On April 26th, veteran director Jonathan Demme quietly passed away, after a battle with esophageal cancer and heart disease at age 73. At his peak, this Roger Corman apprentice was one of the best filmmakers on the planet, and the proof is pictured above- an Academy Award win for Best Director for his 1991 masterpiece "The Silence of the Lambs". Yes, Demme cast Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter and Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling, as the whole world said 'thank you'. He truly was an actors' director, and left a long line of beneficiaries- Mary Steenburgen has been a go-to girl for supporting roles ever since 1980's "Melvin and Howard", Ray Liotta got his big break in 1986's "Something Wild", and a gorgeous 29 year old Michelle Pfeiffer landed her first starring role in the madcap comedy "Married to the Mob". In 1993, a socially-conscious Demme set the stage for the dramatic acting talents of Tom Hanks to come to the forefront in the Oscar-winning "Philadelphia". A decade-and-a-half later, Anne Hathaway would help him end a long dry spell in 2008's "Rachel Getting Married". My only complaint is that he didn't work more. Hollywood needs more auteurs as caring and diverse as Jonathan Demme.
Complete filmography(21 films in total, the highly successful ones are darkened)
"Angels Hard as They Come"(1971)- writer/producer
"The Hot Box"(1972)- writer/producer
"Black Mama White Mama"(1973)- writer/producer
"Caged Heat"(1974)
"Crazy Mama"(1975)
"Fighting Mad"(1976)
"Handle with Care"(1977)
"Last Embrace"(1979)
"Melvin and Howard"(1980)
"Swing Shift"(1984)
"Something Wild"(1986)
"Swimming to Cambodia"(1987)
"Married to the Mob"(1988)
"The Silence of the Lambs"(1991)
"Philadelphia"(1993)
"Beloved"(1998)
"The Truth About Charlie"(2002)
"The Manchurian Candidate"(2004)
"Rachel Getting Married"(2008)
"A Master Builder"(2013)
"Ricki and the Flash"(2015)
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