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George Andrew Romero Jr. (; February 4, 1940 – July 16, 2017) was an American-Canadian film director, writer, editor and actor. Regarded as an influential pioneer of the
horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include Mo ...
genre and in particular
zombie film A zombie film is a film genre. Zombies are fictional creatures usually portrayed as reanimated corpses or virally infected human beings. They are commonly portrayed as cannibalistic in nature. While zombie films generally fall into the horror ...
s, he has been called an "icon" and the "Father of the Zombie Film". The first half of his ''Night of the Living Dead'' series, ''
Night of the Living Dead ''Night of the Living Dead'' is a 1968 American Independent film, independent zombie horror film directed, photographed, and edited by George A. Romero, written by Romero and John A. Russo, John Russo, produced by Russell Streiner and Karl Har ...
'' (1968), '' Dawn of the Dead'' (1978), and ''
Day of the Dead The Day of the Dead () is a holiday traditionally celebrated on November 1 and 2, though other days, such as October 31 or November 6, may be included depending on the locality. The multi-day holiday involves family and friends gathering to pa ...
'' (1985), are considered three of the best and most influential horror films made, and were major contributors to the image of the
zombie A zombie (Haitian French: ; ; Kikongo: ''zumbi'') is a mythological undead corporeal revenant created through the reanimation of a corpse. In modern popular culture, zombies appear in horror genre works. The term comes from Haitian folkl ...
in modern culture. Noted for his frequent
social commentary Social commentary is the act of using rhetorical means to provide commentary on social, cultural, political, or economic issues in a society. This is often done with the idea of implementing or promoting change by informing the general populace ab ...
, Romero had a prolific career outside of zombie films, albeit mostly still within horror: '' The Crazies'' (1973), '' The Amusement Park'' (1975), ''
Martin Martin may refer to: Places Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Europe * Martin, Croatia, a village * Martin, Slovakia, a city * Martín del Río, Aragón, Spain * M ...
'' (1977), ''
Creepshow ''Creepshow'' is a 1982 American horror comedy anthology film directed by George A. Romero and written by Stephen King, making this film his screenwriting debut. The film's ensemble cast includes Hal Holbrook, Adrienne Barbeau, Fritz Weaver, ...
'' (1982) and '' Monkey Shines'' (1988) are regarded as minor cult works, as is his
anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and g ...
television series ''
Tales from the Darkside ''Tales from the Darkside'' is an American horror anthology television series created by George A. Romero. A pilot episode was first broadcast on October 29, 1983. The series was picked up for syndication, and the first season premiered on S ...
'' (1983-1988). His ventures outside horror include the
feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...
drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...
'' Season of the Witch'' (1972) and the
action film The action film is a film genre that predominantly features chase sequences, fights, shootouts, explosions, and stunt work. The specifics of what constitutes an action film has been in scholarly debate since the 1980s. While some scholars such as D ...
''
Knightriders ''Knightriders'' is a 1981 American action drama film written and directed by George A. Romero and starring Ed Harris, Gary Lahti, Tom Savini, Amy Ingersoll, Patricia Tallman, and Christine Forrest. It was filmed entirely on location in the ...
'' (1981), while his final three films, ''
Land of the Dead ''Land of the Dead'' (also known as ''George A. Romero's Land of the Dead'') is a 2005 post-apocalyptic horror film written and directed by George A. Romero; the fourth of Romero's six '' Living Dead'' movies, it is preceded by ''Night of the L ...
'' (2005), ''
Diary of the Dead ''Diary of the Dead'' (promoted as ''George A. Romero's Diary of the Dead'') is a 2007 found footage horror film written and directed by George A. Romero. Although independently produced, it was distributed theatrically by The Weinstein Compa ...
'' (2007) and ''
Survival of the Dead Survival or survivorship, the act of surviving, is the propensity of something to continue existing, particularly when this is done despite conditions that might kill or destroy it. The concept can be applied to humans and other living things ...
'' (2009), form the second half of his ''Night of the Living Dead'' hexalogy.


Early life

Romero was born on February 4, 1940, in the New York City borough of
the Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...
, the son of Anne Romero (Dvorsky) and George M. Romero, a
commercial art Commercial art is the art of creative services, referring to art created for commercial purposes, primarily advertising. Commercial art uses a variety of platforms (magazines, websites, apps, television, etc.) for viewers with the intent of promo ...
ist. His mother was
Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...
n, and his father was from
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
and had emigrated to
Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
as a child. His father has been reported as being born in
A Coruña A Coruña (; ; also informally called just Coruña; historical English: Corunna or The Groyne) is a city and municipality in Galicia, Spain. It is Galicia's second largest city, behind Vigo. The city is the provincial capital of the province ...
, with his family coming from the Galician town of Neda, although Romero once described his father as of Castilian descent. Raised in the
Parkchester Parkchester is a planned community and neighborhood originally developed by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company and located in the east Bronx, New York City. The immediate surrounding area also takes its name from the complex. Its boundari ...
section of
the Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...
, he would frequently ride the subway into
Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
to rent
film reel A reel is a tool used to store elongated and flexible objects (e.g. yarns/ cords, ribbons, cables, hoses, etc.) by wrapping the material around a cylindrical core known as a '' spool''. Many reels also have flanges (known as the ''rims'') a ...
s to view at his house. He was one of only two people who repeatedly rented the opera-based film ''
The Tales of Hoffmann ''The Tales of Hoffmann'' (French: ) is an by Jacques Offenbach. The French libretto was written by Jules Barbier, based on three short stories by E. T. A. Hoffmann, who is the protagonist of the story. It was Offenbach's final work; he died in ...
'', the other was future director
Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November17, 1942) is an American filmmaker. One of the major figures of the New Hollywood era, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Martin Scorsese, many accolades, including an Academ ...
. Romero attended
Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The institution was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools. In 1912, it became the Carnegie Institu ...
in
Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...
.


