Penelope Spheeris | |
|---|---|
 Spheeris in 2013 | |
| Born | (1945-12-02)December 2, 1945 (age 79) New Orleans,Louisiana, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1968–present |
| Children | Anna Fox |
| Relatives | Jimmie Spheeris (brother) Chris Spheeris (cousin) Costa-Gavras (cousin) |
Penelope Spheeris (born December 2, 1945)[1] is an Americanfilm director,producer, andscreenwriter. She has directed bothdocumentary and scripted films. Her best-known works include the trilogy titledThe Decline of Western Civilization, each covering an aspect of Los Angelesunderground culture,[2] andWayne's World, her highest-grossing film.[3]
Spheeris was born inNew Orleans, Louisiana. HerGreek-immigrant father owned theMagic Empire Shows carnival and was a side-show strong man. Her mother, ofIrish heritage, was raised inKansas and later worked as a ticket taker for the carnival. Her father was 40 years old and her mother was 19 when they began a relationship.[4] Spheeris has three full siblings, plus a number of older half-siblings from her father's first marriage.[5] She is a sister of singerJimmie Spheeris[6] and a first cousin of musicianChris Spheeris[6] and Greek-French directorCosta Gavras,[6] which she says has made her consider that agenetic component exists to her vocation.[6]
Spheeris told authorPaul Stenning, "I believe each of us is born with certain characteristics that we genetically inherit, some of which are good, some not so good. My mother was extremely compassionate, my father more of a barbarian. My father was passionately ambitious, where my mother was not. The most significant traits I learned from my parents were a strong sense of survival and unfaltering tenacity."[7]
Spheeris spent her first seven years traveling around theAmerican South andAmerican Midwest with her father's carnival.[8] Her father was murdered inTroy, Alabama, after intervening in a racial dispute. In a 2015 interview, Spheeris stated that her father had come to the aid of an African-American man who had been struck on the back of the head with a cane by a white man over a dispute about cutting in front of him in line. The white man soon after returned and stabbed Spheeris' father. She states that her father's killer served no jail time, the man's legal defense apparently resting entirely on the claim that he was justified in murdering Spheeris senior as "he was defending a black."[5]
After her father's death, Spheeris and her three siblings moved with their mother toCalifornia, generally living intrailer parks with a succession of stepfathers.[9] She spent her teenaged years inOrange County, graduating fromWestminster High School, where she was named 'most likely to succeed'.[citation needed] After high school, Spheeris attendedCalifornia State University Long Beach, where she majored in art. She admired the teachings of George Falcon, a behavioral scientist. From his influence, Spheeris went on to studypsychobiology at theUniversity of California, Irvine, in Orange County, southeast ofLos Angeles.[10]
Working as a waitress atDenny's andIHOP, she put herself through film school. She majored infilm and has amaster of fine arts degree in theater arts fromUCLA.[11]
While at UCLA, Spheeris got her first job in the industry transcribing footage for directorsGary Weis and John Head.[12] They introduced her to their friendLorne Michaels, who was putting togetherSaturday Night Live. Michaels had signed comedianAlbert Brooks to make a series of short films and hired Spheeris to produce the films and teach Brooks how to direct. Her first feature film wasThe Decline of Western Civilization (1981), apunk rockdocumentary that she produced and directed. She followed up withSuburbia in 1983, produced byRoger Corman,The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years, this time about the Los Angelesheavy metal scene of 1988, with footage and interviews of legendary metal bands such asKiss,Ozzy Osbourne,Aerosmith,Megadeth, andMotörhead. She returned to the streets of Los Angeles and the punk rock scene in 1998 for the documentaryThe Decline of Western Civilization Part III. She was offered the chance to directThis is Spinal Tap, but declined and she was replaced byRob Reiner instead.[13]
In addition, she worked as a writer for the television seriesRoseanne (1988-1997). In the 1990s, she directedWayne's World (1992), a comedy based onMike Myers' sketches fromSaturday Night Live. The movie grossed over $183 million and became a popular hit. She directed theWayne's World music video work forQueen's song "Bohemian Rhapsody", which earned aGrammy Award nomination.[11] She had difficulty working with Myers, while acknowledging him as "profoundly talented," and in anEntertainment Weekly article stated she believes Myers dissuadedParamount Pictures from hiring her forthe 1993 sequel. She was replaced byStephen Surjik.[14]
In 1996, she directedWe Sold Our Souls for Rock 'n Roll, a documentary about theOzzfest, produced bySharon Osbourne, which explored life on the road.[11]
Other films Spheeris has directed includeThe Beverly Hillbillies;The Little Rascals (for which she co-wrote the screenplay); theChris Farley/David Spade comedyBlack Sheep; theMarlon Wayans-David Spade team-upSenseless;[11] andThe Kid & I starringTom Arnold.[11] In 2006, she was set to direct the still-unfilmedGospel According to Janis aboutJanis Joplin.[11]
The Portland Oregon Women's Film Festival named Spheeris its guest of honor for 2013.[15]
The moving image collection of Penelope Spheeris is held at theAcademy Film Archive.[16] The Academy Film Archive has preserved several of Penelope Spheeris' films, includingBath,Hats Off To Hollywood, andShit.[17]
Spheeris has a daughter.[18]
Since September 9, 1998,[19] Spheeris has been in a relationship with a man known as Sin,[20] whom she met while filming the documentaryThe Decline of Western Civilization Part III.[21] In a 2015 interview, she revealed that he was in an institution in Florida after he stopped taking his medication (he hasschizophrenia andbipolar disorder) and ended up in jail.[22] She has described him as the love of her life.[23]
Spheeris appeared onWTF with Marc Maron on June 29, 2015.[24]
She appeared onKen Reid'sTV Guidance Counselor podcast on October 18, 2016.
