Ted Demme | |
|---|---|
| Born | Edward Kern Demme (1963-10-26)October 26, 1963 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | January 14, 2002(2002-01-14) (aged 38) Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Film director, film producer, actor |
| Years active | 1988–2002 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Jonathan Demme (uncle) |
Edward Kern Demme[1] (/ˈdɛmi/DEM-ee;[2] October 26, 1963 – January 14, 2002) was an American director, producer, and actor.[3]
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Demme was born in New York City, the son of Gail (née Kern) and Frederick Rogers Demme.[4] He grew up in Rockville Centre, New York on Long Island and attendedSouth Side Senior High School. He graduated from SUNY-Cortland in 1985. He was the nephew of film producer and directorJonathan Demme.[5]
Demme's media career may have begun with a radio show atWSUC-FM (SUNY-Cortland), a mix of comedy and talk radio with the usual sidekick, as well as some music and was widely listened to on and off campus.[citation needed] His career had modest beginnings—starting as a production assistant at MTV, he later became a producer in the On-Air Promotions Department and created the cable network's hip-hop showYo! MTV Raps (with Peter Dougherty), and directed other projects for them, including the black-and-white rants starring then-unknownchain-smoking comedianDenis Leary.[citation needed]
Over the course of his career, he established a group of actors that he chose to work with on more than one occasion. The most frequently used of these was Leary, whom he directed as a lead or star in Leary's stand-up specialsNo Cure for Cancer andLock n' Load, as well as the filmsWho's the Man?,The Ref, andMonument Ave.[6] Leary produced the 2001 crime drama filmBlow, which starredJohnny Depp as George Jung and was directed by Demme.[7]
Demme was married toAmanda Scheer, with whom he had two children.[1] Scheer later opened several popular Los Angeles bars, including Teddy's at theRoosevelt Hotel, named in honor of her late husband.[8] He was a fan of theGreen Bay Packers.[citation needed]
On January 14, 2002, while playing a celebrity basketball game, Demme collapsed and died of a heart attack which may have been related tococaine later found in his system during an autopsy.[9][10] Demme was cremated and his ashes were given to his family.[11]
Much of one edition of theIFC programDinner for Five was given over to a description of Demme's last night and fond reminiscences about his life, mostly byDenis Leary and the show's hostJon Favreau. This touched on Demme's being a fan of theGreen Bay Packers and his fondness for playing practical jokes.
At the2002 Golden Globe awards show, one week following Demme's death,Kevin Spacey wore a picture of Demme on his suit jacket.[12] He was also in the74th Academy Awards In Memoriam tribute that was also presented by Kevin Spacey.
The Truth About Charlie, his uncleJonathan Demme's remake ofCharade, was dedicated in his memory.
The 2003 albumBlackberry Belle byThe Twilight Singers led byGreg Dulli, was written in tribute to Demme, Dulli's close friend. Dulli had been working on another project, titledAmber Headlights (which would later see the light of day in 2005), but abandoned those sessions due to Demme's death. The recordings which followed, fueled in part by the memory of Demme, resulted inBlackberry Belle.
The 2002 filmPunch-Drunk Love, written and directed byPaul Thomas Anderson, is dedicated to Demme.
Actor[edit]Director[edit]
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| Year | Award | Result | Category | Film |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | San Sebastián International Film Festival | Nominated | Golden Shell | Beautiful Girls |
| 1999 | Emmy Award | Won | Outstanding Made for Television Movie | A Lesson Before Dying(Shared with Robert Benedetti, Ellen Krass, and Joel Stillerman) |
| 2001 | Nominated | Outstanding Nonfiction Special | A Decade Under the Influence(Shared with Alison Palmer Bourke,Caroline Kaplan,Jerry Kupfer, Gini Reticker, and Jonathan Sehring) | |
| 2001 | Karlovy Vary International Film Festival | Nominated | Crystal Globe | Blow |
| 2003 | National Board of Review of Motion Pictures | Nominated | William K. Everson Film History Award | A Decade Under the Influence(Shared withRichard LaGravenese) |
| 2003 | Sundance Film Festival | Nominated | Grand Jury Prize | A Decade Under the Influence(Shared with Richard LaGravenese) |
