Neal Jimenez
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Neal Jimenez (May 22, 1960 – December 11, 2022) was an American screenwriter and film director, best known for the 1986 film '' River's Edge''. He was a member of the dramatic jury at the
Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...
in 1994. He won Independent Spirit Awards for Best First Feature and Best Screenplay for '' The Waterdance''.


Biography

Jimenez was born in
Sacramento, California Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat, seat of Sacramento County, California, Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento Rive ...
. He initially enrolled at
Santa Clara University Santa Clara University is a private university, private Jesuit university in Santa Clara, California, United States. Established in 1851, Santa Clara University is the oldest operating institution of higher learning in California. The university' ...
, studying English, but transferred to the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, where he wrote the script for '' River's Edge''. In 1984, while a film student, he went hiking with some friends and slipped on a rock, falling twenty feet into a shallow pool below. He was initially paralyzed from the neck down but subsequent surgeries restored movement to his upper body, making him
paraplegic Paraplegia, or paraparesis, is an impairment in motor or sensory function of the lower extremities. The word comes from Ionic Greek () "half-stricken". It is usually caused by spinal cord injury or a congenital condition that affects the neura ...
. The film '' The Waterdance'', which he wrote and co-directed, was partly based on his experience in rehabilitation. It stars Eric Stoltz as a successful young writer who must deal with his new life confined to a wheelchair. It won Best First Feature and Best Screenplay at the 1993
Independent Spirit Awards The Independent Spirit Awards, originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards, and later as the Film Independent Spirit Awards, are awards presented annually in Santa Monica, California, to independent filmmakers. Founded in ...
. Jimenez wrote a number of films in the 1980s and 1990s, most notably '' River's Edge'', starring
Crispin Glover Crispin Hellion Glover (born April 20, 1964) is an American actor, filmmaker and artist. He is known for portraying eccentricity (behavior), eccentric Character actor, character roles on screen. His breakout role was as George McFly in ''Back to ...
, Keanu Reeves, and Dennis Hopper, as well as '' For the Boys'', starring
Bette Midler Bette Midler ( ;''Inside the Actors Studio'', 2004 born December 1, 1945) is an American actress, comedian, singer, and author. Throughout her five-decade career Midler has received List of awards and nominations received by Bette Midler, numero ...
. He also worked as a
script doctor A script doctor is a writer or playwright hired by a film, television, or theatre production company to rewrite an existing script or improve specific aspects of it, including structure, characterization, dialogue, pacing, themes, and other elemen ...
on films such as ''
Outbreak In epidemiology, an outbreak is a sudden increase in occurrences of a disease when cases are in excess of normal expectancy for the location or season. It may affect a small and localized group or impact upon thousands of people across an entire ...
''. Jimenez died of heart failure in Arroyo Grande, California, on December 11, 2022, at the age of 62.


Filmography


Film

Uncredited revisions * ''
Outbreak In epidemiology, an outbreak is a sudden increase in occurrences of a disease when cases are in excess of normal expectancy for the location or season. It may affect a small and localized group or impact upon thousands of people across an entire ...
'' (1995) * '' Anaconda'' (1997) * '' Desperate Measures'' (1998) * '' Dr. Dolittle'' (1998) * ''
Instinct Instinct is the inherent inclination of a living organism towards a particular complex behaviour, containing innate (inborn) elements. The simplest example of an instinctive behaviour is a fixed action pattern (FAP), in which a very short to me ...
'' (1999) Unmade projects *''
The Blue Angel ''The Blue Angel'' () is a 1930 German musical comedy-drama film directed by Josef von Sternberg and starring Marlene Dietrich, Emil Jannings and Kurt Gerron. Written by Carl Zuckmayer, Karl Vollmöller and Robert Liebmann, with uncredite ...
'' - A remake of the 1930 German musical comedy that would’ve starred
Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...
, co-prouduced by
Diane Keaton Diane Keaton (née Hall; born January 5, 1946) is an American actress. She has received List of awards and nominations received by Diane Keaton, various accolades throughout her career spanning over five decades, including an Academy Award, a Bri ...
, and directed by
Alan Parker Sir Alan William Parker (14 February 1944 – 31 July 2020) was an English film director, screenwriter and producer. His early career, beginning in his late teens, was spent as a copywriter and director of television advertisements. After abo ...
. *'' I Am Legend'' - An adaptation of the 1954
Richard Matheson Richard Burton Matheson (February 20, 1926 – June 23, 2013) was an American author and screenwriter, primarily in the fantasy, horror, and science fiction genres. He is best known as the author of '' I Am Legend'', a 1954 science ficti ...
novel. *''It Only Rains at Night'' - A project that
Johnny Depp John Christopher Depp II (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor and musician. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Johnny Depp, multiple accolades, including a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for ...
was to star in. *''Lonely Hearts of the Cosmos'' - An adaptation of the
Dennis Overbye Dennis Overbye (born June 2, 1944, in Seattle, Washington) is a science writer specializing in physics and cosmology and was the cosmic affairs correspondent for ''The New York Times''. Biography He has written two books: ''Lonely Hearts of ...
book of the same name that would’ve been produced by
Tom Hanks Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...
and directed by
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 ...
. *''Lost Undercover'' - A project that Jimenez would’ve directed about an FBI agent who investigates the underground pornography world that would’ve been produced by
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 ...
. *''Stained Glass'' - a black comedy about married life that would’ve been directed by Steven Shainberg, and almost starred Eric Stoltz and Bridget Fonda. *'' The Sweet Hereafter - An adaptation of the
Russell Banks Russell Earl Banks (March 28, 1940 – January 8, 2023) was an American writer of fiction and poetry. His novels are known for "detailed accounts of domestic strife and the daily struggles of ordinary often-marginalized characters". He drew from ...
novel of the same name. *''The Virgin'' - A script that was being developed in late 2003. Special thanks * ''Two Lies'' (1990) (Short film) * ''CinemAbility: The Art of Inclusion'' (2012) (documentary) Other credits


References


External links

*
Neal Jimenez @ bfi.org
*
Neal Jimenez @ thetvdb.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jimenez, Neal 1960 births 2022 deaths 20th-century American screenwriters American film directors of Mexican descent American male screenwriters Deaths from congestive heart failure in the United States Film directors from California People with paraplegia Santa Clara University alumni Screenwriters from California UCLA Film School alumni Writers from Sacramento, California Sundance Film Festival award winners