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Edward Kern Demme ( ; October 26, 1963 – January 13, 2002) was an American director, producer, and actor.


Early life

Demme was born in New York City, the son of Gail (née Kern) and Frederick Rogers Demme. He grew up in Rockville Centre, New York on Long Island and attended South Side Senior High School. He graduated from SUNY-Cortland in 1985. He was the nephew of film producer and director
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 ...
.


Career

Demme's media career may have begun with a radio show at WSUC-FM (SUNY-Cortland), a mix of comedy and talk radio with the usual sidekick, as well as some music and was widely listened to on and off campus. His career had modest beginnings—starting as a production assistant at MTV, he later became a producer in the On-Air Promotions Department and created the cable network's hip-hop show '' Yo! MTV Raps'' (with Peter Dougherty), and directed other projects for them, including the black-and-white rants starring then-unknown chain-smoking comedian
Denis Leary Denis Colin Leary (born August 18, 1957) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. Born in Massachusetts, he first came to prominence as a stand-up comedian, especially through appearances on MTV (including the comedic song " Asshole") and th ...
. Over the course of his career, he established a group of actors that he chose to work with on more than one occasion. The most frequently used of these was Leary, whom he directed as a lead or star in Leary's stand-up specials '' No Cure for Cancer'' and ''Lock n' Load'', as well as the films '' Who's the Man?'', '' The Ref'', and '' Monument Ave.'' Leary produced the 2001 crime drama film '' Blow'', which starred
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 ...
as George Jung and was directed by Demme.


Personal life

Demme was married to Amanda Scheer, with whom he had two children. Scheer later opened several popular Los Angeles bars, including Teddy's at the Roosevelt Hotel, named in honor of her late husband. He was a fan of the
Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...
.


Death

On January 14, 2002, while playing a celebrity basketball game, Demme collapsed and died of a heart attack which may have been related to
cocaine Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid and central nervous system stimulant, derived primarily from the leaves of two South American coca plants, ''Erythroxylum coca'' and ''Erythroxylum novogranatense, E. novogranatense'', which are cultivated a ...
later found in his system during an autopsy. Demme was cremated and his ashes were given to his family.


Tributes

Much of one edition of the IFC program '' Dinner for Five'' was given over to a description of Demme's last night and fond reminiscences about his life, mostly by
Denis Leary Denis Colin Leary (born August 18, 1957) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. Born in Massachusetts, he first came to prominence as a stand-up comedian, especially through appearances on MTV (including the comedic song " Asshole") and th ...
and the show's host
Jon Favreau Jonathan Kolia Favreau ( ; born October 19, 1966) is an American actor and filmmaker. As an actor, Favreau has appeared in films such as ''Rudy (film), Rudy'' (1993), ''PCU (film), PCU'' (1994), ''Swingers (1996 film), Swingers'' (1996), ''Very ...
. This touched on Demme's being a fan of the
Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...
and his fondness for playing practical jokes. At the 2002 Golden Globe awards show, one week following Demme's death,
Kevin Spacey Kevin Spacey Fowler (born July 26, 1959) is an American actor. Known for Kevin Spacey on screen and stage, his work on stage and screen, he List of awards and nominations received by Kevin Spacey, has received numerous accolades, including two ...
wore a picture of Demme on his suit jacket. He was also in the 74th Academy Awards In Memoriam tribute that was also presented by Kevin Spacey. '' The Truth About Charlie'', his uncle
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 remake of '' Charade'', was dedicated in his memory. The 2003 album '' Blackberry Belle'' by The Twilight Singers led by Greg Dulli, was written in tribute to Demme, Dulli's close friend. Dulli had been working on another project, titled ''
Amber Headlights ''Amber Headlights'' is an album by Greg Dulli, released in 2005. Production In 2001, Dulli started to work on the follow-up to The Twilight Singers' debut album '' Twilight as Played by The Twilight Singers''. However, the death of his clos ...
'' (which would later see the light of day in 2005), but abandoned those sessions due to Demme's death. The recordings which followed, fueled in part by the memory of Demme, resulted in ''Blackberry Belle''. The 2002 film ''
Punch-Drunk Love ''Punch-Drunk Love'' is a 2002 American Absurdist fiction, absurdist Romance film, romantic comedy drama film written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, and starring Adam Sandler, Emily Watson, and Philip Seymour Hoffman. It follows an entrepr ...
'', written and directed by
Paul Thomas Anderson Paul Thomas Anderson (born June 26, 1970), also known by his initials PTA, is an American filmmaker. Often described as one of the most preeminent writer-directors of his generation, List of awards and nominations received by Paul Thomas Anders ...
, is dedicated to Demme.