Career


1960s

After graduating from college in 1960, Romero began his career shooting short films and TV commercials. One of his early commercial films was a segment for ''
Mister Rogers' Neighborhood ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' (sometimes shortened to ''Mister Rogers'') is an American half-hour educational children's television series that ran from 1968 to 2001. It was created and hosted by Fred Rogers. Its original incarnation, the se ...
'' in which
Fred Rogers Fred McFeely Rogers (March 20, 1928 – February 27, 2003), better known as Mister Rogers, was an American television host, author, producer, and Presbyterian minister. He was the creator, showrunner, and host of the preschool television s ...
underwent a
tonsillectomy Tonsillectomy is a surgical procedure in which both palatine tonsils are fully removed from the back of the throat. The procedure is mainly performed for recurrent tonsillitis, throat infections and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). For those wit ...
. With nine friends, including screenwriter John A. Russo, Romero formed Image Ten Productions in the late 1960s. This is the production company that produced ''
Night of the Living Dead ''Night of the Living Dead'' is a 1968 American Independent film, independent zombie horror film directed, photographed, and edited by George A. Romero, written by Romero and John A. Russo, John Russo, produced by Russell Streiner and Karl Har ...
'' (1968). Directed by Romero and co-written with John A. Russo, the film became a
cult classic A cult following is a group of Fan (person), fans who are highly dedicated to a person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some List of art media, medium. The latter is often cal ...
and a defining moment for modern horror cinema. Among the inspiration for Romero's filmmaking, as told to
Robert K. Elder Robert K. Elder (born January 20, 1976) is an American journalist, author, and film columnist. He is currently the President and CEO othe Outrider Foundation He has written more than a dozen books on topics ranging from the death penalty and m ...
in an interview for ''
The Film That Changed My Life ''The Film That Changed My Life'' (also known as ''The Film That Changed My Life: 30 Directors on Their Epiphanies in the Dark'') is a non-fiction collection of interviews compiled by American journalist, author and film columnist Robert K. Eld ...
'', was the British film ''The Tales of Hoffmann'' (1951), from the
Powell and Pressburger The British film-making partnership of Michael Powell (1905–1990) and Emeric Pressburger (1902–1988)—together often known as The Archers, the name of their production company—made a series of influential films in the 1940s and 1950s. T ...
team.


1970s and 1980s

The three films that Romero created that followed ''Night of the Living Dead'': ''
There's Always Vanilla ''There's Always Vanilla'' (also known as ''The Affair'') is a 1971 romantic comedy film directed by George A. Romero and starring Raymond Laine, Judith Ridley, Roger McGovern, and Johanna Lawrence. It was Romero's second motion picture and h ...
'' (1971), '' Jack's Wife / Season of the Witch'' (1972) and '' The Crazies'' (1973) were not as well received as ''Night of the Living Dead'' or some of his later work. ''The Crazies'', dealing with a bio spill that induces an epidemic of homicidal madness, and the critically acclaimed
arthouse An art film, arthouse film, or specialty film is an independent film aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience. It is "intended to be a serious, artistic work, often experimental and not designed for mass appeal", "made prima ...
success ''
Martin Martin may refer to: Places Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Europe * Martin, Croatia, a village * Martin, Slovakia, a city * Martín del Río, Aragón, Spain * M ...
'' (1978), a film that deals with the
vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and c ...
myth, were the two well-known films from this period. Romero returned to the
zombie A zombie (Haitian French: ; ; Kikongo: ''zumbi'') is a mythological undead corporeal revenant created through the reanimation of a corpse. In modern popular culture, zombies appear in horror genre works. The term comes from Haitian folkl ...
genre in 1978 with '' Dawn of the Dead''. Shot on a budget of $1.5 million, the film earned over $55 million internationally and was later named one of the top
cult film A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase, which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage in repeated ...
s by ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'' in 2003. Romero shot ''
Knightriders ''Knightriders'' is a 1981 American action drama film written and directed by George A. Romero and starring Ed Harris, Gary Lahti, Tom Savini, Amy Ingersoll, Patricia Tallman, and Christine Forrest. It was filmed entirely on location in the ...
'' (1981), about a group of modern-day jousters who reenact tournaments on motorcycles, and ''
Creepshow ''Creepshow'' is a 1982 American horror comedy anthology film directed by George A. Romero and written by Stephen King, making this film his screenwriting debut. The film's ensemble cast includes Hal Holbrook, Adrienne Barbeau, Fritz Weaver, ...
'' (1982), written by
Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author. Dubbed the "King of Horror", he is widely known for his horror novels and has also explored other genres, among them Thriller (genre), suspense, crime fiction, crime, scienc ...
, an anthology of tongue-in-cheek tales modeled after 1950s horror comics. The cult-classic success of ''Creepshow'' led to the creation of Romero's ''
Tales from the Darkside ''Tales from the Darkside'' is an American horror anthology television series created by George A. Romero. A pilot episode was first broadcast on October 29, 1983. The series was picked up for syndication, and the first season premiered on S ...
'', a horror anthology television series that aired from 1983 to 1988. Romero also drafted "
Pinfall In professional wrestling, a pin is a move where a wrestler holds an opponent's shoulders to the mat in an attempt to score a fall. A pinfall is a common victory condition, where the attacker pins an opponent and the referee makes a three count ...
", a screenplay for ''
Creepshow 2 ''Creepshow 2'' is a 1987 American comedy horror anthology film directed by Michael Gornick, and the sequel to '' Creepshow''. Gornick was previously the cinematographer of the first film, and the screenplay was written by George A. Romero who w ...
'' based on a draft by
Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author. Dubbed the "King of Horror", he is widely known for his horror novels and has also explored other genres, among them Thriller (genre), suspense, crime fiction, crime, scienc ...
("Pinfall" was ultimately never filmed). He made the third entry in his ''Dead'' series with ''
Day of the Dead The Day of the Dead () is a holiday traditionally celebrated on November 1 and 2, though other days, such as October 31 or November 6, may be included depending on the locality. The multi-day holiday involves family and friends gathering to pa ...
'' in 1985. As the decade drew to a close, Romero directed '' Monkey Shines'' (1988), about a
service animal Service animals are Working animal, working animals that have been trained to perform tasks that assist disabled people. Service animals may also be referred to as assistance animals or helper animals depending on the country and the animal's fu ...
.


