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Jonathan Demme is a Actor, Director, Scriptwriter, Producer, Second Unit Director, Sound and Second Unit American born on 22 february 1944 at Baldwin, Nassau County (USA)

Jonathan Demme

Jonathan Demme
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Birth name Robert Jonathan Demme
Nationality USA
Birth 22 february 1944 at Baldwin, Nassau County (USA)
Death 26 april 2017 (at 73 years)
Awards Academy Award for Best Director

Robert Jonathan Demme (born February 22, 1944) is an American filmmaker, producer and screenwriter. Best known for directing The Silence of the Lambs, which won him the Academy Award for Best Director, he has also directed the acclaimed movies Philadelphia, Rachel Getting Married, the Talking Heads concert movie Stop Making Sense and a trilogy of Neil Young documentary/concert movies.

Biography

Jonathan Demme découvre le cinéma durant ses études à l'université de Floride, il s'occupe des relations de presse pour d'Ambassy Pictures, puis United Artists. Il collabore avec Roger Corman, à sa société de production New World. Il écrit et produit Angels hard as they come (1971) de Joe Viola avant de réaliser ses trois premiers films, Cinq femmes à abattre (1974), Crazy Mama (1975) et Colère froide en 1976. Par la suite, Demme réalise le télé-film Meurtre à la carte, un épisode de la série Columbo dans lequel l'antagoniste du célèbre lieutenant est un grand chef cuisinier incarné par Louis Jourdan. Demme dirige aussi les films Handle with Care, une comédie dramatique dans la lignée de American Graffiti de Georges Lucas et Meurtres en cascade, un thriller mettant en vedette Roy Scheider et rendant hommage au cinéma d'Alfred Hitchcock.

En 1991, Le Silence des agneaux marque un tournant dans sa carrière de réalisateur : adapté de la trilogie sur Hannibal Lecter de l'écrivain Thomas Harris, le film connait un succès critique et commercial impressionnant et accède à la renommée internationale. Le film, maintenant considéré comme un classique, est centré sur l'étrange relation qui s'établit entre une jeune policière et un redoutable tueur en série. À la cérémonie des Oscars en 1992, Le Silence des agneaux devient le troisième film, après New York-Miami de Frank Capra et Vol au dessus d'un nid de coucou de Milos Forman, à remporter le 'top 5', soit les cinq Oscars principaux : film, acteur, actrice, scénario et mise-en-scène; un exploit qui n'a pas encore été renouvelé depuis.

L'année suivante, Demme présente Cousin Bobby, un documentaire centré sur son cousin, Robert Castle, un pasteur officiant dans le quartier difficile de Harlem et très impliqué dans la vie de sa communauté. Puis, Demme dirige Philadelphia, un drame social abordant de front les thèmes de l'homophobie et du SIDA. Tom Hanks, qui incarne dans le film une victime de la maladie, verra son interprétation soulignée par un Oscar, tandis que la chanson titre, interprétée par Bruce Springsteen, est devenue un grand succès.

Il apporte l'Oscar du meilleur acteur à Tom Hanks et Anthony Hopkins, respectivement pour Philadelphia et Le Silence des agneaux. Ce dernier vaudra également l'Oscar de la meilleure actrice à Jodie Foster. Quelques années auparavant c'était celui de la meilleure actrice dans un second rôle à Mary Steenburgen pour Melvin et Howard. Fin 1998, il réalise le drame Beloved, avec Danny Glover et Oprah Winfrey.



Mais les années 2000 débutent sous de moins bons auspices : en 2002, il signe La Vérité sur Charlie, un thriller avec Mark Wahlberg et Thandie Newton, qui est un cuisant échec critique et commercial.

Il multiplie alors les documentaires, souvent socio-politiques, ou musicaux, et opère parallèlement un virage côté fiction : s'il réalise de nouveau un remake en 2004, avec Un crime dans la tête, porté par Denzel Washington et Meryl Streep, il se tourne vers un cinéma plus indépendant.

En 2008, le drame Rachel se marie permet à la jeune Anne Hathaway de décrocher une nomination à l'Oscar de la meilleure actrice. En 2015, il dirige Meryl Streep dans la comédie dramatique Ricki and the Flash, qui fait l'ouverture de la section Piazza Grande lors du 68e Festival de Locarno. Le film déçoit critique et public.

