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Known for his imaginative filmmaking style and offbeat sense of humor, Sam Raimi first achieved fame as the writer and director of the cult classic The Evil Dead, which was an immediate sensation following its debut at the 1982 Cannes International Film Market. The success of The Evil Dead spawned the equally impressive Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn. Raimi completed and reinvented the trilogy with Army of Darkness, a sword-and-sorcery fantasy. The Evil Dead films have become an institution among horror enthusiasts, who have created a Broadway musical and comic books inspired by Ash, the series' iconic hero.

A Simple Plan, Raimi's critically acclaimed suspense thriller, received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for star Billy Bob Thornton. The director's additional credits include the supernatural thriller The Gift, which starred Cate Blanchett, Hilary Swank and Keanu Reeves; Darkman, which starred Liam Neeson and Frances McDormand; and The Quick and the Dead which starred Leonardo DiCaprio, Sharon Stone, Russell Crowe and Gene Hackman.

Raimi also directed the Spider-Man trilogy. The internationally beloved franchise broke box-office records and garnered five Academy Award nominations. The three Spider-Man films starred Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst and James Franco. Along with longtime producing partner Rob Tapert, Raimi formed Ghost House Pictures in 2002. Ghost House is dedicated to the financing, development and distribution of high-concept genre films. Ghost House's impressive roster of releases includes The Grudge, 30 Days of Night, The Messengers and Boogeyman.

Tapert and Raimi were executive producers on the landmark syndicated series Xena: Warrior Princess, which starred Lucy Lawless in the title role and ran for six seasons. Raimi and Tapert also executive produced the enormously popular Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, as well as the CBS series American Gothic.

Raimi also served as executive producer for John Woo's Hard Target, and co-wrote (with Joel and Ethan Coen) The Hudsucker Proxy, starring Tim Robbins, Paul Newman and Jennifer Jason Leigh. Raimi's interest in filmmaking began as a youngster in Michigan, where he directed his own super-8 films. Later, he left Michigan State University to form Renaissance Pictures with Tapert and longtime friend and actor Bruce Campbell.

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