1990s

Romero updated his original screenplay and executive-produced the 1990 remake of ''
Night of the Living Dead ''Night of the Living Dead'' is a 1968 American Independent film, independent zombie horror film directed, photographed, and edited by George A. Romero, written by Romero and John A. Russo, John Russo, produced by Russell Streiner and Karl Har ...
'' directed by
Tom Savini Thomas Vincent Savini (born November 3, 1946) is an American prosthetic makeup artist, actor, stunt performer and film director. He is known for his makeup and special effects work on many films directed by George A. Romero, including ''Martin ( ...
for Columbia/ TriStar. Savini is responsible for the makeup and special effects in many of Romero's films including ''Dawn of the Dead'', ''Day of the Dead'', ''Creepshow'', and ''Monkey Shines''. The early 1990s featured directorial efforts ''
Two Evil Eyes ''Two Evil Eyes'' ( Italian: ''Due occhi diabolici'') is a 1990 anthology horror film written and directed by George A. Romero and Dario Argento. An international co-production of Italy and the United States, ''Two Evil Eyes'' is split into two ...
'' (1990), an
Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic who is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales involving mystery and the macabre. He is widely re ...
adaptation in collaboration with
Dario Argento Dario Argento (; born 7 September 1940) is an Italian film director, screenwriter and producer. His influential work in the horror film, horror and giallo genres during the 1970s and 1980s has led him to being referred to as the "Master of the ...
and ''
The Dark Half ''The Dark Half'' is a horror novel by American writer Stephen King, published in 1989. ''Publishers Weekly'' listed ''The Dark Half'' as the second-best-selling book of 1989 behind Tom Clancy's '' Clear and Present Danger''. The novel was ada ...
'' (1993) from a novel written by
Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author. Dubbed the "King of Horror", he is widely known for his horror novels and has also explored other genres, among them Thriller (genre), suspense, crime fiction, crime, scienc ...
. In 1991, he made a
cameo appearance A cameo appearance, also called a cameo role and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief guest appearance of a well-known person or character in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking on ...
in
Jonathan Demme Robert Jonathan Demme ( ; February 22, 1944 – April 26, 2017) was an American filmmaker, whose career directing, producing, and screenwriting spanned more than 30 years and 70 feature films, documentaries, and television productions. He was an ...
's '' The Silence of the Lambs'' (1991) as one of
Hannibal Lecter Dr. Hannibal Lecter is a character created by American novelist Thomas Harris. Lecter is a cannibalistic serial killer and former forensic psychiatrist; after his incarceration, he is consulted by FBI agents Will Graham and Clarice Starling ...
's jailers. In 1994, Romero shot a short film, '' Jacaranda Joe'', about people running into a community of
Bigfoot Bigfoot (), also commonly referred to as Sasquatch (), is a large, hairy Mythic humanoids, mythical creature said to inhabit forests in North America, particularly in the Pacific Northwest.Example definitions include: *"A large, hairy, manlike ...
. Filmed at
Valencia College Valencia College (VC) is a public college with its main campus in Orlando, Florida, United States. Established in 1968, it is a member of the Florida College System and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to offer ...
in Florida, it was the first film that Romero shot entirely outside of Pittsburgh. In 1998, Romero produced and directed an unaired pilot about
professional wrestling Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to Real life, real- ...
entitled ''
Iron City Asskickers George A. Romero (1940–2017) was an Cinema of the United States, American-Canadians, Canadian film director, screenwriter, writer, film editor, editor and cinematographer. He contributed to many projects as either the writer, director, edito ...
''. It was released on DVD and VHS in 2021. In 1998, he directed a
live-action Live action is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live action with animation to create a live-action animated feature film. Live action is used to define film, video games or ...
commercial promoting the video game ''
Resident Evil 2 ''Resident Evil 2'' is a 1998 survival horror video game developed and published by Capcom for the PlayStation (console), PlayStation. The player controls rookie cop Leon S. Kennedy and college student Claire Redfield, who must escape Raccoon ...
'' in Los Angeles. The 30-second advertisement featured the game's two main characters,
Leon S. Kennedy is a character in ''Resident Evil'' (''Biohazard'' in Japan), a survival horror video game series created by the Japanese company Capcom. Leon was introduced alongside Claire Redfield as one of the two player characters in the video game ''Re ...
(portrayed by actor
Brad Renfro Brad Barron Renfro (July 25, 1982 – January 15, 2008) was an American actor. He made his film debut at age 11 with a starring role in '' The Client'' (1994). Renfro went on to appear in 21 feature films and won several awards. Prior to being ...
) and
Claire Redfield is a character in ''Resident Evil'' (''Biohazard'' in Japan), a survival horror series created by the Japanese company Capcom. Claire was first introduced alongside Leon S. Kennedy as one of two player characters in ''Resident Evil 2'' (199 ...
(
Adrienne Frantz Adrienne Danielle Frantz (born June 7, 1978) is an American actress and singer-songwriter. She appeared as Amber Moore in ''The Bold and the Beautiful'' (1997–2005, 2010–2012) and ''The Young and the Restless'' (2006–2010, 2013). Career ...
), fighting a horde of zombies while in Raccoon City's police station. The project was familiar territory for Romero and the ''
Resident Evil ''Resident Evil'', known as in Japan, is a Japanese horror game series and media franchise created by Capcom. It consists of survival horror, third-person shooter and first-person shooter games, with players typically surviving in environments ...
'' series has been heavily influenced by the ''Dead'' series. The commercial was popular and was shown in the weeks before the game's actual release, although a contract dispute prevented it from being shown outside Japan.
Capcom is a Japanese video game company. It has created a number of critically acclaimed and List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises, with its most commercially successful being ''Resident Evil'', ''Monster ...
was so impressed with Romero's work, it was strongly indicated that Romero would direct the first ''
Resident Evil ''Resident Evil'', known as in Japan, is a Japanese horror game series and media franchise created by Capcom. It consists of survival horror, third-person shooter and first-person shooter games, with players typically surviving in environments ...
'' film. He declined at first — "I don't wanna make another film with zombies in it, and I couldn't make a movie based on something that ain't mine" — although in later years, he reconsidered and wrote a script for the first movie. It was eventually rejected in favor of Paul W. S. Anderson's version. In the mid 1990s, he wrote a script for a film adaptation of the first original ''Goosebumps'' book ''
Welcome to Dead House ''Welcome to Dead House'' is the first book in the original ''Goosebumps'' book series, written by R. L. Stine. It was first published in July 1992 along with ''Stay Out of the Basement'' and ''Monster Blood'', the second and third books. Addi ...
''. It was eventually rejected altogether, although Romero's screenplay is kept archived by
The University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The university is composed of seventeen undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, hom ...
.