Cette même année, il préside néanmoins le jury du Prix Horizon lors du 72e Festival de Venise.

Entretemps, il revient vers le thriller policier noir et adulte pour réaliser deux épisodes de l'acclamée série dramatique d'AMC, The Killing. Parmi eux, le tout dernier chapitre du programme, diffusé fin 2014.

Jonathan Demme est un défenseur des droits de l'homme et fondateur de l'association Artists for Democracy in Haïti. Il est l'oncle du réalisateur Ted Demme.

Jonathan Demme meurt d'un cancer de l’œsophage le 26 avril 2017 à l'âge de 73 ans.

Le cinéaste Paul Thomas Anderson lui dédie son film Phantom Thread, ainsi que Brady Corbet son film Vox Lux.

Best films

The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
(Director)
Philadelphia (1994)
(Director)
Adaptation. (2002)
(Producer)
Rachel Getting Married (2008)
(Director)
Melvin and Howard (1980)
(Director)

Usually with

Gary Goetzman
Gary Goetzman
(17 films)
Tak Fujimoto
Tak Fujimoto
(15 films)
Edward Saxon
Edward Saxon
(17 films)
Declan Quinn
Declan Quinn
(7 films)
Joe Viola
Joe Viola
(7 films)
Source : Wikidata

Filmography of Jonathan Demme (51 films)

