Robert Fontaine Jr. was born on July 11, 1967, in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He began his acting career in 1983, training under the guidance of the late and legendary theater director/teacher Gene Frankel in New York City.
Fontaine's first feature film appearance was in "The Beat" (1987),directed by Paul Mones, which marked the director's debut. This led to featured roles in "Pay Back," "Whispers," "Nightlife," and "Hear Mrs. Weber?"
Throughout his acting career, Fontaine has worked with notable directors such as Wes Anderson, Able Ferrara, and Eric Schaffer. He has also appeared in films like "Bottle Rocket," "Rushmore," "Royal Tennebaums," "China Girl," and "The Bad Lieutenant."
However, Fontaine became disillusioned with the industry and its tendency to typecast actors. He decided to take a different path and made his directorial debut with the short film "Rebels" in 1993.
The success of "Rebels" led to the financing of Fontaine's full-length feature film, "Crispy Crackers and Beans" (1997),which he co-wrote, co-produced, directed, and starred in. The film premiered in New York in 1997 and received strong interest from studios and distributors. It even caught the attention of Martin Scorsese, and is currently distributed by Netflix.
"Crispy Crackers and Beans" has become a cult classic, and Fontaine went on to form Industrial House Films in 2010. The company is independently financed and aims to produce a slate of films between $2-5 million, focusing on story-driven projects that defy genre conventions.
Industrial House Films' first feature film, "Mi, America," is a character-driven drama that explores the racial identity crisis in the USA. The film is set to be released in 2015, with Rick Porras, known for his work on the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, serving as Executive Producer.
