Matt Cimber

Matt Cimber (born Thomas Vitale Ottaviano; 1936) is an American producer, director, and writer. He is known for directing genre films including ''The Candy Tangerine Man, The Witch Who Came from the Sea,'' ''Hundra,'' and ''Butterfly.'' Cimber has been called "an unsung hero of 70s exploitation cinema." He was co-founder and director of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (GLOW) professional wrestling promotion and syndicated television series. Cimber also occasionally acts in films, television, and theatre.

Cimber was also the last husband of actress Jayne Mansfield, directing her on stage and in the film '' Single Room Furnished'' (1968), which was released after her death''.''

Career

Theater

Cimber began his directing career in the early 1960s at the Londonderry Theater Workshop in Vermont. He went of to direct Off-Broadway plays, which includ''ed Young and Beautiful'', an adaptation of the short stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald, the U.S. premiere of works by Jean Cocteau ''(Antigone, Orphee, The Holy Terrors,'' ''Intimate Relations''). Others included ''The Little Hut, The Voice of the Turtle, The Ignorants Abroad,'' and '' The Moon is Blue''. He adapted John Steinbeck's '' Burning Bright'', the cast of which featured future Academy Award winner Sandy Dennis. Cimber's regional theater credits include ''The Country Girl'', ''Send Me No Flowers, Susan Slept Here'', and '' The Tender Trap.''
He met his future wife, Jayne Mansfield, while directing a 1964 revival of William Inge's ''Bus Stop'', and would direct and co-star with her in productions of ''The Rabbit Habit'' and ''Champagne Complex.'' Another of Cimber's Off-Broadway credits, ''Walk-Up'', was adapted as ''Single Room Furnished,'' a vehicle for Mansfield.

Film

Cimber made his debut as a film director (credited as "Matteo Ottaviano") with '' Single Room Furnished'' (1966). The film was shot by László Kovács, noted pioneer of the "American New Wave". It was introducted by Walter Winchell. Jayne Mansfield, in what was her last principal film role, was described by Variety as having "surprisingly moving moments".

Cimber proceeded to direct a string of "sexploitation films" under the pseudonyms "Gary Harper" and "Rinehart Segway," including ''Man and Wife'' (1969), ''Sex and Astrology'' (1971), and ''The Sensually Liberated Female'' (1970), which was based on a best-selling book, ''The Sensuous Woman'' by Joan Garrity.

Cimber helmed three Blaxploitation films of the mid-70s: '' The Black Six'' (1973), '' Lady Cocoa'' (1975) starring Lola Falana, and ''The Candy Tangerine Man'' (1975), the last of which Samuel L. Jackson and Quentin Tarantino have cited among their favorite films.

In 1976, Cimber ventured into psychological thrillers with '' The Witch Who Came from the Sea,'' starring Millie Perkins and Lonny Chapman, with cinematography by Oscar nominee Dean Cundey. ''Vice'' cited it as "One of the Top 10 Greatest Banned Films" and "a bit of a masterpiece." The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes voted it one of "90 Best '70s Horror Films."

Cimber's next film, '' A Time to Die,'' was a World War II thriller based on a novel by Mario Puzo starring Rod Taylor and Rex Harrison in his final screen performance. The film was shot in 1979 and released in 1982.

In 1982, Cimber teamed with Pia Zadora on the caper film ''Fake-Out'', which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and starred Telly Savalas and Desi Arnaz, Jr. He also directed the crime drama ''Butterfly,'' featuring Orson Welles and Stacy Keach, based on the novel ''The Butterfly'' by James M. Cain. Welles and composer Ennio Morricone were nominated for Golden Globe Awards, as was Zadora, who won the Golden Globe Award for Best Female Newcomer for her performance.

The following year, Cimber collaborated with actress Laurene Landon on the adventure films ''Hundra'', which premiered at Cannes and featured a score by Ennio Morricone, and ''Yellow Hair and the Fortress of Gold''.

Television

In 1986, Cimber co-created ''GLOW: Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling'', and served as executive producer and director of the syndicated television program. The show lasted for four seasons. It later inspired the fictionalized Netflix series '' GLOW''. In ''GLOW'', Marc Maron's character Sam Sylvia was inspired by Cimber.

Later career

Cimber wrote and directed the documentaries ''An American Icon: Coca-Cola, The Early Years'' (1997) and ''The History of United Nations'' (1996). He created and wrote the eight-minute intro for visitors to the United Nations, for which he received a special commendation from the U.N.

After a 20-year absence from feature films, he wrote and directed ''Miriam'' (2006), based on the real-life story of Holocaust survivor Miriam Schafer, starring Ariana Savalas as Schafer.

Personal life

Cimber married Jayne Mansfield in 1964 and managed her career during their marriage. They had one son, Antonio ("Tony", b. 1965), and separated that same year, but filed for divorce in 1966.

Awards and nominations

Cimber's ''Butterfly'' was nominated for three Golden Raspberry Awards: Worst Picture, Worst Director, and Worst Screenplay.

Filmography

References

External links

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Matt Cimber and Kliph Nesteroff – Behind the Scenes of Candy Tangerine Man

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cimber, Matt
1936 births
Living people
Film directors from Los Angeles
American people of Italian descent
Jayne Mansfield
Place of birth missing (living people)
20th-century American male actors