Donald G. Jackson (April 24, 1943 – October 20, 2003) was an American

filmmaker Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, castin ...

Biography

Born in Tremont,

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Mis ...

, Jackson grew up in

Adrian Adrian is a form of the Latin given name Adrianus or Hadrianus. Its ultimate origin is most likely via the former river Adria from the Venetic and Illyrian word ''adur'', meaning "sea" or "water". The Adria was until the 8th century BC the m ...

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

. As an adult he struggled to become a filmmaker for many years while working at an auto factory. Finally, in the mid-1970s he made his first feature film, a

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apo ...

parody, ''The Demon Lover''. This film was soon followed by the

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

film, ''I Like to Hurt People''. These films financed his move to

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

, where he remained until his death. Jackson is perhaps most well known for creating and directing the

cult film A cult film or cult movie, 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 i ...

, ''

Hell Comes to Frogtown ''Hell Comes to Frogtown'' is a 1988 American science fiction action film co-directed by Donald G. Jackson and R. J. Kizer, and written by Jackson and Randall Frakes. The film stars professional wrestler Roddy Piper as well as Sandahl Bergman ...

''. Throughout his career Jackson worked with several filmmakers including

Roger Corman Roger William Corman (born April 5, 1926) is an American film director, producer, and actor. He has been called "The Pope of Pop Cinema" and is known as a trailblazer in the world of independent film. Many of Corman's films are based on works t ...

and

James Cameron James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian filmmaker. A major figure in the post- New Hollywood era, he is considered one of the industry's most innovative filmmakers, regularly pushing the boundaries of cinematic capability ...

but it was not until he began a long collaboration with American filmmaker

Scott Shaw Scott Shaw (born 23 September 1958 in Los Angeles, California) is an American author, martial artist, and filmmaker. Career Scott Shaw is an advanced martial artist. He has written a number of books on the martial arts. Shaw has written a numb ...

that the team created Zen Filmmaking. Zen Filmmaking is a distinct style of filmmaking where no scripts are used in the creation of a film. Actors who frequently starred in Jackson's films included

Joe Estevez Joseph Estévez (born February 13, 1946) is an American actor and director. He is the younger brother of actor Martin Sheen and the uncle of Emilio Estevez, Charlie Sheen, Renée Estevez, and Ramon Estevez. Life and career Early life Esteve ...

and

Robert Z'Dar Robert James Zdarsky (June 3, 1950 – March 30, 2015), better known by his stage name Robert Z'Dar, was an American character actor and film producer, best known for his role as officer Matt Cordell in the cult horror film '' Maniac Cop'' and i ...

Death

Jackson died of

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ...

on October 20, 2003 and was interred in the

Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park & Mortuary is a cemetery and mortuary located in the Westwood Village area of Los Angeles. It is located at 1218 Glendon Avenue in Westwood, with an entrance from Glendon Avenue. The cemetery was ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

Filmography

* ''The Demon Lover'' (1976) * ''I Like to Hurt People'' (1985) * '' Roller Blade'' (1986) * ''UFO: Secret Video'' (1986) * ''

'' (1987) * '' Roller Blade Warriors: Taken by Force'' (1990) * ''

The Roller Blade Seven ''The Roller Blade Seven'' is a 1991 cult martial arts film directed by Donald G. Jackson, written by Jackson and Scott Shaw, produced by Jackson and Shaw, and starring Shaw, Frank Stallone, Karen Black, Joe Estevez, Don Stroud, and Willia ...

'' (1991) * '' The Legend of the Rollerblade Seven'' (1992) * ''Carjack'' (1993) * ''

Return to Frogtown ''Return to Frogtown'' (also known as ''Frogtown II'') is a 1993 B movie directed by Donald G. Jackson. It is the sequel to the 1988 cult film '' Hell Comes to Frogtown''. Like its predecessor, the film is set in a post-apocalyptic future where ...

'' (1993) * ''It's Showtime'' (1993) * '' Return of the Roller Blade Seven'' (1993) * '' Pocket Ninjas'' (1994) * ''Queen of Lost Island'' (1994) * ''The Devil's Pet'' (1994) * ''Twisted Fate'' (1994) * ''Kill, Kill Overkill'' (1994) * ''Baby Ghost'' (1995) * ''Little Lost Sea Serpent'' (1995) * ''Big Sister 2000'' (1995) * ''Raw Energy'' (1995) * ''Rollergator'' (1996) Rollergator, RiffTrax
/ref> * '' Toad Warrior'' (1996) * '' Guns of El Chupacabra'' (1997) * ''Armageddon Boulevard'' (1998) * ''Lingerie Kickboxer'' (1998) * ''Guns of El Chupacabra 2: The Unseen'' (1999) * ''Blade Sisters'' (1999) * ''Ride with the Devil'' (1999) * ''Legend of the Dead Boyz'' (2001) * ''

Max Hell Frog Warrior ''Max Hell Frog Warrior'' also known as ''Toad Warrior'' is a 1996 martial arts sci fi cult film written, produced, and directed by Donald G. Jackson and Scott Shaw. This film is the third in the ''Hell Comes to Frogtown'' series, following the cul ...

'' (2002)

Documentary films about Donald G. Jackson

*''Demon Lover Diary'' (1980) *'' Interview: The Documentary'' (2005)

References

External links

*
Collection of articles about Donald G. JacksonRiffTrax treatment of ''Rollergator '' on official YouTube channel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Donald G. Deaths from leukemia 1943 births 2003 deaths People from Adrian, Michigan Deaths from cancer in California Film directors from Michigan Burials at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery People from Itawamba County, Mississippi