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Sam Raimi - Biography

Samuel Marshall "Sam" Raimi (October 23, 1959) is an American film director, producer, actor and writer. He is best known for directing cult horror films like the Evil Dead series, Darkman and Drag Me to Hell, as well as the blockbuster Spider-Man films and the producer of the successful TV series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Xena: Warrior Princess, Legend of the Seeker and Spartacus: Blood and Sand.

Contents

Early life

Raimi, the fourth of five children, was born in Royal Oak, Michigan, and grew up in Birmingham, Michigan. He was raised in Conservative Judaism; his ancestors immigrated from Russia and Hungary. Raimi attended Groves High School, and Michigan State University and majored in English, leaving after three semesters to film The Evil Dead. He is Ted Raimi's older brother.

Film

Raimi became fascinated with making films when his father brought a movie camera home one day and he began to make Super 8 movies with childhood friend Bruce Campbell. In college, he teamed up with his brother's roommate Robert Tapert and Campbell to shoot Within the Woods (1978), a 32-minute horror film which raised $375,000, as well as the short comedic film It's Murder!. Through family, friends, and a network of investors Raimi was able to finance production of the highly successful horror film The Evil Dead (1981) which became a cult hit and effectively launched Raimi's career. He began work on his second film Crimewave (1985), intended as a live-action comic book—the film was not successful, due in part to unwanted studio intervention. Raimi returned to the horror genre with the seminal Evil Dead II (which added slapstick humor to the over the top horror, showcasing his love of the Three Stooges). With his brother Ivan Raimi (and crediting himself as Celia Abrams), Sam Raimi also wrote Easy Wheels (1989), a parody of the Outlaw biker film genre. A long-time comic book buff, he then attempted to adapt "The Shadow" into a movie, but was unable to secure the rights, so he created his own super-hero, Darkman (1990). The film was his first major studio picture, and was only moderately successful, but he was still able to secure funding for Evil Dead III which was retitled Army of Darkness, which turned away almost totally from horror in favor of fantasy and comedy elements. Army of Darkness was a box office flop, yet on video became a cult classic, Army of Darkness was the final movie in the Evil Dead trilogy.

In the 1990s Raimi moved into other genres, directing such films as the western The Quick and the Dead (starring Sharon Stone and Gene Hackman), the critically acclaimed crime thriller A Simple Plan (1998) (starring Bill Paxton and Billy Bob Thornton), and the romantic drama For Love of the Game (1999) (starring Kevin Costner). Raimi achieved great critical and commercial success with the blockbuster Spider-Man (2002), which was adapted from the comic book series of the same name. The movie has grossed over $800 million worldwide, spawning two sequels: Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3, both directed by Raimi and both grossing roughly $800 million each. After the completion of the third Spider-Man film, Raimi is slated to direct a film adaptation of The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett. Prior to directing the Spider-Man films, Raimi lobbied to direct Batman Forever when Tim Burton was ousted from the director's chair, but was rejected in favor of Joel Schumacher, whose reputation at the time outshone Raimi's.

Raimi frequently collaborates with Joel and Ethan Coen, beginning when Joel was one of the editors of Evil Dead. The Coens co-wrote Crimewave and The Hudsucker Proxy with Raimi in the mid-1980s (though Hudsucker was not filmed for almost a decade). Raimi made cameo appearances in Miller's Crossing, The Hudsucker Proxy, as well as with Joel Coen in Spies Like Us. The Coen brothers gave Raimi advice on shooting in snow for A Simple Plan, based on their experiences with Fargo. He has also worked in front of the camera with Miller's Crossing as a coldblooded gunman, The Stand as a dimwitted hitman, John Carpenter's Body Bags in an unusual role as a gas station attendant (all three roles saw Raimi dying in distinct ways), and Indian Summer in what is perhaps his biggest role as a bumbling assistant to Alan Arkin. The film was written by his childhood friend writer-director Mike Binder and shot at the camp that they both attended when they were younger. He also produced The Grudge, The Grudge 2 and The Grudge 3. According to Entertainment Weekly, Raimi had expressed an interest in directing a film version of The Hobbit, the prequel to the Lord of the Rings trilogy. In 2008, Guillermo del Toro was selected as the director, with Peter Jackson as the executive producer. Raimi may direct By Any Means Necessary, the next film based on the "Jack Ryan" CIA character created by Tom Clancy. Disney also approached him to direct W.I.T.C.H.: The Movie, based on the popular same-name comic.

