David Hess
Hess inHitch-Hike (1977)
Born	David Alexander Hess (1936-09-19)September 19, 1936 New York City, U.S.
Died	October 7, 2011(2011-10-07) (aged 75) Tiburon, California, U.S.
Other names	David Dante David Hill
Occupations	Actor singer songwriter composer director
Years active	1956–2011
Spouse	Regina Mardek ​ (m. 1978)​
Children	4

David Alexander Hess (September 19, 1936 – October 7, 2011) was an American actor, singer, songwriter, and director. He came to prominence for his portrayals of murderous rapists, villains and gruff characters in several films in the 1970s and 1980s.

Hess originally worked as a songwriter in the 1950s, co-writing songs recorded byElvis Presley andPat Boone, but garnered international attention for his feature film debut portraying Krug Stillo inWes Craven's exploitation horror filmThe Last House on the Left (1972). He played several hard-edged roles as criminals and rapists in the Italian filmsHitch-Hike (1977) andThe House on the Edge of the Park (1980) as well as a supporting role in Craven'sSwamp Thing (1982). He made his directorial debut with the slasher filmTo All a Goodnight (1980).

In his later life, Hess was affiliated with theCalifornia Film Institute, where he taught improvisational theater in the institute's youth programs. He died of a heart attack on October 7, 2011, near his home in Tiburon, California after attending a local concert.

Hess was born David Alexander Hess on September 19, 1936, in New York City.^[1] His mother Marjory was an opera singer.^[2]

In 1956, Hess recorded the original version of theOtis Blackwell composition "All Shook Up" under the stage nameDavid Hill.^[1] The next year the song became a #1hit single forElvis Presley.

He began his professional career as a songwriter for Shalimar Music in 1957. He composed "Start Movin' (In My Direction)" forSal Mineo and "Rockin' Shoes" for theAmes Brothers. In 1959, he recorded a cover version ofCliff Richard's "Living Doll" for Kapp Records, and it became a mild placed charter for him on the U.S. Billboard charts. He wrote songs forElvis Presley throughout the 1950s and 1960s, which include "I Got Stung", "Come Along", and "Sand Castles". "Your Hand, Your Heart, Your Love" became a 1960s hit when it was performed byAndy Williams. In 1962, Hess wrote and recorded "Speedy Gonzales", (as David Dante)^[1][3] which became a #6 single forPat Boone in the U.S. and a #2 in the UK, selling more than 8 million copies worldwide. Hess then recorded two solo albums forKapp Records, again topping the charts, this time with a top 10folk hit titled "Two Brothers."

In 1969, he became head of A&R atMercury Records in New York. There he linked with Western classical composerJohn Corigliano, and together they wrote theGrammy Award-winningrock operaThe Naked Carmen, which became a big hit of the Berlin Ballet Week in 1970. His work with Mercury includedAnd the Children Toll the Passing of the Day, a 1969 album he wrote for Irish actorMalachy McCourt.

In 1972, his career split into several new directions with his starring role in theWes Craven horror classicThe Last House on the Left, for which he also composed the soundtrack. In this movie, he was noted to have been a reckless, merciless character.^[1][4] In a 2008Vanity Fair article, Hess admitted threatening co-starSandra Peabody, telling writerJason Zinoman: "I told her, 'I'm really going to fuck you if you don't behave yourself. They'll just let the camera run. I'm going to devastate you.' I don't think she was too happy about that."^[5]

He scoredBuck at the Edge of Heaven [it], a children's film based on a collection ofJack London stories. The film won the top prize for film and direction at theGiffoni Film Festival. He also had roles inHitchhike andThe House on the Edge of the Park.

A subsequent job offer fromPolyGram's German affiliate gave Hess the opportunity to move to Munich, Germany, and a multilingual career in film dubbing from 1972 to 1976 which in turn led him to writing the English language shooting scripts for German directors such asRainer Werner Fassbinder,Reinhard Hauff, andPeter Schamoni.^[3]

In 1980, he directedTo All a Good Night, his first American feature film, for Media Home Entertainment in 1980. He also appeared in two horror films directed byRuggero Deodato:La Casa sperduta nel parco (1980) andCamping del terrore (1987). He appeared as a villain in Wes Craven'sSwamp Thing in 1982.

In 1991, he played the part of the American in Peter Schamoni'sMax Ernst—My Wanderings, My Unrest (1991). From 1993 to 1995, he producedNiki de Saint Phalle: Wer ist das Monster - du oder ich? (1996).

In later years, he released two albums:Caught Up in the Moment andLive & Unplugged in Hollywood, 2002. He worked on several tracks for the horror filmCabin Fever (2002), directed byEli Roth, and worked as animprov acting teacher at theCalifornia Film Institute's Young Critics' Jury Training program.^[6]

In 2013, One Way Static Records released the soundtrack toThe Last House on the Left on vinyl, compact disc, cassette and digital download. This was intended as a posthumous tribute and the liner notes on the release include extensive writings by Hess' family, colleagues and friends. This edition was repressed on a limited, hand numbered picture disc forRecord Store Day in 2014.

Hess married Regina Mardek in 1978 and had four children.^[6] He was a longtime resident ofCorte Madera, California.^[6][7]

On October 7, 2011, Hess suffered a fatalheart attack near his home inTiburon, California, and died on his way to his car after dinner with friends.^[6] He was 75 years old.^[2][8]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toDavid Hess.

• David Hess atIMDb
• David Hess - Official Site (archived)
• Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know: An Interview with David Hess - The Terror Trap - February 2011
• One Way Static Records (David's Record Label)
• David Hess recordings listed onDiscogs

• 1936 births
• 2011 deaths
• Male actors from New York City
• American male film actors
• Film producers from New York (state)
• American male television actors
• Method actors
• 20th-century American male actors
• 21st-century American male actors
• Songwriters from New York (state)
• Film directors from New York City

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• Commons category link is on Wikidata