Alan Ormsby (born December 14, 1943) is an American director,

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

make up artist A make-up artist, also called a makeup artist, and often shortened to MUA, is an artist whose medium is the human body, applying makeup and prosthetics on others for theatre, television, film, fashion, magazines and other similar productions incl ...

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lit ...

and

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

Film career

Ormsby began work in feature films with the

Bob Clark Benjamin Robert Clark (August 5, 1939 – April 4, 2007) was an American film director, screenwriter, producer, and actor. He is best known for his work in the Canadian film industry throughout the 1970s and 1980s, where he was responsible ...

-directed '' Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things'' (1972), which co-starred his then-wife Anya Ormsby. In addition to writing the film's script, Ormsby played the lead, Alan, and provided the film's make-up effects. Two years later, Ormsby and Clark re-teamed on ''

Deathdream ''Deathdream'' (also known as ''Dead of Night'') is a 1974 horror film directed by Bob Clark and written by Alan Ormsby, and starring Richard Backus, John Marley, and Lynn Carlin. Filmed in Brooksville, Florida, it was inspired by the W. W. Jaco ...

''. ''Deranged'', a horror film inspired by serial killer

Ed Gein Edward Theodore Gein (; August 27, 1906 – July 26, 1984), also known as the Butcher of Plainfield or the Plainfield Ghoul, was an American murderer and body snatcher. Gein's crimes, committed around his hometown of Plainfield, Wisconsin, ga ...

, saw Clark producing with Ormsby writing and co-directing the feature (with Jeff Gillen), while ''Deathdream'' saw Clark directing another Ormsby script. In 1980s Ormsby continued as a screenwriter, writing the screenplays for '' My Bodyguard'' (1980), ''

The Little Dragons ''The Little Dragons'' (also known as ''Karate Kids U.S.A.'' or simply ''Karate Kids'') is a 1980 American action adventure film about two young brothers who use their karate skills to rescue a friend after she is held captive for ransom. The film ...

'' (1980), Paul Schrader's '' Cat People'' (1982) and Clark's '' Porky's II: The Next Day'' (1983). Ormsby returned to directing with ''

Popcorn Popcorn (also called popped corn, popcorns or pop-corn) is a variety of corn kernel which expands and puffs up when heated; the same names also refer to the foodstuff produced by the expansion. A popcorn kernel's strong hull contains the se ...

'' (1991).The New York Times
/ref> Written by Ormsby, the film production saw him leave the director's chair early on, to be replaced by '' Porky's'' actor Mark Herrier. In the early 90s, he was brought on board to write the screenplay for a remake of ''The Mummy'' for

Joe Dante Joseph James Dante Jr. (; born November 28, 1946) is an American film director, producer, editor and actor. His films—notably '' Gremlins'' (1984) alongside its sequel, '' Gremlins 2: The New Batch'' (1990)—often mix 1950s-style B movies with ...

, who praised it, but later hired

John Sayles John Thomas Sayles (born September 28, 1950) is an American independent film director, screenwriter, editor, actor, and novelist. He has twice been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, for ''Passion Fish'' (1992) and '' ...

to rewrite the script in November 1993. In 1996, he co-wrote ''

The Substitute ''The Substitute'' is a 1996 American crime action thriller film directed by Robert Mandel and starring Tom Berenger, Ernie Hudson, Marc Anthony, William Forsythe, Raymond Cruz and Luis Guzmán. It was filmed at Miami Sr. High school. Plo ...

'', which became a successful series of films.

Other works

In addition to his work in film, Ormsby is known for having authored the 1970s special make-up effects book ''Movie Monsters''. He also created the popular doll Hugo: Man of a Thousand Faces, which would be featured on

The Pee-wee Herman Show ''The Pee-wee Herman Show'' is a stage show developed by Paul Reubens in 1980. It marks the first significant appearance of his comedic fictional character, Pee-wee Herman, five years before '' Pee-wee's Big Adventure'', and six years before ''P ...

and

Uncle Floyd Floyd Vivino (born October 19, 1951), also known as Uncle Floyd, is an American television, film, and stage performer primarily known for his comedy/variety TV show ''The Uncle Floyd Show'' (1974–1998). Early life Vivino was born in Paterson ...

's variety show.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ormsby, Alan 1943 births Living people American film directors American male film actors American male screenwriters American make-up artists American non-fiction writers Place of birth missing (living people) American male non-fiction writers