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Roger Corman

Actor, Producer, Director, Writer

5 April 1926 — 9 May 2024 (98 years)
Roger William Corman (April 5, 1926 – May 9, 2024) was an American film director, producer and actor. Known under various monikers such as "The Pope of Pop Cinema", “The King of The B’s”, "The Spiritual Godfather of the New Hollywood", and "The King of Cult", he was known as a trailblazer in the world of independent film.

Many of the more than 500 features directed or produced by Corman were low-budget films that later attracted a cult following, such as The Little Shop of Horrors (1960), The Intruder (1962), X: The Man with the X-ray Eyes (1963), and the counterculture films, The Wild Angels (1966) and The Trip (1967). House of Usher (1960) became the first of eight films directed by Corman that were adapted from the tales of Edgar Allan Poe, and which collectively came to be known as the "Poe Cycle".

In 1964, Corman became the youngest filmmaker to have a retrospective at the Cinémathèque française, as well as in the British Film Institute and the Museum of Modern Art. He was the co-founder of New World Pictures, the founder of New Concorde and was a longtime member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In 2009, he was awarded an Academy Honorary Award "for his rich engendering of films and filmmakers".

Corman was also famous for handling the U.S. distribution of many films by noted foreign directors, including Federico Fellini (Italy), Ingmar Bergman (Sweden), François Truffaut (France) and Akira Kurosawa (Japan). He mentored and gave a start to many young film directors such as Francis Ford Coppola, Ron Howard, Martin Scorsese, Jonathan Demme, Peter Bogdanovich, Joe Dante, John Sayles, and James Cameron, and was highly influential in the New Hollywood filmmaking movement of the 1960s and 1970s. He also helped to launch the careers of actors like Peter Fonda, Jack Nicholson, Dennis Hopper, Bruce Dern, Diane Ladd, and William Shatner.

Movies & Shows on Plex

  • The Howling
    The Howling1981
  • The Brood
    The Brood1979
  • Piranha
    Piranha1978
  • The Little Shop of Horrors
    The Little Shop of Horrors1960
  • The Slumber Party Massacre
    The Slumber Party Massacre1982
  • Chopping Mall
    Chopping Mall1986
  • Breaker Morant
    Breaker Morant1980
  • Sharktopus
    Sharktopus2010
  • Body Bags
    Body Bags1993
  • The Gunfighter
    The Gunfighter1950
  • Monster (Humanoids from the Deep)
    Monster (Humanoids from the Deep)1980
  • Rock 'n' Roll High School
    Rock 'n' Roll High School1979
  • Battle Beyond the Stars
    Battle Beyond the Stars1980
  • Galaxy of Terror
    Galaxy of Terror1981
  • The Terror
    The Terror1963
  • The Man with the X-Ray Eyes
    The Man with the X-Ray Eyes1963
  • A Bucket of Blood
    A Bucket of Blood1959
  • Starcrash
    Starcrash1978
  • Slumber Party Massacre II
    Slumber Party Massacre II1987
  • Deathstalker
    Deathstalker1983

Known For

  • Fitzcarraldo
    Fitzcarraldo1982
  • Autumn Sonata
    Autumn Sonata1978
  • The Brood
    The Brood1979
  • Death Race
    Death Race2008
  • Little Shop of Horrors
    Little Shop of Horrors1986
  • Piranha
    Piranha1978
  • The Tin Drum
    The Tin Drum1979
  • The Little Shop of Horrors
    The Little Shop of Horrors1960
  • Pit and the Pendulum
    Pit and the Pendulum1961
  • The Masque of the Red Death
    The Masque of the Red Death1964
  • The Fall of the House of Usher
    The Fall of the House of Usher1960
  • Death Race 2000
    Death Race 20001975
  • The Raven
    The Raven1963
  • Boxcar Bertha
    Boxcar Bertha1972
  • The Haunted and the Hunted
    The Haunted and the Hunted1963
  • Chopping Mall
    Chopping Mall1986
  • The Story of Adele H
    The Story of Adele H1975
  • The Haunted Palace
    The Haunted Palace1963
  • Tales of Terror
    Tales of Terror1962
  • The Terror
    The Terror1963

Filmography

2022
Charles Band's Full Moon Freakshow
2016
Edgar Allan Poe: Buried Alive
2013
Extraordinary Tales · as Prince Prospero (voice) (segment 'the Masque Of The Red Death')
2013
Going Attractions: The Definitive Story of the American Drive-in Movie
2012
Attack of the 50 Foot Cheerleader · as Dean HinkleOn Plex
2010
Sharktopus · as Beach BumOn Plex
2010
Dinoshark · as Dr. Frank ReevesOn Plex
2008
Rachel Getting Married · as Wedding Guest
2007
Searchers 2.0 · as Producer (flashback)On Plex
2005
Bullets Over Hollywood
2004
The Manchurian Candidate · as Mr. Secretary
2003
Looney Tunes: Back in Action · as Hollywood Director
2000
Scream 3 · as Studio Executive
1997
The Second Civil War · as Sandy Collins
1997
The Practice · as John Matlin
1996
E! True Hollywood Story
1995
Apollo 13 · as Congressman
1994
Runaway Daughters · as Mr. Randolph
1994
Rebel Highway · as Mr. Randolph
1993
Philadelphia · as Mr. Laird
1993
Body Bags · as Dr. BregmanOn Plex
1992
The Godfather Trilogy: 1901-1980 · as Senator #2
1991
The Silence of the Lambs · as Fbi Director Hayden Burke
1989
Lords of the Deep · as Corporate Executive (uncredited)On Plex
1984
Swing Shift · as Mr. Macbride
1982
The State of Things · as The Lawyer
1981
The Howling · as Man In Phone Booth (uncredited)On Plex
1977
The Godfather: A Novel for Television · as Senator #2
1976
Cannonball! · as District AttorneyOn Plex
1975
Tidal Wave · as President Of The United States (voice)
1974
The Godfather Part II · as Senator #2
1969
Target: Harry · as Man On Phone
1966
Blood Bath · as Antonio Sordi (in Flashback) (uncredited)On Plex
1963
The Young Racers · as Man Outside Monaco Hotel (uncredited)
1961
Atlas · as Greek Soldier (uncredited)
1960
Ski Troop Attack · as German Officer (uncredited)On Plex
1960
Battle of Blood Island · as Soldier On Hilltop (uncredited)On Plex
1959
The Wasp Woman · as Hospital Doctor (uncredited)On Plex
1958
The Cry Baby Killer · as Joe - Tv Truck Man (uncredited)On Plex
1958
Hot Car Girl · as Cop Who Finds Note (uncredited)
1958
War of the Satellites · as Ground Control (uncredited)On Plex
1957
Naked Paradise · as Office Worker (uncredited)
1955
Day the World Ended · as Nelson - Louise's Fiancée In Framed Photograph (uncredited)On Plex
1954
The Fast and the Furious · as Roadblock State Trooper (uncredited)On Plex
1954
Monster from the Ocean Floor · as Tommy (uncredited)