Here is a biography of Sam Irvin in more detail:
Sam Irvin was born and raised in Asheville, North Carolina. As a child, he was fascinated with movies and began making his own short films using a Super 8mm camera. This early interest in filmmaking was sparked by a family trip to California when Irvin was just eight years old. While visiting Warner Brothers studios, he watched an elaborate scene being filmed for Blake Edwards' "The Great Race" starring Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, and Natalie Wood. This experience left a lasting impression on Irvin, and he decided then that he wanted to become a film director.
Irvin spent much of his youth in movie theaters, working in various capacities, including popping popcorn, tearing tickets, and organizing horror movie kiddie matinées. His grandfather, Warren Irvin, was the district manager for Wilby-Kincey Theaters, a chain of cinemas throughout the Southeast, and his father, Sam Irvin Sr., co-owned Irvin-Fuller Theaters, a competing chain with cinemas in North and South Carolina.
As a teenager, Irvin edited and published a fanzine called Bizarre, which focused on fantasy, horror, and science fiction films. He traveled to England to conduct in-person interviews with famous actors and filmmakers, including Vincent Price, Christopher Lee, and Peter Cushing.
Irvin attended the University of South Carolina, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Media Arts. While in college, he worked as a film critic for the campus newspaper and won a student film award for his thesis short film. He also served as chairman of the University of South Carolina Film Committee, which ran a year-round cinema program at the campus theater.
After graduating, Irvin interned on the Chicago locations shooting for Brian De Palma's "The Fury" and later worked as an assistant to De Palma on several projects, including "Dressed to Kill" and "Home Movies." He also wrote a journal on the making of "The Fury" that was published in Cinefantastique magazine.
Irvin's first directorial effort was the 1985 dark comedy short "Double Negative," which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and subsequently played theatrically in New York and Los Angeles. He went on to direct numerous feature films, including "Guilty as Charged," "Out There," "Acting on Impulse," "Fat Rose and Squeaky," "A Very Cool Christmas," "Deadly Skies," "Elvira's Haunted Hills," "My Santa," "Proof of Innocence," and "Kiss of a Stranger."
In addition to his work in feature films, Irvin has also directed several television shows, including "Dante's Cove," "From Here! On OUT," and "Strip Mall." He has also directed segments for the Super Bowl and the opening of the 100th Anniversary of the World Series.
As a producer, Irvin has worked on a dozen films, including "Gods and Monsters," "The Broken Hearts Club," "I'll Remember April," and "Big Monster on Campus." He has also produced and annotated the 3 CD box set compilation "Think Pink! A Kay Thompson Party" and served as a historical consultant on the Tony Award-winning Broadway event "Liza's at the Palace."
Irvin has written articles for Little Shoppe of Horrors magazine and has recently published his first book, "Kay Thompson: From Funny Face to Eloise," which was honored by Kirkus Reviews and the Theatre Library Association Awards as one of the "Best Biographies of the Year." He is an adjunct faculty member at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts, where he teaches graduate courses on directing.
