Roger Corman (April 5, 1926 – May 9, 2024) was an American film director and producer. Known under various monikers such as "The Pope of Pop Cinema", “King of the Beatnik Movies”, "The Spiritual Godfather of the New Hollywood", and "The King of Cult", he was known as a trailblazer in the world of independent film.
Corman was famously prolific, both in his American International Pictures years and afterward. The IMDb credits Corman with 55 directed films and some 385 produced films from 1954 through 2008, many as un-credited producer or executive producer (consistent with his role as head of his own New World Pictures from 1970 through 1983). Many of the features directed or produced by Corman were low-budget films that later attracted a cult following. Corman also has significant credits as writer and actor.
Film Year Title Director Producer Notes 1955 Five Guns West Apache Woman Day the World Ended 1956 Swamp Women The Oklahoma Woman It Conquered the World Gunslinger Original idea 1957 Naked Paradise Not of This Earth Attack of the Crab Monsters Rock All Night The Undead Teenage Doll Carnival Rock Sorority Girl 1958 The Saga of the Viking Women andTheir Voyage to the Waters of theGreat Sea Serpent War of the Satellites Machine-Gun Kelly She Gods of Shark Reef Teenage Caveman 1959 I Mobster A Bucket of Blood The Wasp Woman 1960 Ski Troop Attack House of Usher Last Woman on Earth The Little Shop of Horrors Also writer 1961 Atlas Creature from the Haunted Sea The Pit and the Pendulum 1962 The Premature Burial The Intruder Tales of Terror Tower of London 1963 The Young Racers The Raven The Terror Also writer The Haunted Palace X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes 1964 The Masque of the Red Death The Secret Invasion The Tomb of Ligeia 1966 The Wild Angels 1967 A Time for Killing Replaced by Phil Karlson The St. Valentine's Day Massacre The Trip 1968 The Wild Racers 1969 De Sade Took over directing from Cy Endfield Target: Harry Credited as "Henry Neill"1970 Bloody Mama Gas-s-s-s 1971 Von Richthofen and Brown 1978 Deathsport 1990 Frankenstein Unbound Also writer
Producer only Year Title Director Notes 1954 Monster from the Ocean Floor Wyott Ordung The Fast and the Furious Edward SampsonJohn Ireland Also story writer, stunt driver and 2nd unit director 1958 Night of the Blood Beast Bernard L. Kowalski 1963 Dementia 13 Francis Ford Coppola 1965 Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet Curtis Harrington 1966 Blood Bath Jack HillStephanie Rothman 1967 Devil's Angels Daniel Haller 1968 Targets Peter Bogdanovich 1970 The Dunwich Horror Daniel Haller 1972 Boxcar Bertha Martin Scorsese 1973 Sweet Kill Curtis Hanson 1974 Caged Heat Jonathan Demme Cockfighter Monte Hellman The Arena Steve CarverJoe D'Amato 1975 Death Race 2000 Paul Bartel 1976 Fighting Mad Jonathan Demme 1977 Grand Theft Auto Ron Howard I Never Promised You a Rose Garden Anthony Page 1978 Piranha Joe Dante 1979 Rock 'n' Roll High School Allan Arkush 1980 Battle Beyond the Stars Jimmy T. Murakami1981 Galaxy of Terror Bruce D. Clark Smokey Bites the Dust Charles B. Griffith 1982 Forbidden World Allan Holzman 1983 Space Raiders Howard R. Cohen Suburbia Penelope Spheeris Also presenter1986AmazonsAlejandro Sessa1987 Sweet Revenge Mark Sobel Slumber Party Massacre II Deborah Brock Munchies Bettina Hirsch 1988 Andy Colby's Incredible Adventure Deborah