freddie Forrest was a sweet, much beloved person, a wonderful actor and a good friend. His loss is heartbreaking to me.”
Midler and Forrest starred in the The Rose (1979), with Forrest portraying her limousine-driver-turned-love-interest, Huston Dyer.
The role earned Forrest Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actor.
- 6/24/2023
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Frederic Forrest, a character actor who had a memorable role in 1979’s “Apocalypse Now” and earned an Oscar nomination for “The Rose” in the same year, died Friday in Santa Monica. He was 86.
Forrest’s death was first reported by his “Rose” co-star Bette Midler, who paid tribute to the actor on Twitter.
“The great and beloved Frederic Forrest has died,” Midler wrote. “Thank you to all of his fans and friends for all their support these last few months. He was a remarkable actor, and a brilliant human being, and I was lucky to have him in my life. He was at peace.”
Frederic Forrest in “Apocalypse Now”
As Jay “Chef” Hicks in Francis Ford Coppola’s “Apocalypse Now,” Forrestt played the tightly-wound former New Orleans chef on the river patrol boat who raves “I didn’t come here for this, I don’t fucking need this, all I...
Forrest’s death was first reported by his “Rose” co-star Bette Midler, who paid tribute to the actor on Twitter.
“The great and beloved Frederic Forrest has died,” Midler wrote. “Thank you to all of his fans and friends for all their support these last few months. He was a remarkable actor, and a brilliant human being, and I was lucky to have him in my life. He was at peace.”
Frederic Forrest in “Apocalypse Now”
As Jay “Chef” Hicks in Francis Ford Coppola’s “Apocalypse Now,” Forrestt played the tightly-wound former New Orleans chef on the river patrol boat who raves “I didn’t come here for this, I don’t fucking need this, all I...
- 6/24/2023
- by Pat Saperstein
- Variety Film + TV
Sydney Pollack was the Oscar winning filmmaker who could’ve branded himself as Hollywood’s favorite journeyman, crafting solid entertainments for over 40 years. But how many of his titles remain classics? Let’s take a look back at all 20 of his films as a director, ranked worst to best.
Born in 1934, Pollack got his start as an actor, studying under legendary New York teacher Sanford Meisner. He cut his teeth is television, appearing in such shows as “The Twilight Zone,” “Playhouse 90” and “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” before transitioning into directing for the small screen. Even after making a name for himself behind the camera, he kept popping up onscreen, starring in “The Player” (1992), “Husbands and Wives” (1992), “Eyes Wide Shut” (1999), “Changing Lanes” (2002), “Michael Clayton” (2007) and his own “Tootsie” (1982), to name but a few.
It was this experience as a performer that made him a favorite with actors, including Robert Redford, with whom he made seven films.
Born in 1934, Pollack got his start as an actor, studying under legendary New York teacher Sanford Meisner. He cut his teeth is television, appearing in such shows as “The Twilight Zone,” “Playhouse 90” and “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” before transitioning into directing for the small screen. Even after making a name for himself behind the camera, he kept popping up onscreen, starring in “The Player” (1992), “Husbands and Wives” (1992), “Eyes Wide Shut” (1999), “Changing Lanes” (2002), “Michael Clayton” (2007) and his own “Tootsie” (1982), to name but a few.
It was this experience as a performer that made him a favorite with actors, including Robert Redford, with whom he made seven films.
- 6/24/2023
- by Zach Laws and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Michael Lamont, who went from acting in Bye Bye Birdie and Oliver! on Broadway to a career as photographer for studios, theaters and actors, has died. He was 76. According to Patty Onagan, publicist for Lamont’s wife Kay Cole, he died May 21 in North Hollywood of Alzheimer’s complications.
Born on April 3, 1947 in Hoboken, NJ, Lamont moved to New York City in his teens to pursue an acting career. It was in the original 1960 production of Bye Bye Birdie where he met Cole, whom he would marry nearly three decades later. He went on to appear in several Broadway shows during the 1960s and early ’70s, including Oliver! and Jesus Christ Superstar, before relocating to Los Angeles.
Once on the West Coast, Lamont guested on a few TV series and drummed in a rock band before an actor friend asked him to photograph his headshots, and soon was being recommended by agents and casting directors.
Born on April 3, 1947 in Hoboken, NJ, Lamont moved to New York City in his teens to pursue an acting career. It was in the original 1960 production of Bye Bye Birdie where he met Cole, whom he would marry nearly three decades later. He went on to appear in several Broadway shows during the 1960s and early ’70s, including Oliver! and Jesus Christ Superstar, before relocating to Los Angeles.
Once on the West Coast, Lamont guested on a few TV series and drummed in a rock band before an actor friend asked him to photograph his headshots, and soon was being recommended by agents and casting directors.
- 6/5/2023
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Michael Lamont, who appeared in the original Broadway productions of Bye Bye Birdie and Oliver! before launching a second career as a production photographer, died May 21 in Los Angeles after a battle with Alzheimer’s disease, a publicist announced. He was 76.
In the late 1960s, Lamont moved from New York to L.A. to continue his acting career and play drums for the rock band Group Therapy. After working in episodic television, a friend asked him to photograph his headshots, and he discovered a passion for photography.
Lamont found himself being recommended by agents and casting directors, and by the early ’70s, photography became his priority. He expanded into shooting theater productions and in 1989 was sponsored by Universal Studios to join the International Cinematographers Guild. Before long, he was shooting unit and publicity for studios.
His production and institutional photography credits included work for The Geffen Playhouse, The Old Globe,...
In the late 1960s, Lamont moved from New York to L.A. to continue his acting career and play drums for the rock band Group Therapy. After working in episodic television, a friend asked him to photograph his headshots, and he discovered a passion for photography.
Lamont found himself being recommended by agents and casting directors, and by the early ’70s, photography became his priority. He expanded into shooting theater productions and in 1989 was sponsored by Universal Studios to join the International Cinematographers Guild. Before long, he was shooting unit and publicity for studios.
His production and institutional photography credits included work for The Geffen Playhouse, The Old Globe,...
- 6/5/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In talking with Diane Keaton, you get the sense she is most comfortable discussing anything — her beloved mother, her impressive co-stars, the photograph she pulled from a coffee table book about poor dental hygiene she found at a flea market — other than herself.
If she were to talk about herself, there would be a lot to cover, beginning with an early career filled with New York theater, the Godfather films and a prolific partnership with Woody Allen. She has since accumulated four Oscar nominations — she la-di-da-ed her way to a win for 1977’s Annie Hall — with the films Reds and Looking for Mr. Goodbar proving her dramatic muscle, while titles like 1996’s The First Wives Club and Something’s Gotta Give cemented her as one of Hollywood’s greatest onscreen comediennes. Her most recent career arc has seen her in such features as Book Club (grossing $104 million globally), surrounded by other...
If she were to talk about herself, there would be a lot to cover, beginning with an early career filled with New York theater, the Godfather films and a prolific partnership with Woody Allen. She has since accumulated four Oscar nominations — she la-di-da-ed her way to a win for 1977’s Annie Hall — with the films Reds and Looking for Mr. Goodbar proving her dramatic muscle, while titles like 1996’s The First Wives Club and Something’s Gotta Give cemented her as one of Hollywood’s greatest onscreen comediennes. Her most recent career arc has seen her in such features as Book Club (grossing $104 million globally), surrounded by other...
- 4/28/2023
- by Mia Galuppo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Michael Douglas, an iconic actor and producer, has graced our screens for decades with memorable performances in a wide variety of roles. From his early days in television to his starring roles in blockbuster films, Douglas has consistently captivated audiences with his talent and charisma. In this article, we will examine Michael Douglas’s versatility and impact in cinema, exploring his most memorable roles and the legacy he has left in Hollywood.
