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Robert Bloch is a Actor, Scriptwriter and Stunts American born on 5 april 1917 at Chicago (USA)

Robert Bloch

Robert Bloch
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Birth name Robert Albert Bloch
Nationality USA
Birth 5 april 1917 at Chicago (USA)
Death 23 september 1994 (at 77 years) at Los Angeles (USA)

Robert Bloch, né le 5 avril 1917 à Chicago et mort le 23 septembre 1994 (à 77 ans) à Los Angeles, est un écrivain américain, auteur de romans policiers et de nouvelles fantastiques, ayant beaucoup travaillé pour le cinéma et la télévision en tant que scénariste.

Biography

Fils d'un caissier de banque et d’une assistante sociale, Robert Bloch est né le 5 avril 1917, à Chicago. C'est en voyant Lon Chaney dans Le Fantôme de l'Opéra à l'âge de 8 ans, qu'il se passionne pour le fantastique. À l’âge de dix ans le jeune Bloch découvre le magazine Weird Tales, des auteurs publiés ce sont surtout les histoires de H. P. Lovecraft qui l’impressionnent.

À l'âge de 15 ans il est ami avec Lovecraft et entretient une correspondance régulière avec celui-ci.
Il le met en scène dans Retour à Arkham. Plusieurs de ses romans et nouvelles reprennent le mythe de Cthulhu créé par Lovecraft.

Robert Bloch a utilisé les pseudonymes de Tarleton Fiske, Sherry Malone, E.K. Jarvis, Wilson Kane, John Sheldon et Will Folke.

Par ailleurs, il a écrit plusieurs histoires autour de Jack l'Éventreur : Votre dévoué Jack l'Éventreur, l'une de ses plus célèbres nouvelles, le roman La nuit de l'éventreur…

Vers 1940 il travaille comme rédacteur publicitaire pour l'agence Marx Gustav et épouse Marion Holcombe.

En 1942, Bloch crée un de ses personnages les plus populaires, Lefty Feep, qui paraît dans 22 nouvelles dans Fantastic Adventures. c'est un escroc sympathique toujours embarqué dans des combines tordues qui finissent par lui retomber dessus inexorablement. Un seul de ces récits a été traduit en français : La Demi-portion
(The little man who wasn't all there).

Travaillant pour l'agence de publicité Gustav Marx advertising agency, il est contacté par James Doolittle, directeur de campagne de Carl Zeidler, l'assistant du procureur de Milwaukee. On lui demande de travailler sur les discours, la publicité du candidat ; en collaboration avec Harold Gauer, il organise des « shows électoraux » qui amèneront Zedler à la victoire, mais n'apportent à Bloch ni reconnaissance, ni le salaire escompté. Dans son autobiographie, Bloch rapporte que s'il n'avait pas écrit une petite histoire de vampire intitulée The Cloak pour le magazine Unknown, Carl Zeidler ne serait jamais devenu Maire de Milwaukee.

En 1950 il publie plusieurs romans : L’écharpe, le Kidnappeur, l'Eventreur, l'Étoile filante.

En 1957, il entend parler à la radio du « Boucher de Plainfield », Ed Gein, qui vient d'être arrêté pour le meurtre de Bernice Worden et chez qui l'on a découvert quelques dizaines d'objets fabriqués à partir de cadavres déterrés dans les cimetières avoisinants. Bloch, qui n'habite pas très loin, se demande ce qui peut pousser un homme à de telles extrémités, l'imagination du romancier se met en marche, et cela donne Psychose dont Alfred Hitchcock tira ce qui peut sans doute être considéré comme son meilleur film, très fidèle au roman original.



Ayant déménagé à Hollywood, il écrit simultanément :


ses propres romans et nouvelles (voir bibliographie)
des scénarios pour le cinéma :
1962 : The Couch de Owen Crump
1962 : Le Cabinet du docteur Caligari de Roger Kay
1964 : La Meurtrière diabolique de William Castle
1967 : Le jardin des tortures de Freddie Francis
1972 : Asylum de Roy Ward Baker
des scénarios ou adaptations pour séries télévisées :
Lock-up (avec Mc Donald Carey)
Whispering Smith (western avec Audie Murphy)
Alfred Hitchcock présente (17 épisodes)
Thriller (présenté par Boris Karloff)
Star Trek (3 épisodes)
1.07 (1966) Planète des illusions (What are little girls made of?)
2.07 (1967) Dans les griffes du chat (Catspaw)
2.14 (1967) Un loup dans la bergerie (Wolf in the fold)
Darkroom avec James Coburn
des articles et nouvelles pour des magazines masculins (Playboy, Rogue, Cavalier, Rascal, Swank…)
En 1959, il remporte le prix Hugo pour sa nouvelle That Hell-Bound Train (qui relève plus du fantastique que de la science-fiction).

En 1969, il écrit pour Collier Young (producteur de cinéma et de télévision) la novellisation d'un scénario qui ne sera jamais tourné. Ce dernier publie le texte L'étrange affaire Todd (Ed.Néo 1985) sous son propre nom, alors que Robert Bloch en a toujours revendiqué l'écriture intégrale.

