Ramón Menéndez (born January 21, 1950) is a Cuban-American film director and screenwriter. He is best known for writing and directing the 1988 film '' Stand and Deliver''. His other film directing credits include '' Money for Nothing'' (1993) starring

John Cusack John Paul Cusack (; born June 28, 1966)(28 June 1996)Today's birthdays ''Santa Cruz Sentinel'', ("Actors John Cusack is 30") is an American actor, producer, screenwriter and political activist. He is a son of filmmaker Dick Cusack, and his ol ...

and the Disney Channel original film ''

Gotta Kick It Up! ''Gotta Kick It Up!'' is a 2002 Disney Channel Original Movie. In the United States, it debuted on July 26, 2002. It is based on a true story of a middle school dance team. The film was directed by Ramón Menéndez. Plot A young executive turned ...

'' (2002). He also served as a screenwriter for all of the films he directed. His only film as a screenwriter and not as a director was the 2001 film ''

Tortilla Soup Tortilla soup ( es, sopa de tortilla) is a traditional Mexican soup made of fried corn tortilla pieces, submerged into a broth of tomato, garlic, onion, and '' chile de árbol'' and epazote. It is served with pieces of pasilla chiles, chicharr ...

''. He has also worked in episodic television, directing episodes ''

Tales from the Crypt Tales from the Crypt may refer to: * ''Tales from the Crypt'' (album), by American rapper C-Bo * ''Tales from the Crypt'' (comics), published by EC Comics during the 1950s ** ''Tales from the Crypt'' (film), a 1972 Amicus film starring Ralph Ric ...

'' and ''

Perversions of Science ''Perversions of Science'' is an American science fiction/ horror anthology television series that ran from June 7 to July 23, 1997, on the premium cable channel HBO, lasting one season. It is a spin-off of the horror series ''Tales from the C ...

'', in 1994 and 1997, respectively. Menéndez won two

Independent Spirit Award The Independent Spirit Awards (abbreviated Spirit Awards and originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards), founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with acrylic glas ...

s for his work on '' Stand and Deliver''. Menéndez is a native of Cuba and grew up in California. He is an alumnus of

San Francisco State University San Francisco State University (commonly referred to as San Francisco State, SF State and SFSU) is a public research university in San Francisco. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers 118 different ...

and

UCLA Film School The UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television (UCLA TFT), is one of the 12 schools within the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) located in Los Angeles, California. Its creation was groundbreaking in that it was the first time a leadi ...

. His first credit in film industry was serving as an assistant director on the Oliver Stone-directed film '' Salvador'' (1986), he also had a small acting role in the film. He is a frequent collaborator with film producer Tom Musca.

Filmography

*'' Madame X'' (1981, actor, as Luis) *'' Salvador'' (1986, first assistant director, also actor as Gomez) *'' Life Is Most Important'' (1987, actor, as Gregorio) *'' Stand and Deliver'' (1988, director and screenwriter) *'' Money for Nothing'' (1993, director and screenwriter) *''

'' (1994, director, episode: "The Bribe") *''

'' (1997, director, episode: "Given the Heir") *''

'' (2001, screenwriter) *''

'' (2002, director, teleplay writer)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Menendez, Ramon 1950 births American male screenwriters Cuban emigrants to the United States Independent Spirit Award for Best Director winners Living people San Francisco State University alumni UCLA Film School alumni Cuban film directors Cuban screenwriters Male screenwriters Cuban male writers