Blizzard Entertainment announced on July 22, 2009 that Sam Raimi will be directing a film based on the Warcraft universe.

On 23 September 2009 he became the producer for the British supernatural thriller "Refuge" which is directed by Corin Hardy and published by Mandate Pictures. He will produce the remake of the Danish thriller The Substitute which will be directed by Scott Dickerson under his new Label Spooky Pictures. Raimi produced with his company Ghost House Pictures the British thriller flick Burst 3D, which is directed by Neil Marshall.

Raimi is set to direct Oz The Great and Powerful, a prequel to The Wizard of Oz, which will be released in 2013 by Walt Disney Pictures.

On December 11, 2006, the website SuperHero Hype reported that director Sam Raimi and Michael Uslan will co-produce a new Shadow film for Columbia Pictures. On October 16, 2007, Raimi stated that: "I don't have any news on 'The Shadow' at this time, except that the company that I have with Josh Donen, my producing partner, we've got the rights to 'The Shadow.' I love the character very much and we're trying to work on a story that'll do justice to the character." On January 29, 2010, it was reported that Sam Raimi was searching for a new project after it was announced that the Spider-Man movie franchise would be rebooted without him. The Shadow was said to be at the top of his list. On Thursday, August 5, 2010, it was reported that Quentin Tarantino - who was attached as a co-writer for the script - has now been attached to direct as well. However, Tarantino declined this rumor, reportedly saying "That's totally made up."

On July 13, 2011 it was confirmed that Raimi along with Bruce Campbell and Rob Tapert would produce the remake of Raimi's classic, The Evil Dead. Raimi will turn writing and directing duties over to first-time feature filmmaker, Fede Alvarez. Diablo Cody has been also brought in to revise/rewrite the script.

Television

In addition to film, Raimi has worked in television, producing such series as Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and its spin off Xena: Warrior Princess, both featuring his younger brother Ted Raimi and long-time friend Bruce Campbell, American Gothic, Cleopatra 2525, M.A.N.T.I.S., ', Young Hercules, and Jack of All Trades. In 2008, it was announced at Comic-Con in San Diego that Raimi would be executive producing a new syndicated TV series called Legend of the Seeker, based on Terry Goodkind's best-selling The Sword of Truth fantasy series. He is also the executive producer of Starz original television series Spartacus: Blood and Sand and Spartacus: Gods of the Arena.

Recurring trademarks, motifs, and partners

In his film and television projects, Raimi's brother Ted Raimi and his friend Bruce Campbell often appear in on-screen roles, though these appearances are often just cameos. The trio have been working together since their college days. Both Ted and Bruce have appeared in all three Evil Dead and Spider-Man movies, as well as Hercules: the Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess, which Sam produced. In the Dead films, Campbell plays the recurring star role of Ash, while Ted played various small parts every time. In the Spider Man films, however, Ted plays Daily Bugle advertising manager Ted Hoffman, while Campbell has played different roles every time. In Hercules and Xena, Ted and Bruce played the recurring roles of Joxer and Autolycus. Raimi occasionally appears on-screen in his own movies, usually in similar fashion to the cameos made by his idol Alfred Hitchcock: A silhouette behind a projection screen (Spider-Man, in the wrestling scene), a passer-by with some kind of physical interaction with the film's protagonist (Spider-Man 2, as the student whose bookbag hits Peter Parker in the back of the head), a hitchhiking fisherman accompanied by Robert Tapert in The Evil Dead. Raimi also wears a suit with white shirt and tie on-set in another homage to Hitchcock. An adept fan will also notice Raimi's recurring usage of soda crackers as a back prop.