2000s

2000 saw the release of '' Bruiser'', about a man whose face becomes a blank mask.
Universal Studios Universal Studios may refer to: * Universal Studios, Inc., an American media and entertainment conglomerate ** Universal Pictures, an American film studio ** Universal Studios Lot, a film and television studio complex * Various theme parks operat ...
produced and released a 2004 remake of '' Dawn of the Dead'', with which Romero was not involved. Later that year, Romero kicked off the
DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...
title ''Toe Tags'' with a six-issue miniseries titled ''The Death of Death''. Based on an unused script that Romero had written for his ''Dead'' series, the comic miniseries concerns Damien, an intelligent zombie who remembers his former life, struggling to find his identity as he battles armies of both the living and the dead. Typical of a Romero zombie tale, the miniseries includes ample supply of both
gore Gore may refer to: Places Australia * Gore, Queensland * Gore Creek (New South Wales) * Gore Island (Queensland) Canada * Gore, Nova Scotia, a rural community * Gore, Quebec, a township municipality * Gore Bay, Ontario, a township on Manito ...
and
social commentary Social commentary is the act of using rhetorical means to provide commentary on social, cultural, political, or economic issues in a society. This is often done with the idea of implementing or promoting change by informing the general populace ab ...
(dealing particularly here with
corporate greed Criticism of capitalism typically ranges from expressing disagreement with particular aspects or outcomes of capitalism to rejecting the principles of the capitalist system in its entirety. Criticism comes from various political and philosophic ...
and terrorism — ideas he explored in his next film in the series, ''
Land of the Dead ''Land of the Dead'' (also known as ''George A. Romero's Land of the Dead'') is a 2005 post-apocalyptic horror film written and directed by George A. Romero; the fourth of Romero's six '' Living Dead'' movies, it is preceded by ''Night of the L ...
''). Romero has stated that the miniseries is set in the same kind of world as his ''Dead'' films, but featured other locales besides Pittsburgh, where the majority of his films take place. Romero directed ''
Land of the Dead ''Land of the Dead'' (also known as ''George A. Romero's Land of the Dead'') is a 2005 post-apocalyptic horror film written and directed by George A. Romero; the fourth of Romero's six '' Living Dead'' movies, it is preceded by ''Night of the L ...
'', released in 2005. The film's working title was ''Dead Reckoning''. Actors
Simon Baker Simon Lucas Baker (born 30 July 1969) is an Australian actor and director. He first gained prominence on the Australian soap opera ''E Street (TV series), E Street'' (1992–1993). He later starred in the CBS legal drama ''The Guardian (TV ser ...
,
Dennis Hopper Dennis Lee Hopper (May 17, 1936 – May 29, 2010) was an American actor, filmmaker, photographer and visual artist. He was considered one of the key figures of New Hollywood. He earned prizes from the Cannes Film Festival and Venice Internatio ...
,
Asia Argento Asia Argento (; born Aria Maria Vittoria Rossa Argento; 20 September 1975) is an Italian actress and filmmaker. The daughter of filmmaker Dario Argento, she has had roles in several of her father's features and achieved mainstream success with ...
, and
John Leguizamo John Alberto Leguizamo Peláez (, ; ; born July 22, 1960 or 1964) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and film producer. He has appeared in more than 100 films, produced more than 20 films and documentaries, made more than 30 televisio ...
starred and the film was released by
Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...
(who released the ''Dawn of the Dead'' remake the year before). The film received generally positive reviews. Romero collaborated with the game company Hip Interactive to create a game called '' City of the Dead'', but the project was canceled midway due to the company's financial problems. In August 2006, ''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' announced that Romero signed on to write and direct ''George A. Romero's Diary of the Dead'', which follows a group of college students filming a horror movie who proceed to film the events that follow when the dead rise. After a limited theatrical release, ''Diary of the Dead'' was released on
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...
by Dimension Extreme on May 20, 2008, and later to
Blu-ray Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...
on October 21, 2008. Shooting began in Toronto in September 2008 on Romero's ''
Survival of the Dead Survival or survivorship, the act of surviving, is the propensity of something to continue existing, particularly when this is done despite conditions that might kill or destroy it. The concept can be applied to humans and other living things ...
'' (2009). The film was initially reported to be a direct sequel to ''Diary of the Dead'', but the film features only Alan van Sprang, who appeared briefly as a rogue National Guard officer, reprising his role from the previous film, and did not retain the first-person camerawork of ''Diary of the Dead''. The film centers on two feuding families taking very different approaches in dealing with the living dead on a small coastal island. The film premiered at the 2009
Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the most prestigious and largest publicly attended film festivals in the world. Founded in 1976, the festival takes place every year in early September. The organi ...
. Prior to the May 28, 2010, theatrical release in the United States, ''Survival of the Dead'' was made available to
video on demand Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos, television shows and films Digital distribution, digitally on request. These multimedia are accessed without a traditional video playback device and a typica ...
and was aired as a special one-night showing on May 26, 2010, on
HDNet AXS TV () is an American specialty television, cable television channel majority-owned by Canadian broadcaster Anthem Sports & Entertainment. It is devoted primarily to Music television, music-related programming (such as concert films, Document ...
. Some critics have seen social commentary in much of Romero's work. They view ''Night of the Living Dead'' as a film made in reaction to the turbulent 1960s, ''Dawn of the Dead'' as a
satire Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of exposin ...
on
consumerism Consumerism is a socio-cultural and economic phenomenon that is typical of industrialized societies. It is characterized by the continuous acquisition of goods and services in ever-increasing quantities. In contemporary consumer society, the ...
, ''Day of the Dead'' as a study of the conflict between science and the military, ''Land of the Dead'' as an examination of
class conflict In political science, the term class conflict, class struggle, or class war refers to the economic antagonism and political tension that exist among social classes because of clashing interests, competition for limited resources, and inequali ...
, ''Diary of the Dead'' as a film made in reaction to the "
emerging media ''Emerging'' is the title of the only album by the Phil Keaggy Band, released in 1977 on NewSong Records. The album's release was delayed due to a shift in record pressing plant priorities following the death of Elvis Presley. The album was r ...
" and ''Survival of the Dead'' as a study on
war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...
and conflict.


