Roger Corman, pioneer of independent cinema, dead aged 98
Roger Corman, the influential pioneer of independent cinema, has passed away at the age of 98.
A lively stalwart of late 20th-century cinema, Corman started his Hollywood career as a producer before moving behind the camera to direct 50 feature films from 1955-1990, the most famous of which being the original 1960 version of The Little Shop of Horrors starring Jonathan Haze. Producing over 400 low-budget flicks, Corman was known for adding some much-needed zest to America’s independent movie scene, becoming the spiritual godfather of New Hollywood in the process.
But, despite success behind the camera himself, Corman was championed for his efforts as a producer, where he helped elevate the profiles of several up-and-coming directors who have since become household names. Becoming a mentor to so many young filmmakers, Corman fostered such talents as Jonathan Demme, Francis Ford Coppola and Ron Howard by producing some of their earliest respective works, such as Fighting Mad, Dementia 13 and Grand Theft Auto.
A prolific icon in Hollywood, Corman’s work as a producer and deft acquirer of filmmaking talent led to considerable praise in his later career, earning an Honorary Academy Award in 2009 for his contributions to cinema.
In return for his work mentoring young filmmakers, these same directors paid tribute to Corman by giving him cameos in their later movies, with the producer appearing in Ron Howards’s Apollo 13, Francis Ford Coppola’s Godfather: Part II and Jonathan Demme’s Silence of the Lambs.
Inevitably, by supporting so many young directors, Corman subsequently allowed several Hollywood stars to flourish, too, including Jack Nicholson, Robert De Niro and Sandra Bullock.
Speaking tearfully about the influence of the filmmaker, Nicholson once stated: “He was my lifeblood to whatever I thought I was going to be as a person. I hope he knows this is not all hot air”.