Born in 1944, Michael Douglas comes from a family of Hollywood royalty. His father, Kirk Douglas, was a renowned actor, while his mother, Diana Dill, was an actress and model. Growing up in the shadow of his father’s success, it was perhaps inevitable that Michael would pursue a career in acting. After attending the prestigious American Place Theatre and studying under legendary acting coach, Sanford Meisner, Michael began his foray into the world of acting and never looked back.
Born in 1944, Michael Douglas comes from a family of Hollywood royalty. His father, Kirk Douglas, was a renowned actor, while his mother, Diana Dill, was an actress and model. Growing up in the shadow of his father’s success, it was perhaps inevitable that Michael would pursue a career in acting. After attending the prestigious American Place Theatre and studying under legendary acting coach, Sanford Meisner, Michael began his foray into the world of acting and never looked back.
- 4/20/2023
- by Movies Martin Cid Magazine
- Martin Cid Magazine - Movies
Marco Brabilla's 1993 film "Demolition Man" was amusing when it was first released, but has become whimsically prescient as time has passed. Set largely in 2032, "Demolition Man" is a utopian film about how humanity has learned to be peaceful and to get along. They achieved this through an extreme right-wing televangelist messiah figure named Dr. Cocteau. People no longer touch physically, cussing is met by strict fines, and the only business to have survived the bloody Franchise Wars was Taco Bell, the fanciest restaurant in town. Anything that's bad for you is outlawed, including the consumption of salt. Most amusingly, toilet paper has been replaced by a technology that Sgt. John "The Demolition Man" Spartan (Sylvester Stallone) describes as "three seashells."
Audiences will get no points for guessing that this so-called utopia actually houses secrets, that poverty and oppression still exist, and that its bland sexlessness is actually a proper dystopia.
Audiences will get no points for guessing that this so-called utopia actually houses secrets, that poverty and oppression still exist, and that its bland sexlessness is actually a proper dystopia.
- 4/1/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Quinn Redeker, who came up with the original script and Russian roulette idea for The Deer Hunter before starring as shady characters on the soap operas Days of Our Lives and The Young and the Restless, has died. He was 86.
Redeker died Dec. 20 of natural causes in Camarillo, California, his daughter, Arianne Raser, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Early in his career, Redeker appeared in The Three Stooges Meet Hercules (1962) and Jack Hill’s Spider Baby or, the Maddest Story Ever Told (1967), then graduated to more prestige fare, working with Robert Redford in The Candidate (1972), The Electric Horseman (1979) and Ordinary People (1980).
Inspired by a Life magazine article about a man who played Russian roulette for the camera, Redeker contacted screenwriter Louis Garfinkle in 1974 about teaming on a movie script about a guy in the Bahamas who made a living at the hazardous game.
Garfinkle saw Russian roulette as “a perfect metaphor for the war in Vietnam,...
Redeker died Dec. 20 of natural causes in Camarillo, California, his daughter, Arianne Raser, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Early in his career, Redeker appeared in The Three Stooges Meet Hercules (1962) and Jack Hill’s Spider Baby or, the Maddest Story Ever Told (1967), then graduated to more prestige fare, working with Robert Redford in The Candidate (1972), The Electric Horseman (1979) and Ordinary People (1980).
Inspired by a Life magazine article about a man who played Russian roulette for the camera, Redeker contacted screenwriter Louis Garfinkle in 1974 about teaming on a movie script about a guy in the Bahamas who made a living at the hazardous game.
Garfinkle saw Russian roulette as “a perfect metaphor for the war in Vietnam,...
- 1/9/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Click here to read the full article.
Jack Ging, the familiar character actor who recurred on such series as Tales of Wells Fargo, Mannix, Riptide and The A-Team and appeared in three films opposite Clint Eastwood, has died. He was 90.
Ging died Friday of natural causes at his home in La Quinta, California, his wife, Apache Ging, told The Hollywood Reporter.
In rare starring turns, Ging played the love interest of Diane Baker’s character in a remake of Tess of the Storm Country (1960), a soldier and reluctant hero in the waning days of the Korean War in the drama Sniper’s Ridge (1961) and a clinical psychiatrist on the 1962-64 NBC medical series The Eleventh Hour.
Alongside Eastwood, Ging portrayed a marshal in Hang ‘Em High (1968), a doctor in Play Misty for Me (1971) and Morgan Allen, the mine owner (and lover of Marianna Hill’s character), in High Plains Drifter...
Jack Ging, the familiar character actor who recurred on such series as Tales of Wells Fargo, Mannix, Riptide and The A-Team and appeared in three films opposite Clint Eastwood, has died. He was 90.
Ging died Friday of natural causes at his home in La Quinta, California, his wife, Apache Ging, told The Hollywood Reporter.
In rare starring turns, Ging played the love interest of Diane Baker’s character in a remake of Tess of the Storm Country (1960), a soldier and reluctant hero in the waning days of the Korean War in the drama Sniper’s Ridge (1961) and a clinical psychiatrist on the 1962-64 NBC medical series The Eleventh Hour.
Alongside Eastwood, Ging portrayed a marshal in Hang ‘Em High (1968), a doctor in Play Misty for Me (1971) and Morgan Allen, the mine owner (and lover of Marianna Hill’s character), in High Plains Drifter...
- 9/12/2022
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
When movie fans hear the phrase "method acting," they likely associate the phrase with the horror stories of actors like Jared Leto making the set of "Morbius" an absolute nightmare, or the continued trend of romanticizing the extreme lengths actors go to prepare for "Batman" films. The ethics of method acting has been highly debated for years, with actors like Jon Bernthal and Andrew McCarthy both speaking out against the abuse of the practice, and the public's misunderstandings about what method acting actually entails. Method acting is built upon the principles of Konstantin Stanislavski, with groundbreaking theater educators Lee Strasberg, Stella Adler, and Sanford Meisner developing their own techniques to enhance "The Method."
The latest actor to throw in their two cents is Andrew Garfield, who recently expressed his feelings on method acting during an interview with Variety. "There [have] been a lot of misconceptions about what method acting is, I think,...
The latest actor to throw in their two cents is Andrew Garfield, who recently expressed his feelings on method acting during an interview with Variety. "There [have] been a lot of misconceptions about what method acting is, I think,...
- 8/22/2022
- by BJ Colangelo
- Slash Film
Today on Crew Call we talk with Jeff Goldblum, who’s up for his third career Emmy nomination this year for the second season of National Geographic and Disney+’s The World According to Jeff Goldblum which follows the actor across the nation as he muses on various human fascinations, i.e. magic, dogs, dance, fireworks, the list goes on. The World According to Jeff Goldblum is up for Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special.
You can listen to our conversation below:
Sharing in his awe of life on the show are sundry folk from all walks of life. We see the Jurassic Park franchise actor gab it up, and in various instances, live life to the fullest by partaking in a stunt, i.e. walking on hot coals.
Goldblum calls the NatGeo execs who pitched him on the series “smart and generous” and said to them, “I’m not...
You can listen to our conversation below:
Sharing in his awe of life on the show are sundry folk from all walks of life. We see the Jurassic Park franchise actor gab it up, and in various instances, live life to the fullest by partaking in a stunt, i.e. walking on hot coals.
Goldblum calls the NatGeo execs who pitched him on the series “smart and generous” and said to them, “I’m not...
- 8/10/2022
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Chicago – In one of my trips to New York City, I saw him in the distance on the street (this actually happens often in NYC. Pay attention!). Actor Paul Sorvino, Paulie Cicero of ‘Goodfellas’ legend, as well as many other films/stage/TV/opera work, was unmistakably walking right towards me. “Hey Paulie,” I instinctively said. “Hey,” he said back. Fast forward several years later, Mr. Sorvino was honored by the Chicago Film Critics Awards in 2013, I was a newly minted Chicago Film Critic, and I met him again (see below). Paul Sorvino died on July 25th, 2022, in Jacksonville, Florida. He was 83.