2010s

In 2010, Romero stated that he had plans for two more ''Dead'' films which would be connected to ''Diary of the Dead'' and they would be made depending on how successful ''Survival of the Dead'' was. Romero, however, said that his next project would not involve zombies and he was going for the scare factor, but offered no further details. Romero made an appearance in the second downloadable map pack called "Escalation" for the video game '' Call of Duty: Black Ops''. He appears as himself in the zombies map "Call of the Dead" as a non-playable enemy character. Romero is featured alongside actors
Sarah Michelle Gellar Sarah Michelle Prinze ( ; born April 14, 1977) is an American actress. After being spotted by a talent agent as a young child, she made her film debut at age six in the television film ''An Invasion of Privacy'' (1983). She had her first lead ...
,
Danny Trejo Danny Trejo (, ; born May 16, 1944) is an American actor. Known for his Danny Trejo filmography, large body of work as a character actor, films in which he has appeared in have grossed over $3.7 billion worldwide. A native of Los Angeles, Tr ...
,
Michael Rooker Michael Rooker (born April 6, 1955) is an American actor who mainly plays roles of antagonists. He first rose to prominence for portraying the titular role in '' Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer'' (1986), and is best known for starring as Mer ...
, and
Robert Englund Robert Barton Englund (born June 6, 1947) is an American actor and director. Englund is best known for playing the villain Freddy Krueger in the ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' franchise. Englund has received multiple accolades and honors, incl ...
, all of the four being playable characters. He is portrayed as a powerful "boss" zombie armed with a movie studio light. In 2012, Romero returned to video games recording his voice for ''Zombie Squash'' as the lead villain, Dr. B. E. Vil. ''Zombie Squash'' was released by ACW Games for the
iPad The iPad is a brand of tablet computers developed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple that run the company's mobile operating systems iOS and later iPadOS. The IPad (1st generation), first-generation iPad was introduced on January 27, 2010. ...
in November 2012. In 2014,
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
began releasing '' Empire of the Dead'', a 15-issue miniseries written by Romero. The series is broken up into three acts, five issues each, and features zombies and
vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and c ...
s. A prequel comic book series based on Romero's unproduced zombie film idea ''Road of the Dead'' was announced by IDW in July 2018. The 3-part mini-series was released in December 2018. In April 2021, it was announced that Romero's unproduced film treatment for '' Twilight of the Dead'' was put back into development under the supervision of Suzanne Romero, with co-writer Paolo Zelati finishing the script. Suzanne told ''The Hollywood Reporter'', "This is the film he wanted to make. And while someone else will carry the torch as the director, it is very much a George A. Romero film." In August 2023, the film was announced to start production in fall 2023 once the current
SAG-AFTRA The Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists
strike comes to an end. A month later, it was announced that the film would be directed by Brad Anderson.


Personal life

Romero was married three times. He married his first wife, Nancy, in 1971. They divorced in 1978. They had one child together, Cameron, who later became a filmmaker. Romero met his second wife, actress
Christine Forrest Christine Forrest (sometimes credited as Chris Romero) is an American actress and producer. She is the former wife of George A. Romero and appeared in many of his films. Forrest met Romero on the set of '' Season of the Witch''. She went on ...
, on the set of '' Season of the Witch'' (1972), and they married in 1981. Together they had two children, Tina and Andrew. Tina Romero is a filmmaker who made her directorial debut with the horror-comedy ''
Queens of the Dead ''Queens of the Dead'' is a 2025 American horror comedy film directed by Tina Romero. It stars Jaquel Spivey, Katy O’Brian, Margaret Cho, Jack Haven, and Cheyenne Jackson. Premise The film follows a group of drag queens, club kids, and fre ...
'' (2025). Romero met Suzanne Desrocher while filming ''
Land of the Dead ''Land of the Dead'' (also known as ''George A. Romero's Land of the Dead'') is a 2005 post-apocalyptic horror film written and directed by George A. Romero; the fourth of Romero's six '' Living Dead'' movies, it is preceded by ''Night of the L ...
'' (2005), and they married in September 2011 at
Martha's Vineyard Martha's Vineyard, often simply called the Vineyard, is an island in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, lying just south of Cape Cod. It is known for being a popular, affluent summer colony, and includes the smaller peninsula Chappaquiddick Isla ...
and lived in
Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
. He acquired Canadian citizenship in 2009, becoming a dual Canada-U.S. citizen.


Death

On July 16, 2017, Romero died following a "brief but aggressive battle with
lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...
", according to a statement by his longtime producing partner, Peter Grunwald. Romero died while listening to the score of one of his favorite films, ''
The Quiet Man ''The Quiet Man'' is a 1952 American romantic comedy drama film directed and produced by John Ford, and starring John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Victor McLaglen, Barry Fitzgerald, Arthur Shields and Ward Bond. The screenplay by Frank S. Nugent ...
'' (1952), with his wife, Suzanne Desrocher Romero, and daughter from his second marriage, Tina Romero, at his side. He was buried at
Toronto Necropolis Toronto Necropolis is a non-denominational cemetery in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located on the west side of the Don River valley, to the north of Riverdale Farm in the Cabbagetown neighbourhood. The cemetery was opened during the 1850s t ...
.


