Sam Raimi Biography

Samuel M "Sam" Raimi (born October 23, 1959) is an American film director, producer, writer and actor, best known for directing the cult horror comedy Evil Dead series, the superhero film Darkman, and the Spider-Man trilogy; his most recent work is 2013's fantasy film Oz the Great and Powerful. Raimi is also the producer of several successful television series. He is also the founder of Renaissance Pictures. Recently, he worked as the producer of The Possession, and the 2013 remake of Evil Dead.

He is the younger brother of screenwriter Ivan Raimi and the older brother of actor Ted Raimi.

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 emigrated from Russia and Hungary. Raimi graduated from Groves High School and later went on to attend Michigan State University, where he majored in English but left after three semesters to film The Evil Dead.

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 through it he was still able to secure funding for Evil Dead III, which was retitled Army of Darkness and turned away almost totally from horror in favor of fantasy and comedy elements. Army of Darkness, the final movie in the Evil Dead trilogy, was a box office flop, yet on video became a cult classic.

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, he planned on producing two more sequels but could not find a satisfactory script. 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 produced for almost a decade). Raimi made cameo appearances in Miller's Crossing, The Hudsucker Proxy, and 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 in The Stand as a dimwitted hitman, John Carpenter's Body Bags as a gas station attendant, 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 comic.

Blizzard Entertainment announced on July 22, 2009 that Sam Raimi will be directing a film based on the Warcraft universe. However at Comic-Con International 2012, it was revealed that he would not be the one directing the World of Warcraft film.

On September 23, 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 directed Oz the Great and Powerful, which was released on March 8, 2013 by Legendary Pictures. He has taken himself out for directing a planned sequel.

On December 11, 2006, the website SuperHero Hype reported that director Sam Raimi and Michael Uslan would co-produce a new film version of The Shadow 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 - was attached to direct as well. However, Tarantino declined this rumor, reportedly saying "That's totally made up."

Raimi, along with Bruce Campbell and Rob Tapert, produced the remake of Raimi's The Evil Dead. First-time feature filmmaker Fede Alvarez wrote and directed, and Diablo Cody was 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., '.

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 the 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. The Classic does not appear in the final cut of For Love of the Game, however. The scene in which it appeared was removed during the editing process.

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.

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	Also writer/co-writer
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	Also co-writer
2009	Drag Me to Hell
2013	Oz the Great and Powerful
TBA	Earp: Saints For Sinners
	Army of Darkness 2	Also co-writer

As actor

Year	Film	Role	Notes
1977	It's Murder!	N/A	Short film
1978	Attack of the Helping Hand	Milk Man
1981	The Evil Dead	Hitchhiker	Uncredited
1982	Cleveland Smith: Bounty Hunter	Nazi	Short film
1983	Hefty's	Cook #2
1985	Spies Like Us	Drive-in guard #2
1987	Thou Shalt Not Kill... Except	Cult leader
1988	Maniac Cop	News Reporter
1989	Intruder	Randy
1990	Miller's Crossing	Snickering Gunman
	Maniac Cop 2	Newscaster
1992	Innocent Blood	Roma Meats Man
1993	Body Bags	Dead Bill	TV movie
	Journey to the Center of the Earth	Collins	TV movie
	Indian Summer	Stick Coder
1994	The Hudsucker Proxy	Hudsucker Brainstormer
	'	Cliff Look-A-Like
	The Stand	Bobby Terry	TV miniseries: 1 episode
1997	The Shining	Howie Langston	TV miniseries: 1 episode
2004	Spider-Man 2	University Student

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
	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
	M.A.N.T.I.S.	Eric Laneuville	Movie
	Hercules and the Lost Kingdom	Harley Cokeliss	Movie
	Hercules and the Circle of Fire	Doug Lefler	Movie
	Hercules in the Underworld	Bill L. Norton	Movie
	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
	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
	Spartacus: Blood and Sand	Various	TV series
2011	Spartacus: Gods of the Arena	Various	TV series
	Priest	Scott Stewart	Movie
2012	The Possession	Ole Bornedal	Movie
	Spartacus: Vengeance	Various	TV Series
2013	Evil Dead	Fede Alvarez	Movie
	Spartacus: War of the Damned	Various	TV Series
TBA	Poltergeist	Gil Kenan	Movie

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

Collaborations

Raimi has cast certain actors in more than one of his films. The only actors that are not listed are ones that appeared in the Spider-Man film series and no other Raimi film.

Actor	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	Oz the Great and Powerful	Army of Darkness 2
Becky Ann Baker
Betsy Baker
Brent Briscoe
Bruce Campbell
Gary Cole
Daniel Dae Kim
Bridget Fonda
James Franco
Rosemary Harris
Dan Hicks
Bridget Hoffman
Larry Joshua
Michael Papajohn
Ted Raimi
Chelcie Ross
Ellen Sandweiss
J.K. Simmons
Scott Spiegel
Sarah York
Actor	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	Oz the Great and Powerful	Army of Darkness 2