Paul Anthony Sorvino was born in Brooklyn, and studied at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. After a stint in advertising, he made his Broadway debut in 1964 in the musical “Bajour.” Six years later, his was in his first film, Carl Reiner’s “Where’s Poppa” (1970), and one...
Paul Anthony Sorvino was born in Brooklyn, and studied at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. After a stint in advertising, he made his Broadway debut in 1964 in the musical “Bajour.” Six years later, his was in his first film, Carl Reiner’s “Where’s Poppa” (1970), and one...
- 7/28/2022
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Film history places certain artists at pivotal points where everything changes – and sometimes, if those artists stick around long enough, when everything changes again.
Considering the passing of James Caan on Wednesday, it becomes clear that he was one of those artists. An actor who had an early breakthrough appearing opposite Olivia de Havilland, he went on to take key roles in films that would define the New Hollywood of the 1970s and played a role in the emergence of auteurs like Wes Anderson, James Gray and Michael Mann.
Born in the Bronx to German-Jewish immigrant parents, Caan played college football at Michigan State for two years before transferring to Hofstra. He never graduated, but he did befriend classmate Francis Ford Coppola, who would be one of the actor’s most essential collaborators. It was at Hofstra that Caan became interested in acting, eventually applying to and being accepted at...
Considering the passing of James Caan on Wednesday, it becomes clear that he was one of those artists. An actor who had an early breakthrough appearing opposite Olivia de Havilland, he went on to take key roles in films that would define the New Hollywood of the 1970s and played a role in the emergence of auteurs like Wes Anderson, James Gray and Michael Mann.
Born in the Bronx to German-Jewish immigrant parents, Caan played college football at Michigan State for two years before transferring to Hofstra. He never graduated, but he did befriend classmate Francis Ford Coppola, who would be one of the actor’s most essential collaborators. It was at Hofstra that Caan became interested in acting, eventually applying to and being accepted at...
- 7/7/2022
- by Alonso Duralde
- The Wrap
Jack Kehler, perhaps best known as The Dude (Jeff Bridges)’s landlord in “The Big Lebowski,” has died of complications from leukemia, according to his son Eddie Kehler. The lifetime member of the Actors Studio died May 7 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, just shy of his 76th birthday.
Besides his memorable performance as the stammering landlord in “The Big Lebowski,” Kehler’s other film appearances included “Pineapple Express, “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me,” “Lethal Weapon 4,” “Waterworld,” “Point Break,” and “Men in Black II.”
He made his feature film debut as a gas station attendant in 1983’s “Strange Invaders” and according to his IMDb profile, was filming Eric Fulford’s “The Platinum Loop” at the time of his death.
Kehler played Frank Szymanski on 1990s series “Murder One” and had recurring roles as Harlan Wyndam-Matson on “The Main in the High Castle” and in the 2003 Teri Polo Sitcom,...
Besides his memorable performance as the stammering landlord in “The Big Lebowski,” Kehler’s other film appearances included “Pineapple Express, “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me,” “Lethal Weapon 4,” “Waterworld,” “Point Break,” and “Men in Black II.”
He made his feature film debut as a gas station attendant in 1983’s “Strange Invaders” and according to his IMDb profile, was filming Eric Fulford’s “The Platinum Loop” at the time of his death.
Kehler played Frank Szymanski on 1990s series “Murder One” and had recurring roles as Harlan Wyndam-Matson on “The Main in the High Castle” and in the 2003 Teri Polo Sitcom,...
- 5/10/2022
- by Sharon Knolle
- The Wrap
A lot of people have opinions on method acting without really knowing what it means. The concept of an actor staying in character all the time and being a jerk to everyone around them for the sake of art is not it. Method acting was an evolution of the system developed by Russian theater director and actor Konstantin Stanislavsky. The system was brought over to the United States in the Group Theatre and was interpreted differently among a few of its members: Lee Strasberg, Stella Adler, and Sanford Meisner. Adler's approach favored the combination of research and imagination in crafting a performance....
The post Bradley Cooper Skipped A Major Life Moment To Film Wet Hot American Summer appeared first on /Film.
The post Bradley Cooper Skipped A Major Life Moment To Film Wet Hot American Summer appeared first on /Film.
- 4/25/2022
- by Mike Shutt
- Slash Film
Arlene Golonka, a veteran character actor best known for playing Millie Swanson on “Mayberry R.F.D.,” died Monday in West Hollywood, Calif. She was 85.
Her niece Stephanie Morton, said she had been suffering from Alzheimer’s.
“She lived and breathed being an artist, being an actress was who she was born to be,” said her niece, “She was a very wise woman who I was lucky to call my aunt.”
“She loved to teach,” said Morton, who said her acting students over the years included Halle Berry.
With a career spanning over 45 years, Golonka played recurring roles on “The Doctors,” “Joe & Valerie” and “1st & 10” and appeared in episodes of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “M*A*S*H” and “The King of Queens.” On “The Andy Griffith Show,” Golonka played Millie Hutchins, the girlfriend of Sam Jones (Ken Berry) on two episodes, and she reprised the role as Millie Swanson on “Mayberry R.F.D.” across 34 episodes.
Her niece Stephanie Morton, said she had been suffering from Alzheimer’s.
“She lived and breathed being an artist, being an actress was who she was born to be,” said her niece, “She was a very wise woman who I was lucky to call my aunt.”
“She loved to teach,” said Morton, who said her acting students over the years included Halle Berry.
With a career spanning over 45 years, Golonka played recurring roles on “The Doctors,” “Joe & Valerie” and “1st & 10” and appeared in episodes of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “M*A*S*H” and “The King of Queens.” On “The Andy Griffith Show,” Golonka played Millie Hutchins, the girlfriend of Sam Jones (Ken Berry) on two episodes, and she reprised the role as Millie Swanson on “Mayberry R.F.D.” across 34 episodes.
- 6/1/2021
- by Ethan Shanfeld
- Variety Film + TV
“It is always my goal to create a layer of truth for actors with my make-ups and suits,” said Academy Award winning make-up effects Artist Barney Burman. He was speaking on Saturday at an onstage event within the Singapore International Film Festival.
The presentation at the Project theater was moderated by Singaporean filmmaker Kirsten Tan (“Pop Aye”), who probed Burman on the extent that he had been influenced by legendary acting teacher Sanford Meisner. The so-called “Meisner Technique” suggests that acting is living truthfully under imaginary circumstances.
The make-up wiz, whose credit includes multiple Hollywood studio blockbusters such as the “Star Trek” franchise, “Tropic Thunder” and “Mission Impossible 3,” had studied with legendary teacher Sanford Meisner as a character actor.
“[With make-ups and suits] you get a different look, different persona and different physicality. Actors’ performances do change with those make-ups,” Burman explained. “There was this one time my team did a four-hour long old-age make-up.
The presentation at the Project theater was moderated by Singaporean filmmaker Kirsten Tan (“Pop Aye”), who probed Burman on the extent that he had been influenced by legendary acting teacher Sanford Meisner. The so-called “Meisner Technique” suggests that acting is living truthfully under imaginary circumstances.
The make-up wiz, whose credit includes multiple Hollywood studio blockbusters such as the “Star Trek” franchise, “Tropic Thunder” and “Mission Impossible 3,” had studied with legendary teacher Sanford Meisner as a character actor.
“[With make-ups and suits] you get a different look, different persona and different physicality. Actors’ performances do change with those make-ups,” Burman explained. “There was this one time my team did a four-hour long old-age make-up.
