One of Hollywood’s greatest legends has died at the age of 98. Without director and producer Roger Corman, American cinema would look completely different today.
Roger Corman is dead. The filmmaker passed away on Thursday, May 9, 2024, at his home in Santa Monica, California, as Variety reports. With him, a formative, unique voice in the history of moving pictures is saying goodbye. Corman directed 56 films and produced 493.
Corman, who was born on April 5, 1925 in Detroit, Michigan, had many names in Hollywood. He has been revered as the king of B-movies for decades, which is mainly due to his way of working: He was known for making a great many films in a very short time with very little money – and with great relish for genre cinema.
Fast, cheap and groundbreaking: Roger Corman tirelessly shaped cinema for 70 years
Whether horror, science fiction or action: Corman’s filmography includes countless genre films that were made on a minimal budget and with astonishing efficiency. However, there can be no question of forgettable cheap films. In his own way, Corman’s work has left a lasting impression on the film world.
R.I.P. Roger Corman (1926-2024) pic.twitter.com/7fv5Uemhtl
– The Film Stage (@TheFilmStage) May 12, 2024
His Edgar Allan Poe adaptations with Vincent Price are particularly iconic, taking us into the deep abysses of horror cinema and making us feel the atmosphere of an uncomfortable place at every second, for example in House of Usher (1960) or The Pit and the Pendulum (1961) and The Masque of the Red Death (1964).
Shooting a movie in just two days and one night? That was no problem for Roger Corman. The Little Shop of Horrors, released in 1960, is the best example of this and reveals another quality of the filmmaker that cannot be appreciated enough: Corman was a great supporter of young talent.
From Martin Scorsese to James Cameron: half of Hollywood apprenticed under Roger Corman
With his little store full of horrors, he laid the foundation for Jack Nicholson’s career, who went on to become one of the biggest actors in Hollywood in the years that followed. Renowned directors such as Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola and James Cameron also apprenticed under Corman.
RIP Roger Corman. A great movie maker and mentor. When I was 23 he gave me my 1st shot at directing. He launched many careers & quietly lead our industry in important ways. He remained sharp, interested and active even at 98. Grateful to have known him. https://t.co/z4jT6ltuAj
– Ron Howard (@RealRonHoward) May 12, 2024
Several generations of filmmakers were able to gain their first experience on the set of a Corman film. Terminator producer Gale Anne Hurd, for example, earned her spurs here. Cinematographer Janusz Kaminski was able to hold his own as a lighting technician and gaffer. And James Horner delivered one of his first scores.
Nicolas Roeg, Ron Howard, Joe Dante, Jonathan Demme, Peter Bogdanovich: the list is long – very, very long. Sometimes you get the impression that Corman trained half of Hollywood. For the voices of New Hollywood cinema in particular, he was an important forerunner and influence with his approach to filmmaking.