Brock1989 Masque of the Red Death Larry Brand The Terror Within Thierry Notz Watchers II: The Outsider Thierry Notz 1990 Naked Obsession Dan Golden Slumber Party Massacre III Sally Mattison1991 The Unborn Rodman Flender Field of FireCirio H. Santiago 1992 Killer Instinct David Tausik Munchie Jim Wynorski1993 Carnosaur Adam Simon Dracula Rising Fred Gallo The Skateboard Kid Larry Swerdlove1994 The Unborn 2 Rick Jacobson Angel of Destruction Charles Philip Moore Hellfire Rick Jacobson The Fantastic Four Oley Sassone Unreleased 1995 Carnosaur 2 Louis Morneau 1996 Carnosaur 3: Primal Species Jonathan Winfrey 1997 EruptionGwyneth Gibby 1999 The Shepherd Peter Hayman 2001 Raptor Jim Wynorski 2002 Escape from Afghanistan Timur Bekmambetov 2004 Dinocroc Kevin O'Neill Also presenter 2006 The Hunt for Eagle One Brian Clyde The Hunt for Eagle One: Crash Point 2007 Supergator Kevin O'Neill 2012 Attack of the 50 Foot Cheerleader 2014 Roger Corman's Operation Rogue Brian Clyde 2015 Fist of the Dragon Antony Szeto 2017 Death Race 2050 G.J. Echternkamp
Executive producer Year Title Director Notes 1955 The Beast with a Million Eyes David KramarskyLou PlaceDonald Myers Uncredited;Also directed some scenes 1958 Hot Car Girl Bernard L. Kowalski The Cry Baby Killer Joe Addis 1959 Attack of the Giant Leeches Bernard L. Kowalski 1960 Battle of Blood Island Joel Rapp 1976 Eat My Dust! Charles B. Griffith 1978 Avalanche Corey Allen1982SorceressJack HillHill credited as Brian Stuart1983DeathstalkerJames SbardellatiSbardellati credited as John Watson1985Barbarian QueenHéctor Olivera1987Deathstalker IIJim Wynorski 1995 Dillinger and Capone Jon Purdy 2008 Death Race Paul W. S. Anderson 2011 Death Race 2 Roel Reiné 2013 Death Race 3: Inferno 2018 Death Race: Beyond Anarchy Don Michael Paul
TV movies Producer Year Title Director 1995 Hellfire David Tausik 2006 Saurian John Carl Buechler 2010 Sharktopus Declan O'Brien 2015 Sharktopus vs. Pteracuda Kevin O'Neill Sharktopus vs. Whalewolf
Executive producer Year Title Director Notes 1978 Outside Chance Michael Miller 1980 The Georgia Peaches Daniel Haller 1994 Cheyenne Warrior Mark Griffiths1995 Suspect Device Rick JacobsonPart of the Roger Corman Presents The Alien Within Scott P. Levy Sawbones Catherine Cyran Virtual Seduction Paul Ziller Bram Stoker's Burial of the Rats Dan Golden The Wasp Woman Jim Wynorski A Bucket of Blood Michael James McDonald Piranha Scott P. Levy Terminal Virus Dan Golden 1996 Subliminal Seduction Andrew Stevens Inhumanoid Victoria Muspratt Alien Avengers Lev L. Spiro The Unspeakable Howard McCain Last Exit to Earth Katt SheaPart of the Roger Corman Presents Humanoids from the Deep Jeff Yonis 1997 Alien Avengers II Dave Payne 1999 Velocity Harvey Berman 2001 Avalanche Alley Paul Ziller 2005 Asphalt Wars Henry Crum Bloodfist 2050 Cirio H. Santiago 2007 Cry of the Winged Serpent Jim Wynorski 2010 Dinoshark Kevin O'Neill Dinocroc vs. Supergator Jim Wynorski 2011 Camel Spiders 2012 Piranhaconda