- 11/24/2019
- by Sonia Kil
- Variety Film + TV
Robert “Bob” Ullman, a longtime Broadway and Off Broadway press agent whose career spanned Ethel Merman, A Chorus Line, Curse of the Starving Class and many others, died of cardiac arrest on July 31 in Bayshore, Long Island, New York. He was 97.
His death was announced by longtime friend (and former Broadway press agent) Rev. Joshua Ellis.
Among the many Broadway productions on which Ullman worked were Ethel Merman and Mary Martin: Together on Broadway, A Chorus Line (from workshop to Public Theater to Broadway), Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne in The Visit, Lauren Bacall in Cactus Flower, The Dining Room, Driving Miss Daisy, Sunday in the Park with George, and over 150 additional Broadway and off-Broadway plays and musicals.
Actors and theater greats with whom Ullman worked include Tallulah Bankhead, Luise Rainer, James Dean, Dame Edith Evans, Geraldine Page, Phil Silvers, Bert Lahr, Rosemary Harris, James Earl Jones, Sam Waterston, Colleen Dewhurst,...
His death was announced by longtime friend (and former Broadway press agent) Rev. Joshua Ellis.
Among the many Broadway productions on which Ullman worked were Ethel Merman and Mary Martin: Together on Broadway, A Chorus Line (from workshop to Public Theater to Broadway), Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne in The Visit, Lauren Bacall in Cactus Flower, The Dining Room, Driving Miss Daisy, Sunday in the Park with George, and over 150 additional Broadway and off-Broadway plays and musicals.
Actors and theater greats with whom Ullman worked include Tallulah Bankhead, Luise Rainer, James Dean, Dame Edith Evans, Geraldine Page, Phil Silvers, Bert Lahr, Rosemary Harris, James Earl Jones, Sam Waterston, Colleen Dewhurst,...
- 8/8/2019
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
When Jeff Goldblum appeared on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” to promote his latest role as a lobotomist in “The Mountain,” the 66-year-old actor proclaimed that he lived more in 10 minutes than most people do in a lifetime. The next day, he proved it.
Sitting in midtown Manhattan traffic for 45 minutes en route to an NPR interview, Goldblum covered a lot of ground: revisiting his origins in theater, recalling early work with Philip Kaufman and Woody Allen, analyzing the psychology of his blockbuster performances in “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” and “Independence Day: Resurgence,” worrying about Donald Trump, and explaining his recent quest to discover world-class auteurs. At the end, he squeezed in an impromptu catch-up with Billy Crystal.
Long beloved as a lanky, bespectacled font of charisma and intellect, Goldblum is now a genuine a pop-culture force. Two decades after “Jurassic Park” and “Independence Day” made him a household name,...
Sitting in midtown Manhattan traffic for 45 minutes en route to an NPR interview, Goldblum covered a lot of ground: revisiting his origins in theater, recalling early work with Philip Kaufman and Woody Allen, analyzing the psychology of his blockbuster performances in “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” and “Independence Day: Resurgence,” worrying about Donald Trump, and explaining his recent quest to discover world-class auteurs. At the end, he squeezed in an impromptu catch-up with Billy Crystal.
Long beloved as a lanky, bespectacled font of charisma and intellect, Goldblum is now a genuine a pop-culture force. Two decades after “Jurassic Park” and “Independence Day” made him a household name,...
- 7/30/2019
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Former Another World star David Hedison died Thursday in Los Angeles, a family spokeswoman announced. He was 92.
Born Al David Hedison on May 20, 1927, in Providence, Rhode Island, Hedison discovered the theater while attending Brown University and studied in New York under Sanford Meisner at The Neighborhood Playhouse and with Lee Strasberg at The Actors Studio.
He worked alongside Uta Hagen and Michael Redgrave in-off Broadway productions by Clifford Odets and Christopher Fry, among others, and made his big-screen debut in the World War II naval drama The Enemy Below (1957), starring Robert Mitchum.
After starring in the original The Fly and Son of Robin Hood in 1958, he signed a contract at Twentieth Century Fox, changing his stage name to David Hedison.
From 1964-68, Hedison's character Captain Lee Crane worked aboard the Seaview under the command of Adm. Harriman Nelson (Richard Basehart) on 110 episodes of ABC's Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.
Born Al David Hedison on May 20, 1927, in Providence, Rhode Island, Hedison discovered the theater while attending Brown University and studied in New York under Sanford Meisner at The Neighborhood Playhouse and with Lee Strasberg at The Actors Studio.
He worked alongside Uta Hagen and Michael Redgrave in-off Broadway productions by Clifford Odets and Christopher Fry, among others, and made his big-screen debut in the World War II naval drama The Enemy Below (1957), starring Robert Mitchum.
After starring in the original The Fly and Son of Robin Hood in 1958, he signed a contract at Twentieth Century Fox, changing his stage name to David Hedison.
From 1964-68, Hedison's character Captain Lee Crane worked aboard the Seaview under the command of Adm. Harriman Nelson (Richard Basehart) on 110 episodes of ABC's Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.
- 7/22/2019
- by Roger Newcomb
- We Love Soaps
David Hedison, a film, television, and theater actor known for his role as Captain Lee Crane in the sci-fi adventure television series “Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea” and as the crazed scientist turned human insect in the first iteration of the film “The Fly,” died on July 18. He was 92, and the family said in a statement that he “died peacefully” with his daughters at his side.
“Even in our deep sadness, we are comforted by the memory of our wonderful father. He loved us all dearly and expressed that love every day. He was adored by so many, all of whom benefited from his warm and generous heart. Our dad brought joy and humor wherever he went and did so with great style,” said the family in a statement.
David Hedison, born Al Hedison, was from Providence, R.I. and studied at Brown University where he grew fond of the theater,...
“Even in our deep sadness, we are comforted by the memory of our wonderful father. He loved us all dearly and expressed that love every day. He was adored by so many, all of whom benefited from his warm and generous heart. Our dad brought joy and humor wherever he went and did so with great style,” said the family in a statement.
David Hedison, born Al Hedison, was from Providence, R.I. and studied at Brown University where he grew fond of the theater,...
- 7/22/2019
- by Mackenzie Nichols
- Variety Film + TV
Sydney Pollack would’ve celebrated his 85th birthday on July 1, 2019. The Oscar winning filmmaker could’ve branded himself as Hollywood’s favorite journeyman, crafting solid entertainments for over 40 years. But how many of his titles remain classics? In honor of his birthday, let’s take a look back at all 20 of his films as a director, ranked worst to best.
Born in 1934, Pollack got his start as an actor, studying under legendary New York teacher Sanford Meisner. He cut his teeth is television, appearing in such shows as “The Twilight Zone,” “Playhouse 90” and “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” before transitioning into directing for the small screen. Even after making a name for himself behind the camera, he kept popping up onscreen, starring in “The Player” (1992), “Husbands and Wives” (1992), “Eyes Wide Shut” (1999), “Changing Lanes” (2002), “Michael Clayton” (2007) and his own “Tootsie” (1982), to name but a few.
SEERobert Redford movies: 15 greatest films ranked from...
Born in 1934, Pollack got his start as an actor, studying under legendary New York teacher Sanford Meisner. He cut his teeth is television, appearing in such shows as “The Twilight Zone,” “Playhouse 90” and “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” before transitioning into directing for the small screen. Even after making a name for himself behind the camera, he kept popping up onscreen, starring in “The Player” (1992), “Husbands and Wives” (1992), “Eyes Wide Shut” (1999), “Changing Lanes” (2002), “Michael Clayton” (2007) and his own “Tootsie” (1982), to name but a few.
SEERobert Redford movies: 15 greatest films ranked from...
