Gary Sherman(I)
- Writer
- Producer
- Director
Gary Sherman was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1945. He studied design
and photography at the Illinois Institute of Technology. Sherman
started out as a filmmaker by making music clips and short movies in
the mid 60s which where early precursors to MTV music videos. While
still a teenager Sherman worked as a session musician for the legendary
Chess Records label singing back-up and harmony (Sherman sings with
Eric Clapton on the hit song "Shapes of Things"). He was highly active
in the 60s Civil Rights movement as well (Sherman's uncle served in the
Army Photographic Corps). Sherman also directed numerous TV commercials
and made his feature debut as a director with the little seen
documentary "The Legend of Bo Diddley" (1966). Sherman's best movies
are distinguished by their dark, edgy and upsetting subject matter;
they also tend to be well acted, briskly paced, fiercely
confrontational and highly entertaining. Sherman received plenty of
well-deserved accolades for his second picture "Death Line" (1972), a
scary and potent horror knockout which delivered a surprising amount of
heart-wrenching pathos along with the expected gore and chills. It took
nine years for Sherman to direct a subsequent movie, but he came
through with another winner with the offbeat, excellent and original
zombie shocker "Dead & Buried" (1981). The gritty crime thriller "Vice
Squad" (1982) and the exciting Rutger Hauer action vehicle "Wanted:
Dead or Alive" (1987) were two supremely tough and stirring affairs
which further confirmed Sherman's exceptional skill and aptitude for
crafting solid and satisfying films. "Poltergeist III" (1988) was
regrettably terrible and "Lisa" (1989) was a strictly so-so stalker
offering, but more recently Sherman has bounced back with the chilling,
intense and disturbing low-budget serial killer item "39: A Movie by
Carroll McKane" (2006). Sherman has also directed episodes of the TV
shows "Wind on Water," "Poltergeist: The Legacy," and "Sable." He
created the TV series "Missing Persons" in the mid 90s. In addition to
his directing credits, Sherman has both written and produced several
made-for-TV movies and television show episodes.
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