Acting roles Year Title Role Notes1954 Monster from the Ocean Floor Tommy Uncredited The Fast and the Furious Roadblock State Trooper 1957 Naked Paradise Office Worker 1958 War of the Satellites Ground Control Uncredited Hot Car Girl Cop Who Finds Note The Cry Baby Killer Joe - TV Truck Man 1959 The Wasp Woman Doctor in the Hospital 1960 Ski Troop Attack German Soldier Entering Cabin 1961 Atlas Greek soldier 1974 The Godfather Part II Senator #2 1976 Cannonball! District Attorney 1981 The Howling Man in Phone Booth Uncredited 1984 Swing Shift Mr. MacBride 1991 The Silence of the Lambs F.B.I. Director Hayden Burke 1993 Body Bags Dr. Bregman Segment "Eye" Philadelphia Mr. Roger Laird 1995 Apollo 13 Congressman 2000 Scream 3 Studio Executive 2003 Looney Tunes: Back in Action Hollywood Director
Documentary appearances Some Nudity Required (1998) Popatopolis (2009) Nightmares in Red, White, and Blue (2009) Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel (2011) Still Screaming: The Ultimate Scary Movie Retrospective (2011) Roger Corman: The Pope of Pop Cinema (2020)
Unmade and unreleased films High Steel - a "steeplejack story" (1955)"Movieland events:Paul Schofield gets Huston attention." Los Angeles Times, February 9, 1955, p. 21. Cobra - a film to be shot in India in Cinemascope (1955) with Gaby BruyèreHopper, Hedda. "Film of life at new aviation academy set for Bob Taylor." Chicago Daily Tribune, March 16, 1955, p. b6. Fortress Beneath the Sea - shot off Baja California (1955) The Kickback by John Robinson and Frank Burt"Corman takes option to film 'Kickback'." Los Angeles Times, July 24, 1955, p. d5. an adaptation of She by H. Rider Haggard for American International Pictures (late 1950s) - never made, although Corman got to travel overseas, scouting locationsScheuer, Philip K. "Shocker pioneers tell how to make monsters: Want to make a monster? Experts tell how it's done," Los Angeles Times, September 21, 1958, p. E1. Devil on Horseback - a Western based on the Brownsville Raid based on a script by Charles B. Griffith (1955)Hopper, Hedda. "Story of ex-fighter to be dramatic film." Los Angeles Times, July 12, 1955, p. 12. The Stake - a Western by George Leffert to star Dana AndrewsSchallert, Edwin. "Drama: Gable, Turner costar deal foreseen, Andrews indicated for 'Stake'." Los Angeles Times, April 24, 1956, p. 21. Part Time Mother - from a script by Charles B. GriffithGenet's 'Deathwatch' to be given locally. Los Angeles Times, December 23, 1959, p. 14. The Haunted Dream (circa 1961) - a biopic of Edgar Allan PoeScheuer, Philip K. "Warners will film Kennedy navy saga: Exploit titled 'PT Boat 109', Paul Newman, Ritt Lo repeat." Los Angeles Times, March 9, 1961, p. B11. I Flew a Spy Plane Over Russia (early 1960s) - based on the Francis Gary Powers incident with a script written by Robert Towne that Corman claims was not finished in timeCorman 1990, p. 108. a biopic on Robert E. Lee for United Artists (early 1960s)Corman 1990, p. 170. an adaptation of Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (mid-1960s) based on a script by Hugh Leonard for Columbia, which they did not want to make an adaptation of Kafka's The Penal Colony for Columbia, to be shot on the set for King Rat (1965)Corman 1990, pp. 124–125. a script by novelist Richard Yates about the Battle of Iwo Jima (circa 1965) The Long Ride Home - a Western based on a script by Robert Towne (circa 1965) Couples - based on a novel by John Updike for United Artists (circa 1971)Corman 1990, pp. 180–181. The Fantastic Four - a film produced by Corman, but never released (1993–94)
References
Bibliography
Corman, Roger and Jim Jerome, How I Made a Hundred Movies in Hollywood and Never lost a Dime. New York: Muller, 1990. .
External links Roger Corman at Allmovie