In December 2021, she appeared on the fourteenth episode ofThe Ghost of Hollywood, where she discussed her work career in filmmaking, with a focus onSuburbia in particular.[25][26]
An interview with Penelope Spheeris and journalist Barney Hoskyns appeared on theRock's Backpages web site.[27]
Spheeris' work has received recognition from theDirectors Guild of America,The Recording Academy,Stinkers Bad Movie Awards, theChicago International Film Festival, theChicago Underground Film Festival, the Deep Ellum Film Festival, theLA Femme International Film Festival, theLos Angeles Greek Film Festival, the Los AngelesSilver Lake Film Festival, theMelbourne International Film Festival, theSundance Film Festival, and theTemecula Valley International Film Festival.[28]
| Year | Title | Credited as | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Producer | Writer | |||
| 1969 | Uncle Tom's Fairy Tales | No | Yes | No | Student film |
| 1972 | I Don't Know | Yes | No | No | Short film |
| 1979 | Real Life | No | Yes | No | |
| 1984 | Suburbia | Yes | No | Yes | |
| 1985 | The Boys Next Door | Yes | No | No | |
| 1986 | Hollywood Vice Squad | Yes | No | No | |
| 1987 | Dudes | Yes | No | No | |
| Summer Camp Nightmare | No | No | Yes | ||
| 1992 | Wayne's World | Yes | No | No | |
| 1993 | The Beverly Hillbillies | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 1994 | The Little Rascals | Yes | No | Yes | |
| 1996 | Black Sheep | Yes | No | No | |
| 1998 | Senseless | Yes | No | No | |
| 2005 | The Kid & I | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 2011 | Balls to the Wall | Yes | No | No | |
| Year | Title | Credited as | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Producer | Writer | ||
| 1981 | The Decline of Western Civilization | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 1988 | The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years | Yes | No | No |
| 1990 | Thunder and Mud | Yes | No | No |
| Banned in the U.S.A. | Yes | No | No | |
| 1998 | The Decline of Western Civilization Part III | Yes | No | No |
| 1999 | Hollywierd (unreleased) | Yes | No | No |
| 2001 | We Sold Our Souls for Rock 'n Roll | Yes | No | No |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Naked Angels | Shirley | |
| 1971 | The Ski Bum | Star the Witch | |
| 1973 | Brothers | Penny | |
| 1974 | The Second Coming of Suzanne | Margo, Logan's Film Group | |
| 1989 | Wedding Band | Nicky's Mom | |
| 1992 | Wayne's World | uncredited |
| Year | Title | Credited as | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Producer | Writer | |||
| 1975-1976 | Saturday Night LIVE! | No | Yes | No | 9 episodes |
| 1989-1990 | Roseanne | No | No | Yes | 24 episodes (story editor) Episode: "Fender Bender" (writer) |
| 1993 | Danger Theatre | Yes | Yes | Yes | 3 episodes (director) 7 episodes (executive producer) 5 episodes (writer) |
| 2003 | 75th Academy Awards | Yes | Yes | No | segment "Tribute to Documentaries" |
| 2004 | Cracking Up | Yes | No | No | Episode: "Prom Night" |
TV movies
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Prison Stories: Women on the Inside | Segment "3" |
| Visitors from the Unknown: UFO Abductions | ||
| UFO Abductions: A Global Phenomenon | ||
| 1998 | Applewood 911 | |
| 2000 | Dear Doughboy | |
| 2003 | The Crooked E: The Unshredded Truth About Enron | |
| 2011 | Five | Segment "Cheyanne" |
| 2012 | The Real St. Nick |
| Year | Title | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | "Wake Up Dead" | Megadeth |
| 1988 | "I Did It for Love" | Night Ranger |
| 1989 | "No More Mr. Nice Guy" | Megadeth |
| 1992 | "Bohemian Rhapsody" (Wayne's World Version) | Queen |
Critical, public, and commercial reception to films Spheeris has directed.
| Film | Rotten Tomatoes[39] | Metacritic[40] | CinemaScore | Budget | Box office |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Decline of Western Civilization | 100% | 93 | — | — | — |
| Suburbia | 91% | — | — | — | — |
| The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years | 86% | 58 | — | — | — |
| Wayne's World | 86% | 57 | A- | $20 million | $183 million |
| The Beverly Hillbillies | 23% | 37 | B+ | $25 million | $57.4 million |
| The Little Rascals | 23% | 45 | A- | — | $67.3 million |
| Black Sheep | 28% | — | B+ | — | $32.4 million |
| Senseless | 6% | 36 | B+ | — | $12.8 million |
| The Decline of Western Civilization - Part III | 100% | 77 | — | — | — |
| The Kid & I | — | 37 | — | — | — |
I hated that bastard for years," says Spheeris, who believes Myers dissuaded Paramount from hiring her for Wayne's World 2. "But when I saw Austin Powers, I went, 'I forgive you, Mike.'" She pauses, voice choked with emotion. "'You can be moody, you can be a jerk, you can be things that others of us can't be—because you are profoundly talented. And I forgive you.'