- 7/1/2019
- by Zach Laws and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Roshan Taneja, the man behind the treasure trove of talent in Bollywood including the likes of Shabana Azmi, Naseeruddin Shah, Jaya Bachchan, Anil Kapoor and Shatrughan Sinha, is dead at 87. His students paid emotional tributes.
"My father passed away last night (Friday) at 9.30 p.m. in his sleep at home after prolonged illness," the acting guru's son Rohit Taneja told Ians on Saturday morning.
Roshan Taneja was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in February this year. He is survived by his wife Mithika and sons Rohit and Rahul.
His cremation was held at the electric crematorium in Santa Cruz West. It was attended by Anil, Govinda, Ratna Pathak Shah, Kanwaljit Singh and Gufi Paintal.
Roshan Taneja's passion for acting took him to New York at The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre to train under the famous Sanford Meisner and Sydney Pollack, who went on to become an Academy Award winning director.
"My father passed away last night (Friday) at 9.30 p.m. in his sleep at home after prolonged illness," the acting guru's son Rohit Taneja told Ians on Saturday morning.
Roshan Taneja was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in February this year. He is survived by his wife Mithika and sons Rohit and Rahul.
His cremation was held at the electric crematorium in Santa Cruz West. It was attended by Anil, Govinda, Ratna Pathak Shah, Kanwaljit Singh and Gufi Paintal.
Roshan Taneja's passion for acting took him to New York at The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre to train under the famous Sanford Meisner and Sydney Pollack, who went on to become an Academy Award winning director.
- 5/11/2019
- GlamSham
Ken Kercheval, who played oil tycoon Cliff Barnes, the rival of Larry Hagman’s J.R. Ewing on “Dallas,” has died. He was 83.
A spokeswoman at Frist Funeral Home in Kercheval’s hometown of Clinton, Ind., confirmed his death on Wednesday to Variety, but did not provide additional information.
Kercheval and Hagman were the only two stars who appeared on CBS’ soap opera “Dallas” for its entire 14-season run between 1978 to 1991. Kercheval was a recurring character for the first two seasons, but was then upped to a regular in the 1979-1980 season. He reprised his role in the 1996 “Dallas” reunion, the 2004 CBS reunion special and the 2012-2014 TNT revival. He was among five series stars who directed episodes, taking the helm for two episodes for Seasons 13-14.
When “Dallas” viewers asked him when Cliff was “finally going to get J.R.,” Kercheval always answered: “This Friday night!”
In the 1960s,...
A spokeswoman at Frist Funeral Home in Kercheval’s hometown of Clinton, Ind., confirmed his death on Wednesday to Variety, but did not provide additional information.
Kercheval and Hagman were the only two stars who appeared on CBS’ soap opera “Dallas” for its entire 14-season run between 1978 to 1991. Kercheval was a recurring character for the first two seasons, but was then upped to a regular in the 1979-1980 season. He reprised his role in the 1996 “Dallas” reunion, the 2004 CBS reunion special and the 2012-2014 TNT revival. He was among five series stars who directed episodes, taking the helm for two episodes for Seasons 13-14.
When “Dallas” viewers asked him when Cliff was “finally going to get J.R.,” Kercheval always answered: “This Friday night!”
In the 1960s,...
- 4/24/2019
- by Rachel Yang
- Variety Film + TV
A new “Detective Pikachu” trailer drops tomorrow, and actor Ryan Reynolds is promoting it with a hilarious “Inside the Actors Studio” spoof documenting how he got into the role of the yellow Pokémon (hint: it involves some mild child neglect).
Bringing “Detective Pikachu” to the big screen is a privilege Reynolds doesn’t take lightly, he says in the video over black and white photos of himself holding a Poké Ball and Pokémon hardcover. “You know, I lived it. I breathed it. I became the character. I spent the entire year as Detective Pikachu,” he says. “I read about him. I live at his height. I tried to lose 182 pounds to match his weight until doctors intervened.”
“Acting is behaving truthfully under imaginary circumstances” – Sanford Meisner. Point is, there’s a new Detective Pikachu trailer tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/g9dRTOJHL1
— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) February 25, 2019
Reynolds also talks about how,...
Bringing “Detective Pikachu” to the big screen is a privilege Reynolds doesn’t take lightly, he says in the video over black and white photos of himself holding a Poké Ball and Pokémon hardcover. “You know, I lived it. I breathed it. I became the character. I spent the entire year as Detective Pikachu,” he says. “I read about him. I live at his height. I tried to lose 182 pounds to match his weight until doctors intervened.”
“Acting is behaving truthfully under imaginary circumstances” – Sanford Meisner. Point is, there’s a new Detective Pikachu trailer tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/g9dRTOJHL1
— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) February 25, 2019
Reynolds also talks about how,...
- 2/25/2019
- by Stefanie Fogel
- Variety Film + TV
Even when he’s not wearing Deadpool’s mask, Ryan Reynolds is always finding new ways to immerse himself in roles: like completely neglecting his family to play Detective Pikachu.
In a new promo posted by Reynolds on social media, the actor talks about preparing for the role on a mock show called “Outside the Actors’ Studio.” Amid black-and-white pictures of him reading Pokémon books, Reynolds discusses his technique and his ability to “vanish” into his roles.
Also Read: 'Detective Pikachu' Trailer: Ryan Reynolds Is an Adorable Spark of Energy (Video)
“I was on my way to pick up my daughters when I heard I got the role. I didn’t show up at school,” he said. “Because Detective Pikachu doesn’t know who those two little girls are. He doesn’t have a wife. He’s a little yellow guy who lives in Rhyme City in a briar patch or something.
In a new promo posted by Reynolds on social media, the actor talks about preparing for the role on a mock show called “Outside the Actors’ Studio.” Amid black-and-white pictures of him reading Pokémon books, Reynolds discusses his technique and his ability to “vanish” into his roles.
Also Read: 'Detective Pikachu' Trailer: Ryan Reynolds Is an Adorable Spark of Energy (Video)
“I was on my way to pick up my daughters when I heard I got the role. I didn’t show up at school,” he said. “Because Detective Pikachu doesn’t know who those two little girls are. He doesn’t have a wife. He’s a little yellow guy who lives in Rhyme City in a briar patch or something.
- 2/25/2019
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
William Esper, the influential acting teacher and Sanford Meisner disciple who lent his expertise to Kim Basinger, John Malkovich, Jeff Goldblum, Sam Rockwell, Tracee Ellis Ross and countless others, has died. He was 86.
Esper, who launched his William Esper Studio in 1965, died Saturday of complications from Lewy body disease at his home in New York City, his son, actor and theater director Michael Esper, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Esper's students also included Paul Sorvino, Mary Steenburgen, Jennifer Beals, Kristin Davis, William Hurt, Kim Delaney, Wendy Malik, Dule Hill, Calista Flockhart, Peter Gallagher, Patricia Heaton, Aaron Eckhart, Christine Lahti,...
Esper, who launched his William Esper Studio in 1965, died Saturday of complications from Lewy body disease at his home in New York City, his son, actor and theater director Michael Esper, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Esper's students also included Paul Sorvino, Mary Steenburgen, Jennifer Beals, Kristin Davis, William Hurt, Kim Delaney, Wendy Malik, Dule Hill, Calista Flockhart, Peter Gallagher, Patricia Heaton, Aaron Eckhart, Christine Lahti,...
- 1/28/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
William Esper, the influential acting teacher and Sanford Meisner disciple who lent his expertise to Kim Basinger, John Malkovich, Jeff Goldblum, Sam Rockwell, Tracee Ellis Ross and countless others, has died. He was 86.
Esper, who launched his William Esper Studio in 1965, died Saturday of complications from Lewy body disease at his home in New York City, his son, actor and theater director Michael Esper, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Esper's students also included Paul Sorvino, Mary Steenburgen, Jennifer Beals, Kristin Davis, William Hurt, Kim Delaney, Wendy Malik, Dule Hill, Calista Flockhart, Peter Gallagher, Patricia Heaton, Aaron Eckhart, Christine Lahti,...
