Anthony Hickox (30 January 1959 – October 2023) was an English film director, producer, actor, and screenwriter. Hickox was best known for his work in the horror genre, with films like '' Waxwork'' and its

sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music, or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...

, '' Waxwork II: Lost in Time'', '' Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat'', '' Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth'', and '' Warlock: The Armageddon''. He directed a 1997 film adaptation of the long-running '' Prince Valiant'' comic strip starring Stephen Moyer as the eponymous character.

Early life and education

Hickox was born on 30 January 1959 in

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, England, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, located mainly in the London Borough of Camden, with a small part in the London Borough of Barnet. It borders Highgate and Golders Green to the north, Belsiz ...

, London to a family of filmmakers. He was the eldest son of the director Douglas Hickox and

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

-winning editor Anne V. Coates and elder brother of editor Emma E. Hickox and James D.R. Hickox. He was also a great-nephew of J Arthur Rank, 1st Baron Rank, head of

The Rank Organisation The Rank Organisation (founded as the J. Arthur Rank Organisation) is a British entertainment Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in 1937 by industrialist J. Arthur Rank. It quickly became the largest and most vertical integration, ve ...

. Hickox was educated at Aiglon College in Switzerland.

Career

After starting as a club promoter in London, Hickox went to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

in 1986 and became a writer and director during the late 1980s. He then started directing action movies after a list of 1990s horror films including the third entry in the ''Hellraiser'' series. This led to

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hiring him to make its first action/horror, ''Full Eclipse'', which spawned the Friday night action slot that lasted over 5 years and to which Hickox made several more contributions. At the same time, he continued his deal at Universal where he shot pilots for Extreme, '' Two'', ''

Martial Law Martial law is the replacement of civilian government by military rule and the suspension of civilian legal processes for military powers. Martial law can continue for a specified amount of time, or indefinitely, and standard civil liberties ...

'' and '' New York Undercover''. After working with Natascha McElhone and William Hurt on '' Contaminated Man'', he went on to direct Katherine Heigl and Stephen Moyer in a feature-length adaptation of the '' Prince Valiant'' comic strip. The film was described by one of its actors, Warwick Davis, as "a disaster from start to finish" which was "premiered, panned and bombed". He blamed this on Hickox, who he said "seemed intent on partying all night long and giving roles to his friends." Hickox then directed

Steven Seagal Steven Frederic Seagal ( ; born April 10, 1952) is an American actor, producer, screenwriter, martial artist, and musician. A 7th-Dan (rank), dan Black belt (martial arts), black belt in aikido, he began his adult life as a martial arts instru ...

in ''Submerged'', a critical and commercial failure, and Eddie Griffin in ''Blast''. In 2008, he completed the British horror movie ''Knife Edge''. In 2019, he completed ''Underdogs Rising'' with Chris Pang and ''Infamous 6'' which shot in Hong Kong, for PopLife Global owned by Ex Chatman of Disney China. Hickox was on the board of directors of the now-dissolved film distribution company Seven Arts Pictures run by Peter Hoffman, the ex-chairman of Carolco and the production company Medient Studios run by Indian film producer Manu Kumaran. Amongst one of his latter works was a

Federico Fellini Federico Fellini (; 20 January 1920 – 31 October 1993) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He is known for his distinctive style, which blends fantasy and baroque images with earthiness. He is recognized as one of the greatest and ...

biopic, and ''Zombie Bride'', shot in Spain.

Personal life

Hickox married Romanian actress Madalina Anea.

Death

Hickox died in

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

, Romania in October 2023 at the age of 64.

Filmography

Feature films

*'' Waxwork'' (1988) *'' Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat'' (1989) *'' Waxwork II: Lost in Time'' (1992) *'' Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth'' (1992) *'' Full Eclipse'' (1993) *'' Warlock: The Armageddon'' (1993) *'' Payback'' (1995) *'' Invasion of Privacy'' (1996) *'' Prince Valiant'' (1997) *'' Storm Catcher'' (1999) *'' Jill Rips'' (2000) *'' Contaminated Man'' (2000) *'' Last Run'' (2001) *''Federal Protection'' (2002) *''Consequence'' (2003) *'' Blast'' (2004) *'' Submerged'' (2005) *'' Knife Edge'' (2008) *''Exodus to Shanghai'' (2015) *''Underdogs Rising'' (2017) *''Infamous 6'' (2019)

Television

*'' New York Undercover'' episode 3: Missing (1994) *''Extreme'' (1995) - pilot episode *'' Two'' (1995) — pilot episode *'' Pensacola: Wings of Gold'' episode: Broken Wings (1998) *''

'' (1998) — pilot episode *''Shoot Me!'' (2003) - pilot/series

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hickox, Anthony 1959 births 2023 deaths English film directors British horror film directors Alumni of Aiglon College A