Influences

Romero ranked his top ten films of all time for the 2002 ''
Sight & Sound ''Sight and Sound'' (formerly written ''Sight & Sound'') is a monthly film magazine published by the British Film Institute (BFI). Since 1952, it has conducted the well-known decennial ''Sight and Sound'' Poll of the Greatest Films of All Time. ...
'' Greatest Films Poll. They are ''
The Brothers Karamazov ''The Brothers Karamazov'' ( rus, Братья Карамазовы, Brat'ya Karamazovy, ˈbratʲjə kərɐˈmazəvɨ), also translated as ''The Karamazov Brothers'', is the last novel by Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. Dostoevsky spent nearly ...
'', ''
Casablanca Casablanca (, ) is the largest city in Morocco and the country's economic and business centre. Located on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Chaouia (Morocco), Chaouia plain in the central-western part of Morocco, the city has a populatio ...
'', ''
Dr. Strangelove ''Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb'' (known simply and more commonly as ''Dr. Strangelove'') is a 1964 political satire black comedy film co-written, produced, and directed by Stanley Kubrick. It is loosely ...
'', ''
High Noon ''High Noon'' is a 1952 American Western (genre), Western film produced by Stanley Kramer from a screenplay by Carl Foreman, directed by Fred Zinnemann, and starring Gary Cooper. The plot, which occurs in Real time (media), real time, centers ...
'', ''
King Solomon's Mines ''King Solomon's Mines'' is an 1885 popular fiction, popular novel by the English Victorian literature, Victorian adventure writer and fable, fabulist Sir H. Rider Haggard. Published by Cassell and Company, it tells of an expedition through an ...
'', ''
North by Northwest ''North by Northwest'' is a 1959 American spy thriller film produced and directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, and James Mason. The original screenplay written by Ernest Lehman was intended to be the basis for ...
'' (a film on which a teenaged Romero worked as a
gofer A gofer, go-fer or gopher is an employee who specializes in the delivery of specific items to their superior(s). Examples of these items include a cup of coffee, a tool, a tailored suit, or a car. Outside of the business world, the term is use ...
), ''
The Quiet Man ''The Quiet Man'' is a 1952 American romantic comedy drama film directed and produced by John Ford, and starring John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Victor McLaglen, Barry Fitzgerald, Arthur Shields and Ward Bond. The screenplay by Frank S. Nugent ...
'', '' Repulsion'', ''
Touch of Evil ''Touch of Evil'' is a 1958 American film noir written and directed by Orson Welles, who also stars. The screenplay was loosely based on Whit Masterson's novel '' Badge of Evil'' (1956). The cast included Charlton Heston, Janet Leigh, Jose ...
'' and ''
The Tales of Hoffmann ''The Tales of Hoffmann'' (French: ) is an by Jacques Offenbach. The French libretto was written by Jules Barbier, based on three short stories by E. T. A. Hoffmann, who is the protagonist of the story. It was Offenbach's final work; he died in ...
''. Romero listed the films in alphabetical order, with special placement given to
Michael Powell Michael Latham Powell (30 September 1905 – 19 February 1990) was an English filmmaker, celebrated for his partnership with Emeric Pressburger. Through their production company Powell and Pressburger, The Archers, they together wrote, produced ...
's ''The Tales of Hoffmann'', which he cites as "my favorite film of all time, the movie that made me want to make movies."


Awards and nominations

On October 27, 2009, Romero was honored with the Mastermind Award at Spike TV's Scream 2009. The tribute was presented by longtime Romero fan
Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American filmmaker, actor, and author. Quentin Tarantino filmography, His films are characterized by graphic violence, extended dialogue often featuring much profanity, and references to ...
, who stated in his speech that the "A" in George A. Romero stood for "A Fucking Genius." In 2016, he was honored with the Ted M. Larson Award at the
Fargo Film Festival The Fargo Theatre is an art deco movie theater in downtown Fargo, North Dakota, United States. Construction on the building began in the fall of 1925 and the theatre opened on March 15, 1926. It was restored in 1999 to its historic appearance an ...
for his contribution to cinema.