Display filmography as list

Actor

Neil Young Journeys, 1h27
Directed by Jonathan Demme
Origin USA
Genres Documentary, Musical
Themes Films about music and musicians, Transport films, Documentary films about music and musicians, Documentaire sur une personnalité, Musical films, Road movies
Actors Neil Young, Jonathan Demme, Larry Johnson
Roles Self
Rating64% 3.246823.246823.246823.246823.24682
En Mai 2011, Neil Young conduit une Crown Victoria 1956, depuis sa ville natale idyllique de Omemee (Ontario), jusqu'au mythique Massey Hall de Toronto, où il assure en toute intimité les 2 dernières date de sa tournée mondiale. Sur la route, Young raconte ses souvenirs de jeunesse à Jonathan Demme, réalisateur oscarisé pour Philadelphia et le Silence des Agneaux. Demme,collaborateur et fan de longue date du musicien, a su capter ces instants de pure intimité, leur donnant une ampleur sans pareil en les accompagnant d'extraits de concert de l'artiste. Des performances live sublimes, incluant des titres extraits de son album Le Noise, les grands classiques "Ohio", "Hey Hey, My My","I Believe in You", et les inédits "Leia" et "You Never Call". A travers la musique et les histoires personnelles de Neil Young, Demme nous plonge de façon introspective et rétrospective dans le coeur et l'âme d'un artiste de légende.
That Thing You Do!, 1h48
Directed by Tom Hanks
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Comedy, Comedy-drama, Musical theatre, Romantic comedy, Musical, Romance
Themes Films about music and musicians, Musical films, Children's films
Actors Tom Everett Scott, Liv Tyler, Johnathon Schaech, Steve Zahn, Ethan Embry, Tom Hanks
Roles Major Motion Picture Director
Rating69% 3.4993553.4993553.4993553.4993553.499355
In 1964, Guy Patterson (Tom Everett Scott) is an aspiring jazz drummer who works at his family's Erie, Pennsylvania, appliance store. Jimmy Mattingly (Johnathon Schaech) and Lenny Haise (Steve Zahn) ask Guy to sit in with their band at the annual Mercyhurst College talent show, because their regular drummer Chad (Giovanni Ribisi) has broken his arm. The last member of the group is the bass player, who is never referred to by name (Ethan Embry). The group rehearses a ballad titled "That Thing You Do". Jimmy's girlfriend, Faye Dolan (Liv Tyler), is inspired by Guy's reaction to the song (he exclaims, "Wonderful!") and names the group "The Oneders" (pronounced "Wonders"); a running gag has various people mispronouncing it as "Oh-need-ers".
Married to the Mob, 1h43
Directed by Jonathan Demme
Origin USA
Genres Thriller, Comedy, Romantic comedy, Action, Crime, Romance
Themes Mafia films, Films about sexuality, Gangster films
Actors Michelle Pfeiffer, Matthew Modine, Dean Stockwell, Mercedes Ruehl, Alec Baldwin, Charles Napier
Roles Man in Elevator
Rating61% 3.09813.09813.09813.09813.0981
Angela de Marco (Michelle Pfeiffer) is the wife of mafia up-and-comer Frank "The Cucumber" de Marco (Alec Baldwin), who gets violently dispatched by Mob boss Tony "The Tiger" Russo (Dean Stockwell) when he is discovered in a compromising situation with the latter's mistress Karen (Nancy Travis). Angela wants to escape the mafia scene with her son, but is harassed by Tony who puts the moves on her at Frank's funeral. This clinch earns her the suspicion of FBI agents Mike Downey (Matthew Modine) and Ed Benitez (Oliver Platt), and also of Tony's wife Connie (Mercedes Ruehl), who repeatedly confronts Angela with accusations of stealing her husband. To further complicate things, Mike Downey is assigned to monitor all of Angela's movements as part of an undercover surveillance operation, but cannot resist becoming romantically involved with Angela himself. Angela's attempts to break away from the Mob result in comic mayhem and a climactic showdown in a honeymoon suite in Miami.
Into the Night, 1h55
Directed by John Landis
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller, Comedy, Action, Crime, Romance
Actors Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Pfeiffer, Richard Farnsworth, Dan Aykroyd, David Bowie, David Cronenberg
Roles Federal Agent
Rating64% 3.200713.200713.200713.200713.20071
Upon discovering that his wife is having an affair, depressed insomniac Ed Okin (Jeff Goldblum) drives to LAX on his friend Herb's (Dan Aykroyd) suggestion. There he is surprised by a beautiful jewel smuggler, Diana (Michelle Pfeiffer), who lands on his car and begs him to drive her away from four Iranians who are chasing her. She persuades him to drive her to various locations, and he becomes embroiled in her predicament. After becoming increasingly exasperated with her demands, he discovers that Diana has smuggled priceless emeralds from the Shah of Iran's treasury into the country, and is being pursued by various assorted assailants, including the aforementioned agents of a criminal Iranian expatriate and a British hitman (David Bowie).
Last Embrace, 1h42
Directed by Jonathan Demme
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller, Crime, Romance
Actors Roy Scheider, Janet Margolin, Sam Levene, Christopher Walken, John Glover, Jacqueline Brookes
Roles Man on Train (uncredited)
Rating60% 3.0444153.0444153.0444153.0444153.044415
The film opens in a Mexican cantina across the border from El Paso, where government agent Harry Hannan is canoodling with his wife. Harry spots an informant that he was supposed to meet in a few days. Realizing he is about to be attacked, he shoves his wife to the ground and starts shooting at the informant's companions who return fire and flee the restaurant. Harry's wife dies in the attack, and he suffers a nervous breakdown. He spends 161 days in a Connecticut sanitarium before being released.
Citizens Band, 1h38
Directed by Jonathan Demme
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Comedy-drama
Actors Paul Le Mat, Candy Clark, Bruce McGill, Roberts Blossom, Richard Bright, Charles Napier
Rating63% 3.193953.193953.193953.193953.19395
Paul Le Mat plays "Spider," a young man who makes a meager living repairing CB radios and spends his spare time volunteering with REACT International. He lives with his father, an irascible retired truck driver (Roberts Blossom) whose CB handle is "Papa Thermodyne."
The Incredible Melting Man, 1h24
Origin USA
Genres Science fiction, Horror
Themes Films about music and musicians, Musical films
Actors Burr DeBenning, Myron Daniel Healey, Michael Alldredge, Cheryl Smith, Jonathan Demme, DeForest Covan
Roles Matt Winters
Rating42% 2.1052152.1052152.1052152.1052152.105215
During a space flight to Saturn, three astronauts are exposed to a blast of radiation which kills two of them and seriously injures the third, Steve West (Rebar). He is next shown unconscious in a hospital back on Earth, with bandages covering his face; his physician, Dr. Loring (Lisle Wilson), cannot explain what is happening to West or how he survived the blast. After the doctor leaves, West awakens and is horrified to find the flesh on his face and hands melting away. Hysterical, he attacks and kills a nurse (Bonnie Inch), then escapes the hospital in a panic. Loring and Dr. Theodore "Ted" Nelson (DeBenning), a scientist and friend of West, discover that the nurse's corpse is emitting feeble radiation, and realize West's body has become radioactive. Nelson believes West has gone insane, and concludes he must consume human flesh in order to slow the melting. Nelson calls General Michael Perry (Healey), a United States Air Force officer familiar with West's accident, and the general agrees to help Nelson find him.
Hollywood Boulevard, 1h23
Directed by Joe Dante, Allan Arkush
Origin USA
Genres Thriller, Comedy
Actors Mary Woronov, Jeffrey Kramer, Dick Miller, Paul Bartel, Jonathan Kaplan, Joseph McBride
Roles Godzilla
Rating59% 2.9506652.9506652.9506652.9506652.950665
In a prologue, pompous film director Eric Von Leppe (Paul Bartel) is shooting a skydiving sequence for low-budget Miracle Pictures in which an actress is killed. Candy Wednesday (Candice Rialson) arrives in Los Angeles to make it as an actor. She gets an agent, Walter Paisley (Dick Miller), but struggles to find work until she inadvertently gets involved in a bank robbery as a getaway driver. This gets her a job for Miracle Pictures as a stunt driver. She meets Eric Von Leppe, temperamental starlet Mary McQueen (Mary Woronov), sleazy producer PG (Roger Doran) and friendly scriptwriter, Pat (Jeffrey Kramer). Candy and Pat fall in love and she starts to get work as an actor, becoming friends with fellow starlets Bobbi (Rita George) and Jill (Tara Strohmeier).