Esper, who launched his William Esper Studio in 1965, died Saturday of complications from Lewy body disease at his home in New York City, his son, actor and theater director Michael Esper, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Esper's students also included Paul Sorvino, Mary Steenburgen, Jennifer Beals, Kristin Davis, William Hurt, Kim Delaney, Wendy Malik, Dule Hill, Calista Flockhart, Peter Gallagher, Patricia Heaton, Aaron Eckhart, Christine Lahti,...
- 1/28/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Legendary acting teacher William Esper has passed away. Tributes have been flooding in on social media, with dozens of them shared on the William Esper Studio’s official Instagram Stories page. Under its founder, the studio has trained a string of famous faces including Larry David, Amy Schumer and Jeff Goldblum. No details have yet been shared about Esper’s cause of death. Esper founded the William Esper Studio in 1965, and he was internationally recognized as an authority on the work of Sanford Meisner. It was Meisner who trained him as an actor when he was young, at the Neighborhood Playhouse […]
The post William Esper death: Tributes pour in after legendary acting teacher passes away appeared first on Monsters and Critics.
The post William Esper death: Tributes pour in after legendary acting teacher passes away appeared first on Monsters and Critics.
- 1/28/2019
- by Mary Jane
- Monsters and Critics
While you have every right to stay skeptical about Detective Pikachu, it must be said that the film’s first trailer suggests that the franchise’s long-awaited jump to live-action cinema will prove to be a fair bit less awkward than many of us were anticipating, with the fluffy little investigator and his peers generally looking pretty well-rendered next to the human cast.
Is that a good enough reason to get excited about this upcoming Ryan Reynolds-led flick? Not necessarily, but it’s clear that this teaser is already winning over some naysayers. While there are certainly still Pokémon fans out there who aren’t on board with the project, the bulk of the online response to the trailer so far looks to be ranging from cautiously optimistic to “mega hyped.”
Feast your eyes below for a spectrum of opinions:
So… Detective Pikachu looks…good? https://t.co/I4sJuzjvT4 pic.
Is that a good enough reason to get excited about this upcoming Ryan Reynolds-led flick? Not necessarily, but it’s clear that this teaser is already winning over some naysayers. While there are certainly still Pokémon fans out there who aren’t on board with the project, the bulk of the online response to the trailer so far looks to be ranging from cautiously optimistic to “mega hyped.”
Feast your eyes below for a spectrum of opinions:
So… Detective Pikachu looks…good? https://t.co/I4sJuzjvT4 pic.
- 11/12/2018
- by David Pountain
- We Got This Covered
Though he’s been working in films since 1974 — when he played Freak #1 in “Death Wish” — and starred in some of the biggest blockbusters of all time, it seems like only recently that the whole world fell for the charms of Jeff Goldblum. Perhaps it’s the abundance of memes that have taken over the internet; asked for his personal favorite and he cites his “Jurassic Park” co-star Sam Neill “putting his cheek next to the giant shirtless Jeff Goldblum and riding the waves of my breath.” It could be the wry, halting delivery that makes him so much fun to imitate. Or the sense of humor he has about his own image, such as gamely reading “thirst tweets” about himself for Buzzfeed.
This golden age has not gone unnoticed by the star himself. “Things seem to be flourishing right now,” he says. “For whatever reason, I seem to be in a growth spurt.
This golden age has not gone unnoticed by the star himself. “Things seem to be flourishing right now,” he says. “For whatever reason, I seem to be in a growth spurt.
- 6/14/2018
- by Jenelle Riley
- Variety Film + TV
Harley Wallen is an extremely versatile actor-writer- director who is looking to make a big impact in 2018 with several projects which he is releasing through his production company Painted Creek Productions. I got a chance to talk with Harley about some of his exciting new projects including Moving Parts, Bennett’s Song, Into a Dark Mind, Artificial Loyalty and Agramon’s Gate.
If you haven’t read it yet make sure you check out part one of this interview right here.
You mentioned making concessions with the actors Into A Dark Mind, but did you make any changes to the original story to bring it to screen?
No, but an interesting story. When I finished the script the first time around I went to a good friend of mine, an actor who has been in quite a few of my films. I showed the script to him and he said,...
If you haven’t read it yet make sure you check out part one of this interview right here.
You mentioned making concessions with the actors Into A Dark Mind, but did you make any changes to the original story to bring it to screen?
No, but an interesting story. When I finished the script the first time around I went to a good friend of mine, an actor who has been in quite a few of my films. I showed the script to him and he said,...
- 6/11/2018
- by Philip Rogers
- Nerdly
Learning about the foundation of acting should be fun (and have gifs)! Stanislavski’s SystemOne of the world’s most frequently taught acting techniques, Stanislavski inspired scores of future teachers including Stella Adler, Sanford Meisner, and Lee Strasberg. Think emotional memory recall, spiritual realism, and self-analysis. Lee Strasberg’s MethodLee Strasberg’s actors intensify their connections to the work by mimicking characters’ experiences within the context of their own (real) lives, and reaching deeper connections and understandings of their characters’ emotional worlds. Stella AdlerStella Adler’s approach is also built on that of Stanislavski, but imagination is emphasized over emotional recall; in her words, “You have to get beyond your own precious inner experiences.” Meisner TechniqueFamous for his “repetition” exercise, Meisner teaches actors to “live truthfully under given imaginary circumstances.” The work emphasizes openness, honesty, and listening above all. Michael ChekhovMichael Chekhov created a famous “psycho-physical” technique which draws on...
- 7/17/2017
- backstage.com
Jay Duplass grew up in New Orleans playing a very defined role: Director.
While Jay said his younger brother Mark was his collaborator as they “made things,” including magic shows and movies, Mark was always the subject, in front of the camera. Jay was behind the camera. His job was to make all their crazy ideas work, he said: “Mark would throw us off a cliff and I would make sure we had a parachute and food.”
So it came as something of a surprise when showrunner Jill Soloway decided that Jay was perfect casting as Josh Pfefferman in her new Amazon series, “Transparent.”
He wasn’t sure, having just played a small roles in a Joe Swanberg movie and “The Mindy Project” and taken one intensive Sandy Meisner class in Austin, Texas. “It was basically like learning how to be totally vulnerable and divulge all of our hangups and let it rip,...
While Jay said his younger brother Mark was his collaborator as they “made things,” including magic shows and movies, Mark was always the subject, in front of the camera. Jay was behind the camera. His job was to make all their crazy ideas work, he said: “Mark would throw us off a cliff and I would make sure we had a parachute and food.”
So it came as something of a surprise when showrunner Jill Soloway decided that Jay was perfect casting as Josh Pfefferman in her new Amazon series, “Transparent.”
He wasn’t sure, having just played a small roles in a Joe Swanberg movie and “The Mindy Project” and taken one intensive Sandy Meisner class in Austin, Texas. “It was basically like learning how to be totally vulnerable and divulge all of our hangups and let it rip,...
- 6/3/2016
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Lance Henriksen: A Survivor’s Tale
A seminal event happened to actor Lance Henriksen in his late teens that serves as the perfect metaphor for his life: Henriksen was working at a rural New Mexico gas station, and was taken in by the couple who owned it. They had a teenage daughter a couple years his junior. One day, figuring Lance and his daughter were getting a bit too chummy; the man drove Henriksen out to the middle of the desert. “All winter long, the frost has been pushing up these beautiful amethyst stones,” the man explained. “I’ll drop you off and you can collect them, then come back and sell them for a lot of money.” Henriksen stayed half the night, and then started to succumb to the desert’s freezing temperatures. “I dug a hole and buried myself up to my chest, with a fire in front of me.