Legacy

Regarded as the "Godfather of the Dead", as well as the "Father of the Modern Movie Zombie",Day, Patric Kevin (November 1, 2013)
"George Romero dismisses 'The Walking Dead' as 'soap opera'"
''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
''.
critic
Owen Gleiberman Owen Gleiberman (born February 24, 1959) is an American film critic who has been chief film critic for '' Variety'' magazine since May 2016, a title he shares with . Previously, Gleiberman wrote for ''Entertainment Weekly'' from 1990 until 2014. ...
said of Romero that he was "a maestro of zombie terror who created the ultimate horror-movie metaphor" and remarked that "the real metaphor isn't only about Vietnam, or capitalism, or even disease, or anything else that you can stuff into a fortune cookie. It's about something more basic but ethereal, something that you can sense without putting it into words: the hidden aggression we all feel deep down, as the price of too much civilization." In 2010, writer and actor
Mark Gatiss Mark Gatiss (; born 17 October 1966) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, director, producer and novelist. Best known for his acting work on stage and screen as well as for co-creating television shows with Steven Moffat, he has received ...
interviewed Romero for his BBC documentary series ''
A History of Horror ''A History of Horror'' (also known as ''A History of Horror with Mark Gatiss'') is a 2010 three-part documentary series made for the BBC by British writer and actor Mark Gatiss. It is a personal exploration of the history of horror film, inspire ...
'', in which he appears in the third episode. ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
''. Romero's influence, and that of ''Night of the Living Dead'', is widely seen among numerous filmmakers and artists, in particular those who have worked in the zombie subgenre, including comics writer
Robert Kirkman Robert Kirkman (; born November 30, 1978)Löchel, Ingo"The Walking Dead: Die Comic-Serie – Robert Kirkman" Zauberspiegel. Retrieved February 17, 2013. is an American comic book writer, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for co-creat ...
, novelist
Seth Grahame-Smith Seth Grahame-Smith (born Seth Jared Greenberg; January 4, 1976) is an American writer and film producer, best known as the author of ''The New York Times'' best-selling novels '' Pride and Prejudice and Zombies'' and '' Abraham Lincoln, Vampire ...
, and filmmakers
John Carpenter John Howard Carpenter (born January 16, 1948) is an American filmmaker, composer, and actor. Most commonly associated with horror film, horror, action film, action, and science fiction film, science fiction films of the 1970s and 1980s, he is ...
,
Edgar Wright Edgar Howard Wright (born 18 April 1974) is an English filmmaker. He is known for his fast-paced and kinetic, satirical Film genre, genre films, which feature extensive utilisation of expressive popular music, Steadicam tracking shots, dolly zo ...
and
Jack Thomas Smith Jack Thomas Smith (born March 10, 1969) is an American producer, writer and director of feature films and documentary television series. His feature horror films include ''Disorder'' and ''Infliction''. Smith is a member of the Horror Writers Ass ...
.Wien, Gary (October 19, 2014)
"Infliction: An Interview With Jack Thomas Smith"
'' New Jersey Stage''.
The season eight premiere episode "
Mercy Mercy (Middle English, from Anglo-French , from Medieval Latin , "price paid, wages", from Latin , "merchandise") is benevolence, forgiveness, and kindness in a variety of ethical, religious, social, and legal contexts. In the social and le ...
" of the zombie-based show '' The Walking Dead'', the first to air after Romero's death, dedicated the episode to Romero; showrunner Scott M. Gimple said that the show "owes a great debt" to Romero for his impact on popular culture. In May 2019, the
University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The university is composed of seventeen undergraduate and graduate schools and colle ...
announced it had acquired George Romero's archives and that a multimedia exhibit be created and open to the public in the university's
Hillman Library Hillman Library is the largest library and the center of administration for the University Library System (ULS) of the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Located on the corner of Forbes Avenue and Schenley Driv ...
.


