Post by jdv on May 12, 2024 13:22:44 GMT -5
DETROIT native and B-movie king (although he hated the term) Roger Corman has died at 98.
He gave some of the biggest names in Hollywood history their first chance to break into the industry. And I really do mean big names - James Cameron, Martin Scorsese, Ron Howard, Francis Ford Coppola, Jack Nickleson, Peter Fonda, James Horner - are just a smattering of the people Corman believed in when no one else did.
And of course there are even more actors that got big breaks, including Robert DeNiro. He also cast famous actors who hadn't worked in while like Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre and Basil Rathbone - giving a whole new generation an appreciation for their particular talents.
He also secured American distribution for smaller European films that otherwise never would have seen the light of day here, including THE TIN DRUM and AMACORD - both of which later won Oscars.
Corman himself was given an honorary Oscar in 2009, and no one deserved it more. A personal hero of mine, Corman somehow managed to never get swallowed by ick that Hollywood is, but rather instead was one of those few pillars of normal and decent. As far as I know, he never cheated anyone out of a dime, and was a loyal family man.
He once boasted that none of his films lost money and that he never fired a director (even when perhaps he should have). So here's to one of the greatest people in Hollywood history.
RIP
