Sean S. Cunningham | |
|---|---|
| File:Sean Cunningham 01 (15111642666).jpg Cunningham in 2014 | |
| Born | Sean Sexton Cunningham Error: Need valid birth date: year, month, day New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Alma mater |
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| Occupation | Film director, writer, producer |
| Years active | 1970–present |
| Spouse(s) | Susan E. Cunningham |
| Children | 3 |
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Sean Sexton Cunningham (born December 1941)[n 1] is an American filmmaker, director, producer, and writer. He is best known for directing and producing several horror films, beginning in the early 1970s.
Raised in Connecticut, Cunningham graduated from Franklin & Marshall College before earning an MFA from Stanford University. After completing his education, he worked as a manager for various theater companies, including New York City's Lincoln Center and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. While working for a documentary company in New York, Cunningham made his feature film directorial debut with The Art of Marriage (1970). While editing his second film, he met Wes Craven, with whom he collaborated as a producer of Craven's exploitation horror film The Last House on the Left (1972).
Cunningham went on to co-create and direct the slasher film Friday the 13th (1980), which was a major box-office success. He went on to produce several horror films throughout the 1980s, including House (1986) and its sequel, House II: The Second Story (1988).
Early life[]
Cunningham was born in New York City[1] and raised in Connecticut.[2] He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Franklin & Marshall College, and later earned an MFA from Stanford University.[3]
Career[]
Cunningham's first jobs after graduating from Stanford included managing theater companies such as New York's Lincoln Center, the Mineola Theater in Long Island, as well as the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the latter of where he briefly studied.[2] He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Directors Guild of America.
While working for a documentary company in New York City in the late 1960s, Cunningham made his directorial debut with The Art of Marriage (1970). While editing his second film, Together, he met Wes Craven, who was working as an editor at the time.[4] The two collaborated on Craven's directorial debut, the exploitation film The Last House on the Left (1972), which Cunningham produced.
Cunningham is best known for creating the Friday the 13th series of horror films, which introduced the fictional mass murderer Jason Voorhees. Of the 12 films in the series, the ones that had Cunningham's involvement were the original, Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday, Jason X, Freddy vs. Jason, and the 2009 reboot. He has also produced many horror films, such as the House series and Wes Craven's debut feature, The Last House on the Left. He is the founder and CEO of Crystal Lake Entertainment. Cunningham is set to produce the CW series adaption of Friday the 13th[5] and served as a producer of Friday the 13th: The Game.
As of 2015, he is also a member of the board of advisers for the Hollywood Horror Museum.
Filmography[]
Producer[]
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- The Art of Marriage (1970)
- Together (1971)
- The Last House on the Left (1972)
- Case of the Full Moon Murders (1974)
- Here Come the Tigers (1978)
- Manny's Orphans (1978)
- Friday the 13th (1980)
- Spring Break (1983)
- The New Kids (1985)
- Reiselust (1986)
- House (1986)
- House II: The Second Story (1987)
- DeepStar Six (1989)
- The Horror Show (a.k.a. House III: The Horror Show; 1989)
- House IV (1992)
- My Boyfriend's Back (1993)
- Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993)
- XCU: Extreme Close Up (2001)
- Jason X (2001)
- Terminal Invasion (2002)
- Freddy vs. Jason (2003)
- Friday the 13th (2009)
- The Last House on the Left (2009)
- The Nurse with the Purple Hair (2017)
Director[]
- The Art of Marriage (1970)
- Together (1971)
- Case of the Full Moon Murders (1973)
- Here Come the Tigers (1978)
- Manny's Orphans (1978)
- Friday the 13th (1980)
- A Stranger Is Watching (1982)
- Spring Break (1983)
- The New Kids (1985)
- DeepStar Six (1989)
- XCU: Extreme Close Up (2001)
- Terminal Invasion (2002)
- Trapped Ashes (2006)
- The Nurse with the Purple Hair (2017)
Writer[]
- The Art of Marriage (1970)
- Together (1971)
- Reiselust (1986)
Notes[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Roberts 2009, p. 109.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 LoBrutto 2002, p. 94.
- ↑ International Television Almanac. Quigley Publishing Company. 1985. ISBN 978-0-900-61033-2.
- ↑ Corman & Cregan 2003, event occurs at 1:26.
- ↑ "New Friday the 13th: Crystal Lake Chronicles Details; The CW Interested - Dread Central". www.dreadcentral.com.
{{cite web}}:
Works cited[]
- Celluloid Crime of the Century (DVD, documentary featurette). Anchor Bay Entertainment. 2003.
- LoBrutto, Vincent (2002). The Encyclopedia of American Independent Filmmaking. Santa Barbara, California: Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0-313-30199-5.
- Roberts, Jerry (2009). Encyclopedia of Television Film Directors. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-810-86378-1. https://books.google.com/books?id=kW8j6sHvrewC&pg=PA109.
External links[]
| Films directed by Sean S. Cunningham | ||
|---|---|---|
| The Art of Marriage (1970) • Together (1971) • Case of the Full Moon Murders (1973) • Here Come the Tigers (1978) • Manny's Orphans (1978) • Friday the 13th (1980) • A Stranger Is Watching (1982) • Spring Break (1983) • The New Kids (1985) • DeepStar Six (1989) • XCU: Extreme Close Up (2001) • Terminal Invasion (2002) • Trapped Ashes (2006) | ||
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