Filmmaker and producer Roger Corman died this Thursday, May 9 at the age of 96. He had directed more than 50 feature films and had given a chance or advised Jack Nicholson, Francis Ford Coppola, James Cameron and Martin Scorsese.
On May 27, 2023, he was invited by the Cannes Film Festival to award the Grand Prize of the 76th Festival (to The Zone of Interest) in the company of his biggest fan, Quentin Tarantino, who presented him as “his hero”. Legend (and personality apart) of Hollywood, prolific producer and discoverer of today’s essential talents, Roger Corman passed away this Thursday, May 9 in his house in Santa Monica, California, surrounded by his loved ones, according to our colleagues at Variety. He was 98 years old.
On the stage of the Palais des Festivals, a year ago, he said to the long standing ovation reserved for him: “Wow, Cannes! Finally! What a joy to share this scene with Quentin. My cinema knows no inhibitions, it is full of excess, of laughter and I have the impression that Cannes is too. is the most interesting film festival in the world and you are all lucky to be part of it.
They left us in 2024: Carl Weathers, Akira Toriyama…
Talent scout
After studying engineering, Roger Corman joined the 20th Century in 1948 and gradually rose through the ranks of the company. major Hollywood.
In the mid-1950s, he began a very prolific artistic career which saw him alternate between the functions of producer, distributor, screenwriter and actor. At the same time, he asserted himself as the discoverer of numerous talents such as Martin Scorsese, James Cameron, Sylvester Stallone, Jack Nicholson, Brian De Palma, Robert De Niro and Ron Howard.
Director
It was by founding the company American International Pictures (AIP) with Samuel Z. Arkoff and James H. Nicholson that Roger Corman achieved success.
All genres are tackled by the American, but he reveals himself from 1960 with the production of horror films: Little Shop of Horrors then eight films adapted from works by Edgar Allan Poe such as The Fall of the House of Usher, The Torture Chamber and The Empire of Terror.
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Jack Nicholson in “Little Shop of Horrors” by Roger Corman
Behind the camera, Roger Corman only distinguished himself for around fifteen years. He made his debut in 1955 with the western Five guns in the Westand will not stop until 1990, after the release of The Resurrection of Frankenstein, with John Hurt and Bridget Fonda.
Tireless actor and producer
He then focused on his acting career. We see him in big productions like The Silence of the Lambs, Philadelphia, Apollo 13 or Scream 3. Francis Ford Coppola also offered him a role as a senator in The Godfather, Part 2 in 1972.
As a producer, whether directly or indirectly involved, Roger Corman can be linked to more than 500 films, an impressive number explained by the fact that AIP distributed one film per month or more for years. There were 18 feature films in 1957 alone.
Francis Ford Coppola on our microphone, spoke of Roger Corman and his contribution to the film industry: