More George A. Romero Bios & Profiles
The most recent George A. Romero biography is published on the main page.
Biography #2 (for George A. Romero's Land of the Dead)
George A. Romero is considered the father of the modern horror film. His first feature, Night of the Living Dead (1968), re-defined the genre, not only with its explicit violence, but also with a satirical view of American society that reflected the turmoil of the times.Known for his intelligence, innovation and sensitivity as a filmmaker, in addition to his uncanny ability to scare, Romero made short films, industrials and commercials before co-writing, directing, filming and editing Night of the Living Dead. The film, made on a budget of $114,000, is a stark parable of the American family consuming itself and still retains the power to shock and surprise.
He did several additional low-budget films in Pittsburgh before solidifying his reputation as a master of the genre with remarkable films: Martin (1978), a lyrical, poignant and deeply disturbing story of a lonely boy who is convinced he is a vampire; and Dawn of the Dead (1979), set in a typical suburban shopping mall where a band of struggling survivors is beset by zombies and their own personal demons. A powerful, apocalyptic action film leavened with Romero's signature pitch-black wit, the movie became one of the most profitable independent productions in film history.
Romero continued to do interesting work throughout the '80s and '90s. His films during this period included Knightriders (1981), a heartfelt film based on Arthurian legend, in which Ed Harris played the leader of a troupe that stages medieval fairs with knights jousting on motorcycles instead of horses; Creepshow (1982), a smart and boldly stylized film was a more mainstream project, featuring a script by Stephen King, higher production values and a cast of well-known actors; and Day of the Dead (1985), a progressive, eerily claustrophobic film, which was the ostensible finale to Romero's zombie trilogy.
1988 brought the production of Monkey Shines (1988), Romero's first studio-developed film, which was hailed by Newsweek as a white-knuckle triumph. Two Evil Eyes (1990), a collaboration with Italian fright-meister Dario Argento, was comprised of two vignettes inspired by Edgar Allan Poe short stories. Stephen King and Romero teamed again in 1993 for The Dark Half, which starred Tim Hutton in a superb dual performance. The movie was praised by critics and is considered among the most thoughtful of the many Stephen King adaptations.
In 2000 Romero made Bruiser, a taut, frightening and highly original tale of revenge, which at the time was his most exciting, stylish and accomplished film.
Romero's latest film, Land of the Dead, starring Simon Baker, Dennis Hopper, Asia Argento, Robert Joy and John Leguizamo, is the first in a new series of heart-stopping zombie films and is bound to re-invent the franchise he invented. Produced by Mark Canton, Bernie Goldmann and Peter Grunwald, the Atmosphere Entertainment MM production is scheduled for release this summer by Universal Pictures.
Bio courtesy Universal Pictures for "George A. Romero's Land of the Dead" (06-Jul-2005)
Biography #3
George A. Romero is an American director, writer, editor, actor and composer.He was born and grew up in New York City, and attended Pittsburgh's Carnegie Mellon University. After graduation, he began shooting mostly short films and commercials. He and friends formed Image Ten Productions in the late 1960s and they all chipped in roughly $10,000 apiece to produce what became one of the most celebrated horror films of all time, which he had written together with John A. Russo: Night of the Living Dead (1968). The movie became a cult classic in the 1970s.
Romero's next films were less popular: There's Always Vanilla (1971), The Crazies (1973), Season of the Witch (1973) and Martin (1978). Though not as acclaimed as Night of the Living Dead or some of his later work, these films had his signature social commentary while dealing with issues (usually horror-related) at the microscopic level. And like almost all of his films, they were shot in or around Romero's favorite city of Pittsburgh.
In 1978, Romero returned to the zombie genre with Dawn of the Dead (1978). Shot on just $1.5 million, the film earned over $40m worldwide and was named one of the top cult films by Entertainment Weekly in 2003.
The decline of Romero's career came in the late 1980s. His last majorly-released film was the final piece of the Dead trilogy, Day of the Dead (movie) (1985).
Romero still lives in Pittsburgh.
Article text released under CC-BY-SA. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "George A. Romero" (11-Jan-2004)