Raimi often works with film editor Bob Murawski, a fellow Michigan State University alumnus; among Raimi's films edited by Murawski include the Spider-Man movies, The Gift, and Army of Darkness. He also frequently collaborates with composer Joseph LoDuca, another acquaintance from Michigan who has provided to scores to most of his films. Raimi has included a 1973 yellow Oldsmobile Delta 88 automobile (nicknamed "The Classic") in every film including The Quick and the Dead ("Somewhere...somewhere hidden. Only I know. I'll never tell"). Bruce Campbell, at Comic-con 2005, revealed that a special covered wagon frame had covered the vehicle to maintain the motif of the film. The yellow Oldsmobile also appeared in Drag Me to Hell, driven by the elderly gypsy woman. A bottle of Maker's Mark also appears regularly in his movies.

Other Raimi screen-framing trademarks include:

  • A distinctive camera shot where the camera follows a moving object (such as an arrow or a projectile weapon) at high speeds creating a first-person point of view from the object itself;
  • A rapid dolly shot to bring a far-off object suddenly into the center of the shot or to pull back from the main focal object to show what is happening around the perimeter (sometimes called "push-pull");
  • Montage sequences with overlapping close-up shots to establish a set of similar actions over elapsing time.
  • Extreme closeups using a wide angle lens.

In the Making The Amazing documentary on the Spider-Man 2 DVD, both Tobey Maguire and Bruce Campbell jokingly describe Raimi's penchant for "abusing" actors: In order to get realistic closeups of a character getting hit by debris, Raimi usually stands just off-camera throwing items, swinging tree branches, etc., at the actor who is at the center of the shot. Scenes from the documentary show that Raimi is the one throwing popcorn at Peter Parker during the walk to the wrestling ring in Spider-Man and tossing gold coins around during the bank robbery scene in Spider-Man 2. This technique was parodied by Spider-Man actor James Franco in his Funny or Die series, Acting with James Franco, Episode 2: "Green Screen".

Raimi also often has a voiceover from a principal character at the end of his films such as Darkman, Army of Darkness, and all the Spider-man films.

Camera techniques

In many of Raimi's movies, the camera itself is part of the action onscreen. One of Raimi's most famous sequences involves a POV shot of actor Bruce Campbell being chased through a cabin by an unseen evil force.

Personal life

Raimi has been married since 1993 to Gillian Dania Greene, daughter of actor Lorne Greene. They have five children. Three of the Raimis' children (daughter Emma Rose and sons Lorne and Henry) appeared as extras in Drag Me to Hell and Spider-Man 3 during the movie's climactic final battle.

Filmography

As Director

Year Film Notes
1977 It's Murder! Short film
1978 Clockwork
Within the Woods
1981 The Evil Dead
1985 Crimewave
1987 Evil Dead II
1990 Darkman
1992 Army of Darkness
1995 The Quick and the Dead
1998 A Simple Plan
1999 For Love of the Game
2000 The Gift
2002 Spider-Man
2004 Spider-Man 2
2007 Spider-Man 3
2009 Drag Me to Hell
2013 '

As Actor

Year Film Role Notes
1977 It's Murder! N/A Short film
1978 Attack of the Helping Hand Milk Man
1983 Hefty's Cook #2
1985 Spies Like Us Drive-in guard #2 (cameo)
1987 Thou Shalt Not Kill... Except Cult leader
1988 Maniac Cop News reporter (uncredited cameo)
1989 Intruder Randy
1990 Miller's Crossing Snickering gunman (cameo)
1992 Innocent Blood Roma Meats Man (cameo)
1993 Body Bags Bill – dead attendant (cameo)
Journey to the Center of the Earth (1993 TV miniseries) Collins (cameo)
Indian Summer Stick Coder
1994 The Hudsucker Proxy Hudsucker Brainstormer (cameo)
The Stand Bobby Terry (cameo)
1997 The Shining Howie Langston (cameo)