Filmography


Actor

* ''
Gun A gun is a device that Propulsion, propels a projectile using pressure or explosive force. The projectiles are typically solid, but can also be pressurized liquid (e.g. in water guns or water cannon, cannons), or gas (e.g. light-gas gun). So ...
'' (1 episode, 1997) * '' Blow'' (2001) * '' John Q.'' (2002) Himself (Cameo) (Posthumously released)


Director

* '' Yo! MTV Raps'' (1988, Unknown episodes) * ''APAB: Oh My God... It's the News!'' (1991) * '' The Bet'' (1992) * '' No Cure for Cancer'' (1992) * '' Who's the Man?'' (1993) * '' The Ref'' (1994) * '' Beautiful Girls'' (1996) * '' Homicide: Life on the Street'' (2 episodes, 1994–1996) * ''
Gun A gun is a device that Propulsion, propels a projectile using pressure or explosive force. The projectiles are typically solid, but can also be pressurized liquid (e.g. in water guns or water cannon, cannons), or gas (e.g. light-gas gun). So ...
'' (1 episode, 1997) * '' Subway Stories: Tales from the Underground'' (Segment: "Manhattan Miracle," 1997) * ''
Denis Leary Denis Colin Leary (born August 18, 1957) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. Born in Massachusetts, he first came to prominence as a stand-up comedian, especially through appearances on MTV (including the comedic song " Asshole") and th ...
: Lock 'n Load'' (1997) * '' Monument Ave.'' (1998) * ''
Life Life, also known as biota, refers to matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes. It is defined descriptively by the capacity for homeostasis, Structure#Biological, organisation, met ...
'' (1999) * '' Action'' (1 episode, 1999) * '' Blow'' (2001) * '' A Decade Under the Influence'' (Posthumously released, 2003)


Producer

* '' Yo! MTV Raps'' (1988, Unknown episodes) * ''Hangin' w/MTV'' (1992, Executive producer) * '' Monument Ave.'' (1998) * ''
Rounders Rounders is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams. Rounders is a striking and fielding team game that involves hitting a small, hard, leather-cased ball with a wooden, plastic, or metal bat that has a cylindrical end. The players score b ...
'' (1998) * ''
Tumbleweeds A tumbleweed is a kind of plant habit or structure. Tumbleweed, tumble-weed or tumble weed may also refer to: Films * Tumbleweeds (1925 film), ''Tumbleweeds'' (1925 film), William S. Hart film * Tumbling Tumbleweeds (1935 film), ''Tumbling Tumble ...
'' (1999, Executive producer) * '' A Lesson Before Dying'' (1999, Executive producer) * '' Action'' (1 episode, Executive producer, 1999) * '' Blow'' (2001) * '' A Decade Under the Influence'' (Posthumously released, 2003)


Awards and nominations


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Demme, Ted 1963 births 2002 deaths American male film actors Film directors from New York City Film producers from New York (state) American male television actors American television directors Television producers from New York City Cocaine-related deaths in California Primetime Emmy Award winners People from Rockville Centre, New York Male actors from New York City 20th-century American male actors South Side High School (Rockville Centre) alumni