kids encyclopedia robot

Bill Gunn (writer) facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Bill Gunn
Billgan5.jpg
Born William Harrison Gunn
July 15, 1934
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US
Died April 5, 1989 (aged 54)
Nyack, New York
Occupation Writer, director, actor
Nationality American

William Harrison Gunn (July 15, 1934 – April 5, 1989) was an American playwright, novelist, actor and film director. His 1973 cult classic horror film Ganja and Hess was chosen as one of ten best American films of the decade at the Cannes Film Festival, 1973. In The New Yorker, film critic Richard Brody described him as being "a visionary filmmaker left on the sidelines of the most ostensibly liberated period of American filmmaking." Filmmaker Spike Lee had said that Gunn is "one of the most under-appreciated filmmakers of his time." Gunn's drama Johnnas won an Emmy Award in 1972.

Career

A native of Philadelphia, Gunn wrote more than 29 plays during his lifetime. He also authored two novels and wrote several produced screenplays. In 1950, Gunn studied acting with Mira Rostova in New York's East Village. In 1954, he played a role in the Broadway production of The Immoralist with James Dean. Along with Dean, he joined a social circle that included Montgomery Clift, Eartha Kitt, and Marlon Brando. Gunn shared a house in Nyack, New York with Sam Waymon, brother of singer Nina Simone, who also wrote the musical score for Ganja and Hess. Gunn's directorial debut would have been Stop! (1970), which was funded by Warner Bros. under the plan of being the second studio film directed by an African American. It was intended as a drama. The film was shelved by the studio before release, and the studio later claimed they did not have the print in their archives. A 35mm print was shown at a retrospective upon Gunn's death, and a VHS copy of the film exists (found by Jack Hoffmeister, co-star of the film). He was also an advocate and friend of filmmaker and writer Kathleen Collins, playing a role in her film Losing Ground. He died aged 54 from encephalitis at a Nyack, New York hospital the day before his play The Forbidden City opened at the Public Theater in New York City.

In 2021, an exhibition entitled "Till They Listen: Bill Gunn Directs America", dedicated to the work and legacy of Bill Gunn, was shown at the New York gallery Artists Space. The program series was organized by Gunn's artistic collaborators and scholars including, Hilton Als, Jake Perlin, Sam Waymon, Nicholas Forster, Awoye Timpo, Chiz Schultz, and Ishmael Reed. In 2021, Timpo adapted Gunn's play Black Picture Show for film in the form of a staged reading.

Filmography (as director)

Year Film Credit
1970 Stop director
1973 Ganja & Hess

... aka Black Evil ... aka Black Vampire (USA: video title) ... aka Blackout: The Moment of Terror ... aka Blood Couple (cut version) ... aka Double Possession ... aka Vampires of Harlem

director
1980 Personal Problems director

Filmography (as actor)

Year Title Role Notes
1957 Look Up and Live George Episode: "No Man Is an Island"
Crossroads Roy Short, Uncredited
1959 The Sound and the Fury T.P., Dilsey's Grandson
1961 Route 66 Hank Plummer Episode: "Goodnight Sweet Blues"
Naked City Al Norbert Episode: "Which Is Joseph Creeley?"
1962 The Defenders Frank Reilly Episode: "The Tarnished Cross"
The Interns Rosco Uncredited
Stoney Burke Toby / Bud Sutter 2 episodes
1963 The Outer Limits Lieutenant James P. Willowmore Episode: "Nightmare"
1964 The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Namana Episode: "The Double Affair"
Dr. Kildare Jesse Kamba, MD Episode: "The Elusive Dik-Dik"
1965 The Fugitive Avery Episode: "Conspiracy of Silence"
1966 Penelope Sergeant Rothschild
1973 Ganja & Hess George Meda
1982 Losing Ground Victor Rogers
1986 The Cosby Show Homer 2 episodes
1988 Black Vampire Dr. Matara (final film role)

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Bill Gunn para niños

kids search engine
Bill Gunn (writer) Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.