Monte Hellman was born on July 12, 1929, in New York City, where his parents were visiting, but he grew up in Los Angeles. He studied drama at Stanford University, where he received an NBC scholarship, and later pursued film studies at UCLA. After honing his skills in summer theater, Hellman collaborated with renowned "B" movie producer Roger Corman in the late 1950s. Corman supported Hellman's production of "Waiting For Godot", the first time Samuel Beckett's play had been staged in Los Angeles, which received critical acclaim from the Los Angeles Times.
Hellman made his film directorial debut with Beast from Haunted Cave (1959) and directed segments of Corman's The Terror (1963). He went on to work with frequent collaborator Jack Nicholson on two films shot back-to-back in the Philippines: Back Door to Hell (1964) and Flight to Fury (1964). Hellman and Nicholson then teamed up for two existential westerns filmed in Utah under similar conditions: The Shooting (1966) and Ride in the Whirlwind (1966). After editing several films for Corman, including The Wild Angels (1966),Hellman directed what many consider to be his best work, Two-Lane Blacktop (1971),starring Warren Oates and featuring James Taylor and Dennis Wilson in dramatic roles. This film was later included in the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress in 2012.
Hellman's subsequent films included Cockfighter (1974),an adaptation of Charles Willeford's novel, also starring Oates, and China 9, Liberty 37 (1978),a European western that he collaborated on with Oates once more. After completing Avalanche Express (1979) following the death of its original director, Mark Robson, Hellman made Iguana (1988) and the darkly humorous Silent Night, Deadly Night 3: Better Watch Out! (1989).
Hellman's work had a significant influence on Quentin Tarantino, and he served as executive producer on Tarantino's directorial debut, Reservoir Dogs (1992). After a prolonged absence from the screen, Hellman returned to directing with the short Stanley's Girlfriend (2006),included in the horror anthology Trapped Ashes (2006),and the feature film Road to Nowhere (2010),which won a Special Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. The award was presented by Tarantino, who introduced Hellman as "a great cinematic artist and a minimalist poet".
Hellman was one of 70 directors asked to contribute a 90-second film to Venice 70: Future Reloaded (2013),which opened the 70th Venice Film Festival in 2013. His latest project is "Love or Die", which is scheduled to commence shooting in Lisbon, Portugal, in March 2014.
Person Biography: Monte Hellman was a renowned film director, known for his minimalist style and his ability to elicit strong performances from his actors. Throughout his career, he worked with a range of talented individuals, including Jack Nicholson, Warren Oates, and Quentin Tarantino.