The George A. Romero Foundation

The George A. Romero Foundation is a
nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...
dedicated to preserving and promoting Romero's legacy. Founded in 2018 by Romero's wife Suzanne Desrocher-Romero, the Foundation's mission is to advance the causes for which George Romero was a champion – creativity within the horror genre and independent filmmaking in general – as well as preserving and documenting the history of the genre in all forms and contributing to its future by encouraging new generations of filmmakers, artists, and creators.


Bibliography

# ''Dawn of the Dead'' (with Susanna Sparrow; movie tie-in), 1979. # ''Martin'' (with Susanna Sparrow; movie tie-in), 1984. # ''Toe Tags'' #1-6 ("The Death of Death";
DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...
), 2004–2005. # '' Empire of the Dead'' (
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
), 2014–2015. # ''Nights of the Living Dead'' co-edited by
Jonathan Maberry Jonathan Maberry (born May 18, 1958) is an American suspense author, anthology editor, comic book writer, magazine feature writer, playwright, content creator and writing teacher/lecturer. He was named one of the Today's Top Ten Horror Writers. ...
and George Romero (
St. Martin's Griffin St. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in Manhattan in New York City. It is headquartered in the Equitable Building. St. Martin's Press is considered one of the largest English-language publishers, bringing to the public some 700 ...
), 2017. # '' The Living Dead'' (with Daniel Kraus), 2020. # ''Pay the Piper'' (with Daniel Kraus), 2024.


Forewords written by Romero

# ''Bizarro!'' by
Tom Savini Thomas Vincent Savini (born November 3, 1946) is an American prosthetic makeup artist, actor, stunt performer and film director. He is known for his makeup and special effects work on many films directed by George A. Romero, including ''Martin ( ...
(foreword), 1984. # ''
Book of the Dead The ''Book of the Dead'' is the name given to an Ancient Egyptian funerary texts, ancient Egyptian funerary text generally written on papyrus and used from the beginning of the New Kingdom of Egypt, New Kingdom (around 1550 BC) to around 50 BC ...
'' edited by
John Skipp John Skipp (born May 20, 1957) is a splatterpunk horror and fantasy author and anthology editor, as well as a songwriter, screenwriter, film director, and film producer. He collaborated with Craig Spector on multiple novels, and has also colla ...
and Craig Spector (foreword), 1989. # ''ZOMBIES! An Illustrated History of the Undead'' Foreword by George A. Romero. # ''The Extraordinary Adventures of Dog Mendonça and Pizzaboy II – Apocalipse'' by
Filipe Melo Filipe Melo may refer to: * Filipe Melo (writer) (born 1977), Portuguese musician, film director and comic book writer * Filipe Melo (footballer) (born 1989), Portuguese footballer * Filipe Melo (politician) (born 1981), Portuguese politician ...
and Juan Cavia (foreword), 2011.


Filmography


See also

* George A. Romero's unrealized projects


References


Further reading

* Ork, William Terry and Abagnalo, George,
Night of the Living Dead--Interview with George A. Romero
" ''Interview Magazine'' 1(4) (1969), 21-22. * Dupuis, Joachim Daniel (2014), George A. Romero and the zombies, Autopsy of a living-dead. Paris: L'Harmattan (in French). * * * *


External links

*
George A. Romero Archival Collection
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Romero, George A. 1940 births 2017 deaths American emigrants to Canada American male film actors American male television actors American male voice actors American people of Spanish descent Hispanic and Latino American film directors American people of Galician descent American people of Lithuanian descent American writers of Cuban descent Anti-consumerists Articles containing video clips Canadian male film actors Canadian male television actors Canadian male voice actors Film directors from Toronto Canadian people of Cuban descent Canadian people of Lithuanian descent Canadian people of Spanish descent Carnegie Mellon University College of Fine Arts alumni Deaths from cancer in Ontario Deaths from lung cancer in Canada Film directors from New York City Hispanic and Latino American writers American horror film directors Naturalized citizens of Canada Mass media people from the Bronx Burials at Toronto Necropolis Postmodernist filmmakers