A seminal event happened to actor Lance Henriksen in his late teens that serves as the perfect metaphor for his life: Henriksen was working at a rural New Mexico gas station, and was taken in by the couple who owned it. They had a teenage daughter a couple years his junior. One day, figuring Lance and his daughter were getting a bit too chummy; the man drove Henriksen out to the middle of the desert. “All winter long, the frost has been pushing up these beautiful amethyst stones,” the man explained. “I’ll drop you off and you can collect them, then come back and sell them for a lot of money.” Henriksen stayed half the night, and then started to succumb to the desert’s freezing temperatures. “I dug a hole and buried myself up to my chest, with a fire in front of me.
- 8/11/2015
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
Ocean’s Eleven producer Jerry Weintraub, a man almost as well known for his sense of showmanship in life as the movies he made, has died at the age of 77.Born in Brooklyn in 1937, Weintraub was raised in the Bronx and obsessed with cinema. In his teenage years, he’d sneaked in to the local Lowes Paradise Theater so often that the manager offered him a job as an usher. He ditched high school at 17 for the Air Force and then used the G.I. Bill to fund his education at Sanford Meisner’s Neighbourhood Playhouse. He took a somewhat traditional route into show business, working as a page at NBC and in the mailroom at the William Morris agency. But his restless spirit meant he sought out more, and became a personal manager to various clients on the club circuit and worked briefly for John F. Kennedy’s presidential...
- 7/6/2015
- EmpireOnline
Learning about the foundation of acting should be fun (and have gifs)! Stanislavsky’s SystemOne of the world’s most frequently taught acting techniques, Stanislavsky inspired scores of future teachers including Stella Adler, Sanford Meisner, and Lee Strasberg. Think emotional memory recall, spiritual realism, and self-analysis. Lee Strasberg’s MethodLee Strasberg’s actors intensify their connections to the work by mimicking characters’ experiences within the context of their own (real) lives, and reaching deeper connections and understandings of their characters’ emotional worlds. Stella AdlerStella Adler’s approach is also built on that of Stanislavsky, but imagination is emphasized over emotional recall; in her words, “You have to get beyond your own precious inner experiences.” Meisner TechniqueFamous for his “repetition” exercise, Meisner teaches actors to “live truthfully under given imaginary circumstances.” The work emphasizes openness, honesty, and listening above all. Michael ChekhovMichael Chekhov created a famous “psycho-physical” technique which draws on...
- 6/9/2015
- backstage.com
“If you don’t succeed in the field of your dreams, you may one day succeed in the field you never dreamed of. That’s the story of my career.” – Mark Damon, CEO and Chairman of Foresight Unlimited
Mark Damon is a film industry innovator and revolutionary who challenged the big studio system in the late 1970s and forever changed the world of international film distribution.
Damon spent years as a typecast cowboy in Italian Westerns, but at the age of 40, decided to leave it all behind to work for an independent Italian distributor. This bold career change shot him to incredible heights in his film career and resulted in the creation of a new business structure that empowered independent distributors to take the business of big films into their own hands.
At the age of 81, he is a vibrant and inspirational leader who continues to create new roads and ways of doing business in film.
Mark shares his journey of how he transitioned from his days as a cinema cowboy to being the film mogul he is today:
How did you enter film sales & distribution?
I needed a change. I had been an actor for the first twenty years of my career. I was a New York stage actor, and studied with some of the finest acting teachers like Lee Strasberg and Sanford Meisner.
I went to Italy when I was about 28, and they put me into Westerns. I was surprised, because I had never ridden a horse in my life. Cowboys had to be tall and blond, and I’m not that tall. I had very dark hair at the time, and they said, “It doesn’t matter. You’re American.” I said ok and learned to ride a horse. Every film I did, I got hurt, because I did all my own stunts, and I became an Italian Western star. That lasted for about thirteen years.
When I was forty, I had met the woman who I wanted to marry, so I had to do something serious. Westerns were going out of style, and I was typecast as a cowboy. I needed a way to make money, because the roles were fewer and fewer. I quit after I finished my fiftieth film as a star.
It was 1973, and I was living in Rome at the time. I met an Italian distributor, and said, “ I want to work for you. I want to learn something else.” He said, “You want to work for us? You’re Mark Damon, the movie star!” They offered me a thousand dollars a month, and I learned distribution as an Italian distributor.
They really wanted me because they thought I knew everyone in Hollywood, and I could get them bigger pictures. At the time, all the independent distributors would buy a picture for ten or fifteen thousand dollars. They had no access to big pictures with big stars because the studios had control of that.
“One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest”: The One That Got Away
I had never worked for anyone before except for movie producers, so I wanted to show my new bosses that I could really perform. I said “look, there’s a picture they’re making in Seattle Washington called ‘One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest’, and the star just happens to be a good friend of mine. We used to be roommates.” I said, “I can get that picture,” so I flew to Washington.
I met with the producer Saul Zaentz, and hung out with Jack who said, “Yeah, he’ll give ya the picture. It’s ok.” I made a nice offer – $400,000 for Italy. Zaentz said he’d get back to me, and after about a week, I called him, and he said, “I’m sorry, but we’ve sold it to United Artists.” I said, “Why???” He said, “Because I could also sell Spain, Germany and France at the same time.” I was destroyed. I failed in the eyes of my bosses, and so then I became determined that this would never happen again.
The Fight Against The Big Studios begins…
I contacted my distributor friends in various European territories and said that we have to buy in mass. We have to fight the studios, because they robbed us of this great picture. We have to show that independents can distribute better than studios – I was convinced of that. Private distributors would put up their own hard earned dollars to buy a picture. They’d take more care of the picture because they were more at risk. They would change campaigns from what might only work in the U.S. to fit the cultural tastes of the Italian market or the German market etc.
I came to La and started a campaign - which lasted for years - in which I fought the studios. I went to all the producers who made studio pictures to convince them of the independent route.
One of the first I convinced was Arnon Milchan, who founded New Regency. He gave me a film called “Once Upon A Time in America.” (1984), directed by Sergio Leone. That was the first big picture that was made available to independent distributors. And that was the beginning. That broke the ice. Arnon told everyone that they were crazy not to go with me.
I then worked with Peter Guber at Casablanca Record and Filmworks. One of our pictures “Endless Love” (1981) opened in Japan, and one week later we got a $600,000 check for overages. Peter Guber went into Universal, put the check on their table and said, “This is how it works with the independents. We don’t get this from you, so I’m only going independent from now on.”
In 1983, we did more overseas business than any single major studio, and we had won the battle. We were the first ones to turn contracts into collateral that banks would fund. We said to the banks, ‘Look, these are good contracts. You may not give us 100%, but give us 50%.” That was the start of film financing through independent distributor contracts with minimum guarantees.
The ‘Crossing Model’ of the Big Studios vs. The ‘Uncrossing Model’ of the Independent Distributors
My whole thing was don’t just get the minimum guarantee. It’s possible to make money over and above that, especially when pictures are uncrossed.
When you have a studio releasing a picture, all the moneys from all the different territories including the U.S. go into a pot. Some territories might lose money, and some make money, so it wipes itself out. That’s what you call crossing. Everything is intertwined.
We keep it uncrossed, which means every territory stands on its own. So if a picture does well in Germany, but doesn’t do well in France, we’ll see moneys from Germany. If we combine that with the losses from France, we’ll see nothing. So that was the whole thing that I was telling people, is go independent and uncross. That was a campaign that went on for about seven years, until we proved that the independents could work as well as and better than the studios.
It got to the point where some guys at the studios like Universal and Paramount came to me and said, “Mark, you’re out of business. We like you. We’re friends, but you’re a danger to us.” That made me even more determined.
