Robert Jonathan Demme ( ; February 22, 1944 – April 26, 2017) was an American film director, producer and screenwriter of film and television who earned widespread acclaim. Originally beginning his career under B-movie producer Roger Corman, Demme made his directorial debut with the 1974 women-in-prison film Caged Heat, before becoming known for his casually humanist films such as Melvin and Howard (1980), Swing Shift (1984), Something Wild (1986), and Married to the Mob (1988).
His subsequent films earned similar acclaim, notably Philadelphia (1993) and Rachel Getting Married (2008). Demme also directed numerous concert films such as Stop Making Sense (1984), Heart of Gold (2006), and Justin Timberlake + The Tennessee Kids (2016), and worked on several television series as both a producer and director. ==Early life== Demme was born on February 22, 1944 in Baldwin, New York, the son of Dorothy Louise (née Rogers) and Robert Eugene Demme, a public relations executive.
Jonathon used several of the same actors for both movies. Subsequently, his films included an adaptation of Toni Morrison's Beloved (1998), and remakes of two films from the 1960s: The Truth About Charlie (2002), based on Charade, that starred Mark Wahlberg in the Cary Grant role; and The Manchurian Candidate (2004), with Denzel Washington and Meryl Streep.
President Jimmy Carter's promotional tour publicizing his book Peace Not Apartheid, had its premiere at the Venice Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival. His art-house hit Rachel Getting Married (2008) was compared by many critics to Demme's films of the late 1970s and 1980s.
Robert Jonathan Demme ( ; February 22, 1944 – April 26, 2017) was an American film director, producer and screenwriter of film and television who earned widespread acclaim. Originally beginning his career under B-movie producer Roger Corman, Demme made his directorial debut with the 1974 women-in-prison film Caged Heat, before becoming known for his casually humanist films such as Melvin and Howard (1980), Swing Shift (1984), Something Wild (1986), and Married to the Mob (1988).
After Fighting Mad, Demme directed the comedy film Handle with Care (originally titled Citizens Band, 1977) for Paramount Pictures.
President Jimmy Carter's promotional tour publicizing his book Peace Not Apartheid, had its premiere at the Venice Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival. His art-house hit Rachel Getting Married (2008) was compared by many critics to Demme's films of the late 1970s and 1980s.
In 1981, he directed a series of commercials for the liberal advocacy group People for the American Way.
Demme ended up renouncing the finished product, and when the film was released in May 1984, it was generally panned by critics and neglected by moviegoers.
In 1985, he directed a video for Artists United Against Apartheid.
In addition to his role on the board, he curated and hosted a monthly series called "Rarely Seen Cinema". ==Style== Throughout 1986–2004, Demme was known for his dramatic close-ups in films.
He also produced a compilation of Haitian music called Konbit: Burning Rhythms of Haiti that was released in 1989.
as one of his 'picks of 1989'). Demme was on the board of directors at Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville, New York.
His direction of the 1991 psychological horror film The Silence of the Lambs (1991), won him the Academy Award for Best Director.
He was the uncle of film director Ted Demme, who died in 2002.
It was included in many 2008 "best of" lists, and received numerous awards and nominations, including an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress by lead Anne Hathaway.
In 2010, Demme made his first foray into theater, directing Family Week, a play by Beth Henley.
In 2013, he returned to Oberlin as part of an alumni reunion during the class of 2013 graduation ceremony and received the award for Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts. Demme was an avid collector and devotee of Haitian art; in particular of Hector Hyppolite; so much so that he called it "an addiction".
In 2014, he held an auction in Philadelphia selling thousands from his collection, much of which was donated to a cultural center in Port-au-Prince. ==Death== Demme died at his home in Manhattan on April 26, 2017, from complications from esophageal cancer and heart disease; he was 73. Director Brady Corbet dedicated his 2018 film Vox Lux to Demme's memory, as did Luca Guadagnino with his 2018 film Suspiria and Paul Thomas Anderson with his 2017 film Phantom Thread.
Robert Jonathan Demme ( ; February 22, 1944 – April 26, 2017) was an American film director, producer and screenwriter of film and television who earned widespread acclaim. Originally beginning his career under B-movie producer Roger Corman, Demme made his directorial debut with the 1974 women-in-prison film Caged Heat, before becoming known for his casually humanist films such as Melvin and Howard (1980), Swing Shift (1984), Something Wild (1986), and Married to the Mob (1988).
In 2014, he held an auction in Philadelphia selling thousands from his collection, much of which was donated to a cultural center in Port-au-Prince. ==Death== Demme died at his home in Manhattan on April 26, 2017, from complications from esophageal cancer and heart disease; he was 73. Director Brady Corbet dedicated his 2018 film Vox Lux to Demme's memory, as did Luca Guadagnino with his 2018 film Suspiria and Paul Thomas Anderson with his 2017 film Phantom Thread.
In 2014, he held an auction in Philadelphia selling thousands from his collection, much of which was donated to a cultural center in Port-au-Prince. ==Death== Demme died at his home in Manhattan on April 26, 2017, from complications from esophageal cancer and heart disease; he was 73. Director Brady Corbet dedicated his 2018 film Vox Lux to Demme's memory, as did Luca Guadagnino with his 2018 film Suspiria and Paul Thomas Anderson with his 2017 film Phantom Thread.
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