Edward Kern Demme[ NLS Other Writings, Say How: A, B, C, D – Library of Congress.] October 26, 1963 – January 13, 2002) was an American director, producer, and actor.
Early life
Demme was born in New York City, the son of Gail (née Kern) and Frederick Rogers Demme.
[ Familytreemaker.genealogy.com] He grew up in Rockville Centre, New York on
Long Island and attended South Side Senior High School. He graduated from SUNY-Cortland in 1985. He was the nephew of film producer and director
Jonathan Demme.
Career
Demme's media career may have begun with a radio show at
WSUC-FM (SUNY-Cortland), a mix of comedy and talk radio with the usual sidekick, as well as some music and was widely listened to on and off campus. He began his career as a production assistant at MTV. He later became a producer in the On-Air Promotions Department, created the cable network's hip-hop show
Yo! MTV Raps (with Peter Dougherty), and directed other projects for MTV, including the black-and-white rants starring then-unknown comedian
Denis Leary.
Over the course of his career, he established a group of actors that he chose to work with on more than one occasion. The most frequently used of these was Leary, whom he directed as a lead or star in Leary's stand-up specials No Cure for Cancer and Lock n' Load, as well as the films Who's the Man?, The Ref, and Monument Ave.
Personal life
Demme was married to
Amanda Demme, with whom he had two children.
Scheer later opened several popular Los Angeles bars, including Teddy's at the Roosevelt Hotel, named in honor of her late husband.
He was a fan of the Green Bay Packers.
Death
On January 13, 2002, while playing a celebrity basketball game, Demme collapsed and died of a heart attack which may have been related to
cocaine later found in his system during an autopsy.
Demme was cremated and his ashes were given to his family.
Tributes
Much of one edition of the IFC program
Dinner for Five was given over to a description of Demme's last night and fond reminiscences about his life, mostly by
Denis Leary and the show's host
Jon Favreau. This touched on Demme's being a fan of the Green Bay Packers and his fondness for playing practical jokes.
At the 2002 Golden Globe awards show, one week following Demme's death, Kevin Spacey wore a picture of Demme on his suit jacket.
The Truth About Charlie, his uncle Jonathan Demme's remake of Charade, was dedicated in his memory.
The 2003 album Blackberry Belle by The Twilight Singers led by Greg Dulli, was written in tribute to Demme, Dulli's close friend. Dulli had been working on another project, titled Amber Headlights (which would later see the light of day in 2005), but abandoned those sessions due to Demme's death. The recordings which followed, fueled in part by the memory of Demme, resulted in Blackberry Belle.
The 2002 film Punch-Drunk Love, written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, is dedicated to Demme.
Filmography
Actor
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Gun (1 episode, 1997)
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Blow (2001)
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John Q. (2002) Himself (Cameo) (Posthumously released)
Director
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Yo! MTV Raps (1988, Unknown episodes)
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APAB: Oh My God... It's the News! (1991)
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The Bet (1992)
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No Cure for Cancer (1992)
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Who's the Man? (1993)
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The Ref (1994)
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Beautiful Girls (1996)
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(2 episodes, 1994–1996)
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Gun (1 episode, 1997)
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Subway Stories: Tales from the Underground (Segment: "Manhattan Miracle," 1997)
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Denis Leary: Lock 'n Load (1997)
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Monument Ave. (1998)
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Life (1999)
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Action (1 episode, 1999)
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Blow (2001)
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A Decade Under the Influence (Posthumously released, 2003)
Producer
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Yo! MTV Raps (1988, Unknown episodes)
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Hangin' w/MTV (1992, Executive producer)
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Monument Ave. (1998)
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Rounders (1998)
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Tumbleweeds (1999, Executive producer)
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A Lesson Before Dying (1999, Executive producer)
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Action (1 episode, Executive producer, 1999)
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Blow (2001)
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A Decade Under the Influence (Posthumously released, 2003)
Awards and nominations
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| 1996 | San Sebastián International Film Festival | Nominated | Golden Shell | Beautiful Girls |
| 1999 | Emmy Award | Won | Outstanding Made for Television Movie | A Lesson Before Dying (Shared with Robert Benedetti, Ellen Krass, and Joel Stillerman) |
| 2001 | Nominated | Outstanding Nonfiction Special | A Decade Under the Influence (Shared with Alison Palmer Bourke, Caroline Kaplan, Jerry Kupfer, Gini Reticker, and Jonathan Sehring) |
| 2001 | Karlovy Vary International Film Festival | Nominated | Crystal Globe | Blow |
| 2003 | National Board of Review of Motion Pictures | Nominated | William K. Everson Film History Award | A Decade Under the Influence (Shared with Richard LaGravenese) |
| 2003 | Sundance Film Festival | Nominated | Grand Jury Prize | A Decade Under the Influence (Shared with Richard LaGravenese) |
External links
