Post by Kaz ~:~ on Dec 10, 2016 6:34:36 GMT -6
Wes Craven Biography
Date of Birth 2 August 1939, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
Date of Death 30 August 2015, Los Angeles, California, USA (brain cancer)
Birth Name Wesley Earl Craven
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Bio::
Wes Craven has become synonymous with genre bending and innovative horror, challenging audiences with his bold vision.
Wesley Earl Craven was born in Cleveland, Ohio, to Caroline (Miller) and Paul Eugene Craven. He had a midwestern suburban upbringing. His first feature film was The Last House on the Left (1972), which he wrote, directed, and edited. Craven reinvented the youth horror genre again in 1984 with the classic A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), a film he wrote and directed. And though he did not direct any of its five sequels, he deconstructed the genre a decade later, writing and directing the audacious New Nightmare (1994), which was nominated as Best Feature at the 1995 Independent Spirit Awards, and introduced the concept of self-reflexive genre films to the world. In 1996 Craven reached a new level of success with the release of Scream (1996). The film, which sparked the phenomenal trilogy, was the winner of MTV's 1996 Best Movie Award and grossed more than $100 million domestically, as did Scream 2 (1997). Between Scream 2 and Scream 3 (2000), Craven, offered the opportunity to direct a non-genre film for Miramax, helmed Music of the Heart (1999), a film that earned Meryl Streep an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. That same year, in the midst of directing, Craven completed his first novel, "The Fountain Society," published by Simon & Shuster. Recent works include the 2005 psychological thriller Red Eye (2005), and a short rom-com segment for the ensemble product, Paris, je t'aime (2006). Over the last few years, Craven has also produced remakes of two of his earlier films for his genre fans, The Hills Have Eyes (2006) and The Last House on the Left (2009). Craven has always had an eye for discovering fresh talent, something that contributes to the success of his films. While casting A Nightmare on Elm Street, Craven discovered the then unknown Johnny Depp. Craven later cast Sharon Stone in her first starring role for his film Deadly Blessing. He even gave Bruce Willis his first featured role in an episode of TV's mid-80's edition of The Twilight Zone.
In My Soul to Take (2010), Craven once again brought together a cast of up-and-coming young teens, including Max Thieriot, in whom he saw the spark of stardom. The film marked Craven's first collaboration with wife and producer Iya Labunka, who also produced with him the highly anticipated production of Scream 4. Craven's most recent film, Scream 4 (2011) reunites the director with Dimension Films and Kevin Williamson, as well as with stars Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette, to re-boot the beloved franchise. Craven again exhibits his knack for spotting important talent, with a cast of young actors bringing us a totally new breed of Woodsboro high schoolers, including Emma Robert and Hayden Pannetierre.
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Spouses
Iya Labunka (27 November 2004 - 30 August 2015) (his death)
Mimi Craven (25 July 1982 - 1987) (divorced)
Bonnie Broecker (1964 - 1969) (divorced) (2 children)
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On-going in-joke feud with Sam Raimi
Family issues, specifically family breakdown
His characters often use elaborate booby traps, to capture the villain
Often features strong female characters
His unglamorous depictions of sadistic and realistically brutal killers
His protagonists are often ordinary characters caught in extraordinary and Horrific circumstances
Brutal and graphic depiction of violence
Villains are often deformed and monstrous looking
His horror films often contain important social issues (e.g. The Last House on the Left, The Hills Have Eyes)
Children in his films are often deformed or brutally murdered, often by the main villain
Often featured actor Matthew Lillard in his films, even if uncredited
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Director (29 credits)
2011 Scream 4
2010 My Soul to Take
2006 Paris, je t'aime (segment "Pere-Lachaise")
2005 Red Eye
2005 Cursed
2000 Scream 3
1999 Music of the Heart
1997 Scream 2
1996 Scream
1995 Vampire in Brooklyn
1994 New Nightmare
1992 Nightmare Cafe (TV Series) (1 episode)
- Aliens Ate My Lunch (1992)
1991 The People Under the Stairs
1990 Night Visions (TV Movie)
1989 Shocker
1988 The Serpent and the Rainbow
1985-1986 The Twilight Zone (TV Series) (5 episodes)
- The Road Less Travelled (1986)
- Her Pilgrim Soul/I of Newton (1985) ... (segment "Her Pilgrim Soul")
- Act Break/The Burning Man/Dealer's Choice (1985) ... (segment "Dealer's Choice")
- Wordplay/Dreams for Sale/Chameleon (1985) ... (segments "Chameleon", "Wordplay")
- Shatterday/A Little Peace and Quiet (1985) ... (segment "Shatterday")
1986 Deadly Friend
1986 Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color (TV Series) (1 episode)
- Casebusters (1986)
1985 Chiller (TV Movie)
1984 A Nightmare on Elm Street
1984 The Hills Have Eyes Part II
1984 Invitation to Hell (TV Movie)
1982 Swamp Thing
1981 Deadly Blessing
1978 Stranger in Our House (TV Movie)
1977 The Hills Have Eyes
1975 The Fireworks Woman (as Abe Snake)
1972 The Last House on the Left