Best films

Psycho II (1983)
(Characters)
Psycho (1960)
(Novel)

Usually with

Source : Wikidata

Filmography of Robert Bloch (21 films)

Display filmography as list

Actor

Scriptwriter

Psycho
Psycho (1998)
, 1h45
Directed by Gus Van Sant
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller, Comedy, Horror, Crime
Themes Medical-themed films, Psychologie, Films about sexuality, Serial killer films, Films about psychiatry, LGBT-related film, Cross-dressing in film
Actors Vince Vaughn, Julianne Moore, Viggo Mortensen, Anne Heche, William H. Macy, Philip Baker Hall
Roles Novel
Rating46% 2.3047752.3047752.3047752.3047752.304775
Marion Crane steals $400,000 from her employer to get her boyfriend, Sam Loomis, out of debt. She flees Phoenix, Arizona, by car. While en route to Sam's California home, she parks along the road to sleep. A highway patrol officer awakens her and, suspicious of her agitated state, begins to follow her. When she trades her car for another one at a dealership, he notes the new vehicle's details. Marion returns to the road but, rather than drive in a heavy storm, decides to spend the night at the Bates Motel.
Psycho IV: The Beginning, 1h36
Directed by Mick Garris
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller, Horror, Crime
Themes Medical-themed films, Psychologie, Serial killer films, Films about psychiatry
Actors Anthony Perkins, Henry Thomas, Olivia Hussey, CCH Pounder, Janet Leigh, Warren Frost
Roles Characters
Rating54% 2.7037752.7037752.7037752.7037752.703775
Norman Bates is released from the mental hospital again, after having been re-incarcerated at the end of Psycho III; after spending several years there, he is judged rehabilitated for the second time. Norman is now married to a young nurse named Connie and is expecting a child. Norman secretly fears that the child will inherit his mental illness, so he must seek closure once and for all.
Psycho III
Psycho III (1986)
, 1h30
Directed by Anthony Perkins
Origin USA
Genres Thriller, Horror, Crime, Slasher
Themes Medical-themed films, Psychologie, Serial killer films, Films about psychiatry
Actors Anthony Perkins, Diana Scarwid, Jeff Fahey, Roberta Maxwell, Hugh Gillin, Donovan Scott
Roles Original Story
Rating55% 2.751152.751152.751152.751152.75115
Norman Bates works at the Bates Motel and lives with the preserved corpse of his mother, Emma Spool. Local law enforcement and Norman's ex-boss, Ralph Statler, are concerned because Mrs. Spool has been missing for over a month. Duane Duke, a sleazy musician desperate for money, is offered the job of assistant motel manager to replace the late Warren Toomey who was fired by Norman. Maureen Coyle, a mentally unstable young nun, is a long-term tenant at the Bates Motel.
Psycho II
Psycho II (1983)
, 1h53
Directed by Richard Franklin
Origin USA
Genres Thriller, Horror, Crime
Themes Medical-themed films, Psychologie, Serial killer films, Films about psychiatry
Actors Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, Robert Loggia, Meg Tilly, Dennis Franz, Hugh Gillin
Roles Characters
Rating65% 3.2985353.2985353.2985353.2985353.298535
Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) is released from a mental institution after spending 22 years in confinement. Lila Loomis (Vera Miles), sister of Marion Crane, vehemently protests with a petition that she has been circulating with signatures of 743 people, including the relatives of the seven people Norman killed prior to his incarceration, but her plea is dismissed. Norman is taken to his old home behind the Bates Motel by Dr. Bill Raymond (Robert Loggia), who assures him everything will be fine.
The Amazing Captain Nemo, 2h30
Directed by Paul B. Stader
Origin USA
Genres Science fiction, Fantasy, Adventure
Themes Seafaring films, Transport films, Submarine films, Pirate films, Films based on science fiction novels, Films set in Atlantis
Actors José Ferrer, Burgess Meredith, Mel Ferrer, Horst Buchholz, Tom Hallick, Burr DeBenning
Rating48% 2.4245552.4245552.4245552.4245552.424555
The story opens with a transmission received by the White House from the renegade Professor Cunningham, who threatens Washington DC with nuclear destruction from a missile fired from his submarine Raven. His extortion demand is one billion dollars in gold bullion. To demonstrate his capability he blows up small island with the Raven's 'Delta beam'. Cunningham, bespectacled and cardigan-clad, is assisted by various androids including a large silver-headed one known as Tor.
The Uncanny, 1h28
Directed by Denis Héroux
Origin United-kingdom
Genres Horror
Themes Films about animals, Films about cats
Actors Peter Cushing, Ray Milland, Joan Greenwood, Samantha Eggar, Donald Pleasence, John Vernon
Rating57% 2.8519152.8519152.8519152.8519152.851915