Director

Ricki and the Flash, 1h41
Directed by Jonathan Demme
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Comedy, Comedy-drama, Musical
Themes Films about music and musicians
Actors Meryl Streep, Mamie Gummer, Kevin Kline, Rick Springfield, Sebastian Stan, Ben Platt
Rating59% 2.997382.997382.997382.997382.99738
Ricki chased her dreams of becoming a famous rock star by abandoning her family. She gets a chance to put things right when her ex-husband Pete asks her to visit Indianapolis and help their estranged daughter Julie through a difficult time.
A Master Builder, 2h10
Directed by Jonathan Demme
Origin USA
Genres Drama
Themes Films based on plays
Actors Julie Hagerty, Wallace Shawn, Andre Gregory, Larry Pine
Rating59% 2.9522152.9522152.9522152.9522152.952215
Halvard Solness (Shawn) is an aging architect of a small town in Norway who has managed to attain some distinction and local reputation, and long married to Aline (Hagerty). One day while having a visit from his friend Doctor Herdal (Pine), Solness is visited by Hilde Wangel (Joyce), a young woman of twenty-four from another town whom the doctor promptly recognizes from a recent trip.
Neil Young Journeys, 1h27
Directed by Jonathan Demme
Origin USA
Genres Documentary, Musical
Themes Films about music and musicians, Transport films, Documentary films about music and musicians, Documentaire sur une personnalité, Musical films, Road movies
Actors Neil Young, Jonathan Demme, Larry Johnson
Rating64% 3.246823.246823.246823.246823.24682
En Mai 2011, Neil Young conduit une Crown Victoria 1956, depuis sa ville natale idyllique de Omemee (Ontario), jusqu'au mythique Massey Hall de Toronto, où il assure en toute intimité les 2 dernières date de sa tournée mondiale. Sur la route, Young raconte ses souvenirs de jeunesse à Jonathan Demme, réalisateur oscarisé pour Philadelphia et le Silence des Agneaux. Demme,collaborateur et fan de longue date du musicien, a su capter ces instants de pure intimité, leur donnant une ampleur sans pareil en les accompagnant d'extraits de concert de l'artiste. Des performances live sublimes, incluant des titres extraits de son album Le Noise, les grands classiques "Ohio", "Hey Hey, My My","I Believe in You", et les inédits "Leia" et "You Never Call". A travers la musique et les histoires personnelles de Neil Young, Demme nous plonge de façon introspective et rétrospective dans le coeur et l'âme d'un artiste de légende.