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Stuart GordonAmerican director
Date of Birth: 11.08.1947
Country:  USA |
Content:
Biography of Stuart Gordon
Stuart Gordon was born on August 11, 1947, in Chicago. He is an American director who is well-known for being a great fan of H.P. Lovecraft's work and for adapting several of his stories into films. Many of Gordon's movies are characterized by a strong sexual context, which partially contributes to their success.
Early Life and Career
During his time in school, Gordon worked in advertising and spent six months illustrating labels for Coca-Cola bottles for a local company. He later pursued an acting career at the University of Wisconsin in Madison and, in 1968, during his final year of studies, he directed a scandalous play based on the story of "Peter Pan." The scandal stemmed from Gordon's portrayal of Peter Pan as a hippie, Tinker Bell as a homosexual, and the journey to Neverland as a hallucination induced by LSD. The play brought Gordon some success, although he was arrested and unable to finish his education at the university.
After being expelled, Gordon returned to Chicago and became one of the co-founders of the Organic Theater, which later gained considerable recognition. As a director, Gordon staged numerous plays, known for their innovative and sometimes shocking elements. One of his most successful productions was "Warp," inspired by Marvel comics. However, Gordon was unable to secure the rights to use any of the company's characters, so he had to create his own. The play had two sequels, "Dr. Strange" and "Thor." Another peculiar production by Gordon was "Bloody Bess," featuring a lesbian pirate as the main character.
Film Career
In 1985, Gordon met aspiring film producer Brian Yuzna, which marked the beginning of his film directing career. His debut film was "Re-Animator," based on Lovecraft's story, and it was shot in just 20 days. Gordon then wrote the screenplay for and directed another Lovecraft-inspired horror film called "From Beyond." In 1987, he released another horror film called "Dolls," which featured a unique storyline about killer dolls. In 1989, Gordon temporarily departed from the horror genre and wrote the screenplay for the comedy film "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids." His screenplay was later used for the sequel, "Honey, I Blew Up the Kid."
In 1990, Gordon directed the post-apocalyptic film "Robot Jox," based on his own screenplay. The same year, he released an adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's story "The Pit and the Pendulum." In 1993, he directed the film "Fortress," which depicted a prison of the future. Gordon continued his success in the horror genre with the films "Castle Freak" in 1995 and "The Dentist" in 1996 (for the latter, Gordon only wrote the screenplay). In 1997, he released the film "Space Truckers," a combination of comedy and science fiction. The budget for this film was the largest Gordon had worked with at the time, amounting to $30 million. Soon after, he finally realized his dream of making a Lovecraft-inspired film with the release of "Dagon," which he had wanted to make for 15 years.
Overall, Stuart Gordon's career as a director has been marked by his passion for Lovecraft's work, his distinctive style, and his ability to create unique and often controversial productions.