In 1977, in Montreal, the scared writer Wilbur Gray (Peter Cushing) visits his publisher Frank Richards (Ray Milland) to disclose his new book about the evilness of cats. Wilbur tells that the felines are supernatural creatures, and that there is a saying in which the cat would be the devil in disguise. Wilbur tells three tales to illustrate his thoughts:
Asylum
Asylum (1972)
, 1h28
Directed by Patrick Magee, Roy Ward Baker
Origin United-kingdom
Genres Science fiction, Thriller, Horror
Themes Medical-themed films, Psychologie, Films about psychiatry, Films set in psychiatric hospitals
Actors Peter Cushing, Britt Ekland, Robert Powell, Herbert Lom, Barry Morse, Patrick Magee
Roles Story
Rating64% 3.2453153.2453153.2453153.2453153.245315
Dr Martin (Robert Powell) arrives at a secluded asylum "for the incurably insane" to be interviewed for a job by the wheelchair-bound, authoritarian Dr Lionel Rutherford (Patrick Magee). Rutherford explains that he owes his current incapacitation to an attack by an inmate.
The House That Dripped Blood, 1h40
Directed by Peter Duffell
Origin United-kingdom
Genres Horror comedy, Fantasy, Horror
Themes Ghost films, Comedy horror films
Actors Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Nyree Dawn Porter, Denholm Elliott, Jon Pertwee, Joss Ackland
Roles Writer
Rating64% 3.2477553.2477553.2477553.2477553.247755
Shortly after renting an old country house, film star Paul Henderson mysteriously disappears and Inspector Holloway (John Bennett) from Scotland Yard is called to investigate. Inquiring at the local police station, Holloway is told some of the house's history. He then contacts the estate agent (John Bryans) renting the house, who elaborates further by telling Holloway about its previous tenants.
Torture Garden, 1h33
Directed by Freddie Francis
Origin United-kingdom
Genres Fantasy, Horror
Themes Films about animals, Films about religion, Natural horror films, Demons in film, Robot films
Actors Jack Palance, Burgess Meredith, Beverly Adams, Peter Cushing, Michael Bryant, Timothy Bateson
Roles Writer
Rating60% 3.049983.049983.049983.049983.04998
Five people visit a fairground sideshow run by showman Dr. Diabolo (Burgess Meredith). Having shown them a handful of haunted-house-style attractions, he promises them a genuinely scary experience if they will pay extra. Their curiosity gets the better of them, and the small crowd follows him behind a curtain, where they each view their fate through the shears of an effigy of the female deity Atropos (Clytie Jessop).
The Deadly Bees, 1h23
Directed by Freddie Francis
Origin United-kingdom
Genres Science fiction, Thriller, Horror
Themes Films about animals, Films about music and musicians, Natural horror films, Films about insects, Musical films
Actors Suzanna Leigh, Guy Doleman, Frank Finlay, John Harvey, Michael Ripper, Tim Barrett
Rating41% 2.0585852.0585852.0585852.0585852.058585
The film opens with two men from an unnamed ministry commenting a spate of letters from a beekeeper claiming to have developed a strain of killer bees. They dismiss him as a lunatic, though his letters claim he will start killing people if he is not taken seriously.
The Psychopath, 1h22
Directed by Freddie Francis
Origin United-kingdom
Genres Thriller, Horror, Crime
Themes Jeu, Medical-themed films, Serial killer films, Films about toys, Films about psychiatry
Actors Patrick Wymark, Alexander Knox, Margaret Johnston, John Standing, Thorley Walters, Colin Gordon
Roles Writer
Rating60% 3.0019953.0019953.0019953.0019953.001995
A police inspector investigates a string of murders where the victims have dolls attached to their bodies. The trail soon leads to one Mrs. Von Sturm, who knows a set of dark secrets that may hold the key to the murders.
The Skull
The Skull (1965)
, 1h30
Directed by Freddie Francis
Origin United-kingdom
Genres Thriller, Fantastic, Horror
Actors Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Jill Bennett, Patrick Wymark, Nigel Green, Patrick Magee
Roles Story
Rating61% 3.097393.097393.097393.097393.09739
In the 1800s, Pierre, a phrenologist (Maurice Good), robs the grave of the recently buried Marquis de Sade. He takes the Marquis' severed head and sets about boiling it to remove its flesh, leaving the skull. Before the task is done, Pierre meets an unseen and horrific death.
The Night Walker, 1h26
Directed by William Castle
Origin USA
Genres Thriller, Horror
Actors Barbara Stanwyck, Robert Taylor, Hayden Rorke, Rochelle Hudson, Judi Meredith, Lloyd Bochner
Rating63% 3.1505153.1505153.1505153.1505153.150515
The film chronicles the ordeal of Irene Trent (Stanwyck), who is unhappily married to a blind, pathologically possessive millionaire inventor, Howard Trent (Rorke). Howard and Irene's palatial mansion is packed with an endless assortment of cuckoo clocks, all in perfect synchronization, and Howard tape records all conversations in the house for later reference, hoping to catch Irene plotting an illicit liaison.