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Roger Corman, also known as the “King of B-Movies,” died at the age of 98.
He passed away peacefully in Santa Monica, California, at home with his family around him.
TMZ reports that he was known for making low-budget horror movies and helped propel the careers of Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Ron Howard, Jonathan Demme, and others.
Roger Corman's family posted a statement on the filmmaker's death
Roger's family posted a touching statement on Instagram on Saturday. In it, they described him as a “beloved husband and father.”
Also, they said, “He was generous, open-hearted, and kind to all those who knew him. A devoted and selfless father, he was deeply loved by his daughters. His films were revolutionary and iconoclastic and captured the spirit of an age. When asked how he would like to be remembered, he said, ‘I was a filmmaker, just that.'”
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He had quite a career, directing and/or producing over 300 films — each with a small budget. Some of his films include A Bucket of Blood (1959), The Little Shop of Horrors (1960), The Masque of the Red Death (1964), and Wild Angels (1966).
Jack Nicholson got his start in The Cry Baby Killer (1958) and appeared in eight of his films.
Variety reported that Director Ron Howard paid tribute to the filmmaker in a Sunday message. Howard has Corman to thank for his directorial debut in Grand Theft Auto (1977). Before directing, he was mostly known just as a kid star.
“Roger not only mentored a couple of generations of high profile filmmakers, but he also opened doors to many on the production side who were struggling to find career paths in the industry,” Howard wrote. “When I was working for Roger, he had far more women in positions of authority throughout his company and various movie departments than any other studio at that time.”
He added, “For us rookie directors, he taught us to find our creative voices and express ourselves within the framework of popular entertainment genres. The audiences were always king and despite the tight budgets, Roger pushed to deliver on each movie's promise to the audience. In the case of Grand Theft Auto, that meant more cars, more zany characters and more outlandish crashes. But don't think I didn't learn lessons both in shooting and post-production that I've leaned on throughout my career.”
“When I last saw Roger, it was a tribute to his career at the Aero Theatre last year, and it was a vivid reminder of the breadth of his work and impact on Hollywood,” Howard continued. “It was also gratifying as hell to see Roger so sharp and crackling with energy. What a life.”
As of now, no cause of death has been released.
Roger Corman is survived by his wife, Julie, and his daughters, Mary and Catherine.
