SANTA MONICA—Filmmaker and producer, Roger Corman, known for his B-movies that dominated the 70s, 80s and 90s, died on Thursday, May 9 at his home in Santa Monica at the age of 98. His family released the following statement on X announcing Roger’s passing:
“It is with profound sadness, and boundless gratitude for his extraordinary life, that we remember our beloved husband and father, Roger Corman. He passed away on May 9th, at home in Santa Monica, California, surrounded by his family. He is survived by his wife Julie and his daughters Catherine and Mary. He was generous, open-hearted and kind to all those who knew him. A devoted and selfless father, he was deeply loved by his daughters. His films were revolutionary and iconoclastic, and captured the spirit of an age. When asked how he would like to be remembered, he said, ‘I was a filmmaker, just that.’”
The filmmaker was born in Detroit, Michigan on April 5, 1926. The family moved to Beverly Hills when he was 14. He went to Beverly Hills High School and graduated from Stanford University with a degree in industrial engineering.
Corman is known for helping launch the careers of directors like Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola. He was instrumental in giving acting titan Jack Nicholson his start in the film “The Cry Baby Killer.” Other actors and actresses that Corman helped launch careers for included Peter Fonda, William Shatner, Dianne Ladd and Bruce Dern to name a few.
During his career, he directed/produced over 300 films, many of them low-budget horror flicks that turned a profit for the filmmaker. Corman is responsible for the distribution of many films for acclaimed foreign directors that included Akira Kurosawa from Japan, Ingmar Bergman from Sweden, Federico Fellini from Italy and Francois Trauffaut from France to name a few. He produced his first feature film, “Monster from the Ocean Floor” in 1954 for a mere $12,000. He had a deal with major movie studios including Columbia Pictures, United Artists and 20th Century Fox.
He received an honorary Academy Award in 2009 at the Governors Awards. Some of his iconic films include “The Little Shop of Horrors” (1960), “A Bucket of Blood” (1959) and “The Cry Baby Killer” (1958). He appeared in several movies during his career which include “The Godfather: Part II,” “Philadelphia” and “The Silence of the Lambs.”
Director of the 1978 horror classic, John Carpenter posted on X:
“Roger Corman, one of the most influential movie directors in my life, has passed away. It was my privilege to know him. He was a great friend. H shaped my childhood with science fiction movies and Edgar Allen Poe epics. I’ll miss you Roger.”
Producer Gale Ann Hurd posted the following statement on social media:
“Roger Corman was my very first boss, my lifetime mentor and my hero. Roger was one of the greatest visionaries in the history of cinema. I am absolutely devastated by his loss and send my love and deepest condolences to the Corman family.”
By Trevor