The Inspirational Takeaway
If you don’t succeed in the field of your dreams, you may one day succeed in the field you never dreamed of. That’s the story of my career. I succeeded only partially in the first 20 years, and during the following 20 years in the business, I succeeded to the extent that I desired. I was able to introduce a new way of doing business.
Many people say I invented this whole business, and if it weren’t for me, there might not be a foreign sales business today. That’s silly. If I hadn’t done it, somebody else would have. It was just easier for me because I was an actor. I didn’t know any better. I said, “None of this makes any sense. Why can’t we change it?” I came in with fresh ideas. If there’s something inspirational here, it’s what can be achieved if you come to a situation with no baggage, no preconceived notions while remaining open to all possibilities.
How do you feel about current changes in the business structure of distribution?
I can only think of it in terms of the projects that I get involved with. I’ve been in this business for about 40 years now. I don’t look at the other companies to try and figure out what they’re doing.
Do you still have the same passion and drive as you did twenty years ago?
I’ve basically done it all. It doesn’t ever bore me, as long as I can find new ways of bringing together projects that might never see the light. That’s what keeps me going, and it’s what keeps me alive.
Learn more about Mark Damon and Foresight Unlimited.
Mark's Biography, From Cowboy to Mogual, was covered by SydneysBuzz November 2010.
Mark Damon is a film industry innovator and revolutionary who challenged the big studio system in the late 1970s and forever changed the world of international film distribution.
Damon spent years as a typecast cowboy in Italian Westerns, but at the age of 40, decided to leave it all behind to work for an independent Italian distributor. This bold career change shot him to incredible heights in his film career and resulted in the creation of a new business structure that empowered independent distributors to take the business of big films into their own hands.
At the age of 81, he is a vibrant and inspirational leader who continues to create new roads and ways of doing business in film.
Mark shares his journey of how he transitioned from his days as a cinema cowboy to being the film mogul he is today:
How did you enter film sales & distribution?
I needed a change. I had been an actor for the first twenty years of my career. I was a New York stage actor, and studied with some of the finest acting teachers like Lee Strasberg and Sanford Meisner.
I went to Italy when I was about 28, and they put me into Westerns. I was surprised, because I had never ridden a horse in my life. Cowboys had to be tall and blond, and I’m not that tall. I had very dark hair at the time, and they said, “It doesn’t matter. You’re American.” I said ok and learned to ride a horse. Every film I did, I got hurt, because I did all my own stunts, and I became an Italian Western star. That lasted for about thirteen years.
When I was forty, I had met the woman who I wanted to marry, so I had to do something serious. Westerns were going out of style, and I was typecast as a cowboy. I needed a way to make money, because the roles were fewer and fewer. I quit after I finished my fiftieth film as a star.
It was 1973, and I was living in Rome at the time. I met an Italian distributor, and said, “ I want to work for you. I want to learn something else.” He said, “You want to work for us? You’re Mark Damon, the movie star!” They offered me a thousand dollars a month, and I learned distribution as an Italian distributor.
They really wanted me because they thought I knew everyone in Hollywood, and I could get them bigger pictures. At the time, all the independent distributors would buy a picture for ten or fifteen thousand dollars. They had no access to big pictures with big stars because the studios had control of that.
“One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest”: The One That Got Away
I had never worked for anyone before except for movie producers, so I wanted to show my new bosses that I could really perform. I said “look, there’s a picture they’re making in Seattle Washington called ‘One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest’, and the star just happens to be a good friend of mine. We used to be roommates.” I said, “I can get that picture,” so I flew to Washington.
I met with the producer Saul Zaentz, and hung out with Jack who said, “Yeah, he’ll give ya the picture. It’s ok.” I made a nice offer – $400,000 for Italy. Zaentz said he’d get back to me, and after about a week, I called him, and he said, “I’m sorry, but we’ve sold it to United Artists.” I said, “Why???” He said, “Because I could also sell Spain, Germany and France at the same time.” I was destroyed. I failed in the eyes of my bosses, and so then I became determined that this would never happen again.
The Fight Against The Big Studios begins…
I contacted my distributor friends in various European territories and said that we have to buy in mass. We have to fight the studios, because they robbed us of this great picture. We have to show that independents can distribute better than studios – I was convinced of that. Private distributors would put up their own hard earned dollars to buy a picture. They’d take more care of the picture because they were more at risk. They would change campaigns from what might only work in the U.S. to fit the cultural tastes of the Italian market or the German market etc.
I came to La and started a campaign - which lasted for years - in which I fought the studios. I went to all the producers who made studio pictures to convince them of the independent route.
One of the first I convinced was Arnon Milchan, who founded New Regency. He gave me a film called “Once Upon A Time in America.” (1984), directed by Sergio Leone. That was the first big picture that was made available to independent distributors. And that was the beginning. That broke the ice. Arnon told everyone that they were crazy not to go with me.
I then worked with Peter Guber at Casablanca Record and Filmworks. One of our pictures “Endless Love” (1981) opened in Japan, and one week later we got a $600,000 check for overages. Peter Guber went into Universal, put the check on their table and said, “This is how it works with the independents. We don’t get this from you, so I’m only going independent from now on.”
In 1983, we did more overseas business than any single major studio, and we had won the battle. We were the first ones to turn contracts into collateral that banks would fund. We said to the banks, ‘Look, these are good contracts. You may not give us 100%, but give us 50%.” That was the start of film financing through independent distributor contracts with minimum guarantees.
The ‘Crossing Model’ of the Big Studios vs. The ‘Uncrossing Model’ of the Independent Distributors
My whole thing was don’t just get the minimum guarantee. It’s possible to make money over and above that, especially when pictures are uncrossed.
When you have a studio releasing a picture, all the moneys from all the different territories including the U.S. go into a pot. Some territories might lose money, and some make money, so it wipes itself out. That’s what you call crossing. Everything is intertwined.
We keep it uncrossed, which means every territory stands on its own. So if a picture does well in Germany, but doesn’t do well in France, we’ll see moneys from Germany. If we combine that with the losses from France, we’ll see nothing. So that was the whole thing that I was telling people, is go independent and uncross. That was a campaign that went on for about seven years, until we proved that the independents could work as well as and better than the studios.
It got to the point where some guys at the studios like Universal and Paramount came to me and said, “Mark, you’re out of business. We like you. We’re friends, but you’re a danger to us.” That made me even more determined.
The Inspirational Takeaway
If you don’t succeed in the field of your dreams, you may one day succeed in the field you never dreamed of. That’s the story of my career. I succeeded only partially in the first 20 years, and during the following 20 years in the business, I succeeded to the extent that I desired. I was able to introduce a new way of doing business.
Many people say I invented this whole business, and if it weren’t for me, there might not be a foreign sales business today. That’s silly. If I hadn’t done it, somebody else would have. It was just easier for me because I was an actor. I didn’t know any better. I said, “None of this makes any sense. Why can’t we change it?” I came in with fresh ideas. If there’s something inspirational here, it’s what can be achieved if you come to a situation with no baggage, no preconceived notions while remaining open to all possibilities.
How do you feel about current changes in the business structure of distribution?
I can only think of it in terms of the projects that I get involved with. I’ve been in this business for about 40 years now. I don’t look at the other companies to try and figure out what they’re doing.
Do you still have the same passion and drive as you did twenty years ago?
I’ve basically done it all. It doesn’t ever bore me, as long as I can find new ways of bringing together projects that might never see the light. That’s what keeps me going, and it’s what keeps me alive.
Learn more about Mark Damon and Foresight Unlimited.
Mark's Biography, From Cowboy to Mogual, was covered by SydneysBuzz November 2010.
- 11/10/2014
- by Erin Grover
- Sydney's Buzz
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