Roger Corman: Cult director and “master of B-movies” is dead

Roger Corman: Cult director and “master of B-movies” is dead

Roger Corman is dead. The legendary director is considered a defining figure in cinema history and was a mentor to many Hollywood stars. He was 98 years old.

Some call him the “master of trash TV”, others the “king of B movies” – the independent director Roger Corman was involved in more than 500 films and was awarded an honorary Oscar for his work. He is also considered the discoverer of Hollywood greats such as Robert De Niro and Jack Nicholson. Now the filmmaker and producer from Detroit has died.

According to a statement from his family, Corman died on Thursday at the age of 98 at his home in Santa Monica, California. “He was generous, open-hearted and kind to all who knew him,” the statement said. “When asked how he would like to be remembered, he said, ‘I was a filmmaker, just that.'”

Supporter of Hollywood’s most famous filmmakers

From 1955 onwards, Roger Corman was involved as a producer and director in the creation of hundreds of B movies. He also provided work and became a mentor to aspiring filmmakers such as James Cameron, Francis Ford Coppola, Ron Howard and Martin Scorsese. He also supported actors such as the aforementioned Jack Nicholson and Robert De Niro, as well as Bruce Dern and Peter Fonda.

According to the film database IMDB, he produced 493 films and directed 56 works, including “The Fast and the Furios,” “Grand Theft Auto” and 1958’s “The Cry Baby Killer,” the film debut of Jack Nicholson. For his extraordinary contributions to the further development of the film, Corman was awarded an honorary Oscar in 2009.

In his acceptance speech, according to The Hollywood Reporter, he applauded those who take risks: “A lot of my friends and people who started with me are here tonight, and they’re all succeeding,” he said. “Some of them were successful to an extraordinary degree. And I think they were successful because they had the courage to take risks. But they gambled because they knew the odds were in their favor; they knew that they had the ability to create what they wanted to create.” The director added that he believes “that the best films today are made by original, innovative filmmakers who have the courage to dare and take risks.”

Roger Corman, a “visionary in cinema history”

“Roger Corman was my first boss, my lifelong mentor and my hero,” wrote film producer Gale Anne Hurd, known for “Terminator,” among others, on the online service X. She praised Corman as “one of the greatest visionaries in cinema history.” And the director Ron Howard, known for “A Beautiful Mind” among other things, also wrote on X that Corman got him his first job when he was only 23 years old. “He launched many careers and quietly shaped our industry. I am grateful to have known him.”

Source: Stern

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