Roger Corman
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Roger William Corman (born April 5, 1926) is an American producer and director of low-budget films; as such, he has apprenticed many now-famous directors, stressing the importance of budgeting and resourcefulness. Corman is probably best known for his filmings of various Edgar Allan Poe stories, including The Raven, The Pit and the Pendulum and The Masque of the Red Death. He has produced over 300 movies and directed over 50.
Corman was born in Detroit, Michigan and received an industrial engineering degree from Stanford University. He began his career in 1953 as a producer and screenwriter, and began directing in 1955. Until his so-called "retirement" in 1971 (he continued to produce films even after this date) he would produce up to seven movies a year, his fastest film was perhaps The Little Shop of Horrors which was shot in two days and one night. Quite a number of his films contain elements of science fiction, for example Last Woman on Earth (1960).
A number of noted film directors have worked with Corman, including Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, Ron Howard, James Cameron, and John Sayles. One actor who started his career working for Corman is Jack Nicholson.
His autobiography, called How I Made a Hundred Movies in Hollywood and Never Lost a Dime, documents his experiences in the film industry.