As Producer

Year Film/Series Director Notes
1978 Within the Woods Sam Raimi Movie
1981 The Evil Dead Sam Raimi Movie
1989 Easy Wheels David O'Malley Movie
1989 The Dead Next Door J.R. Bookwalter Movie
1991 Lunatics: A Love Story Josh Becker Movie
1993 Hard Target John Woo Movie
1994 Timecop Peter Hyams Movie
1994 M.A.N.T.I.S. Eric Laneuville Movie
1994 Hercules and the Lost Kingdom Harley Cokeliss Movie
1994 Hercules and the Circle of Fire Doug Lefler Movie
1994 Hercules in the Underworld Bill L. Norton Movie
1994 Hercules in the Maze of the Minotaur Josh Becker Movie
1994–1997 M.A.N.T.I.S. Various TV Series
1995 Darkman II: The Return of Durant Bradford May Movie
1995–1996 American Gothic Various TV Series
1995-1999 Hercules: The Legendary Journeys Various TV Series
1995–2001 Xena: Warrior Princess Various TV Series
1996 Darkman III: Die Darkman Die Bradford May Movie
1997 Spy Game Various TV Series
1998 Hercules and Xena - The Animated Movie: The Battle for Mount Olympus Lynne Naylor Animated Movie
1998 Young Hercules T.J. Scott Movie
1998-1999 Young Hercules Various TV Series
2000–2001 Jack of All Trades Various TV Series
2000-2001 Cleopatra 2525 Various TV Series
2002 Xena: Warrior Princess - A Friend in Need Robert G. Tapert Movie
2004 The Grudge Takashi Shimizu Movie
2005 Boogeyman Stephen T. Kay Movie
2006 The Grudge 2 Takashi Shimizu Movie
2007 The Messengers The Pang Brothers Movie
30 Days of Night David Slade Movie
Rise: Blood Hunter Sebastian Gutierrez Movie
2008 Boogeyman 2 Jeff Betancourt Movie
Legend of the Seeker Various TV Series
2009 Boogeyman 3 Gary Jones Movie
The Grudge 3 Toby Wilkins Movie
' Various TV Series
Armored Nimród Antal Movie
Drag Me to Hell Sam Raimi Movie
2010 Zombie Roadkill Various TV Series
2010 Spartacus: Blood and Sand Various TV Series
2011 Spartacus: Gods of the Arena Various TV Series
2011 Priest Scott Stewart Movie

Collaborations

Raimi has cast certain actors in more than one of his films.

It's Murder! Clockwork Within the Woods The Evil Dead Crimewave Evil Dead II Darkman Army of Darkness The Quick and the Dead A
Simple Plan
For Love of the Game The Gift Spider-Man Spider-Man 2 Spider-Man 3 Drag Me to Hell '
Becky Ann Baker
Dylan Baker
Elizabeth Banks
Elya Baskin
Brent Briscoe
Bruce Campbell
Gary Cole
Daniel Dae Kim
Willem Dafoe
Hal Delrich
Kirsten Dunst
James Franco
Bridget Fonda
Cheryl Guttridge
Rosemary Harris
Dan Hicks
Bridget Hoffman
Stan Lee
Tobey Maguire
Joe Manganiello
Frances McDormand
Bill Nunn
Michael Papajohn
Ted Raimi
Cliff Robertson
Chelcie Ross
Ellen Sandweiss
J. K. Simmons
Scott Spiegel
Mageina Tovah

Awards

  • Catalonian International Film Festival Prize of the International Critics' Jury 1981
  • Catalonian International Film Festival Best Director Award 1990
  • Catalonian International Film Festival Time-Machine Honorary Award 1992
  • Brussels International Festival of Fantasy Film Golden Raven Award 1993
  • Fantasporto Critics' Award 1993
  • Cognac Festival du Film Policier Special Jury Prize 1999
  • Saturn Award Best Director Award 2004
  • Empire Award Best Director Award 2004


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