Debra Hill facts for kids

Debra Hill (born November 10, 1950 – died March 7, 2005) was an American film producer and screenwriter. She was very well known for working closely with director John Carpenter.

Debra Hill and John Carpenter wrote four movies together: Halloween, The Fog, Halloween II, and Escape from L.A.. She also produced many films and TV shows on her own or with her company, Hill/Obst Productions. One of her films, The Fisher King, was nominated for five Academy Awards.

Early Life and Dreams

Debra Hill was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on November 10, 1950. Her mom, Jilda, was a nurse, and her dad, Frank, was a salesman who used to be an art director for movies.

Debra grew up Catholic and moved around a lot with her family, including to Detroit, Michigan, before settling in Haddonfield, New Jersey. She knew from a young age that she wanted to make movies. She even used a Super 8 film camera to shoot home videos!

She graduated from Haddonfield Memorial High School in 1968. Then, she went to Temple University and earned a degree in sociology. After college, she moved to New York and started working on documentaries, helping to edit them. Before moving to California, she even worked briefly as a flight attendant and helped with press for Evel Knievel's famous attempt to jump the Snake River Canyon.

Starting in Hollywood

In 1975, Debra Hill began her career in Hollywood as a production assistant on adventure documentaries. She quickly moved up, working as a script supervisor, an assistant director, and even a second unit director.

Her first time working with John Carpenter was in 1975. She was the script supervisor and assistant editor for his movie Assault on Precinct 13. This led to many more movies they worked on together, and they also started a personal relationship.

Partnering with John Carpenter

In 1978, Debra Hill and John Carpenter co-wrote the scary movie Halloween. The fictional town in the movie, Haddonfield, was named after Debra's hometown in New Jersey. Debra mainly wrote the story for the character Laurie Strode, while Carpenter wrote the story for Sam Loomis. Then, they combined their ideas.

Debra also helped cast Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode. This was the start of a long friendship between them. During the making of Halloween, Debra was the producer and helped with second unit filming. She even had a small cameo early in the movie: the close-up shots of a young Michael Myers' hands are actually hers!

Halloween was a huge hit, both with audiences and critics. Its success led to Debra and John getting a deal to make two more movies with Avco Embassy Pictures.

After Halloween, Debra and John worked together again on The Fog (1980). This movie also starred Jamie Lee Curtis, along with other famous actors like Janet Leigh and Hal Holbrook. Debra produced the film and did some second unit shooting.

They continued their partnership, co-writing and producing Halloween II (1981). They also produced Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982). Other movies they worked on together include Escape from New York (1981), its sequel Escape from L.A. (1996), and the 1990 HBO TV movie El Diablo.

Producing Other Great Films

Debra Hill also produced many films on her own. These include The Dead Zone (1983), Head Office (1985), and Clue (1985).

In 1986, she started her own production company with her friend Lynda Obst. Together, they produced movies like Adventures in Babysitting, Heartbreak Hotel, and The Fisher King. In 1988, she signed a deal with Walt Disney Pictures. Under this deal, she produced Gross Anatomy, short films for the Walt Disney theme parks, and a special TV show for Disneyland's 35th anniversary.

Debra once shared how her experience changed over her career. At the beginning, people would call her "sweetheart" or "darling." But many years later, they would respectfully call her "ma'am." This shows how much respect she earned in the film industry.

In 2003, she was honored by Women in Film with the Crystal Award. In her speech, Debra said she wanted more women to be included as directors in the film industry.

Supporting New Talent

Debra Hill was known for helping new and upcoming talent in the film industry. Many people who worked with her went on to become very successful. For example, the famous filmmaker James Cameron once worked for Debra in the visual effects department. Jeffrey Chernov, who was Debra's second assistant director, later became an executive producer for the movie Black Panther.

As a producer, Debra Hill helped launch the directing careers of Christopher Columbus, Antonio Banderas, and Jonathan Lynn. Producers Stacey Sher, Gale Anne Hurd, and KNB EFX Group have all said that Debra helped them start their careers.

Debra also contributed to the film industry by serving on the jury at the Sundance Film Festival. She was also on a special committee for the Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences, which is the group that gives out the Academy Awards. Her friends and colleagues noted that Debra was often frustrated that the film industry did not welcome more women as directors.

Her Legacy

Debra Hill was diagnosed with colon cancer in February 2004. Even with her illness, she kept working on several projects. She worked with John Carpenter and actor Kurt Russell on a comic book version of the Snake Plissken character, and also on a video game idea for Snake Plissken.

In 2005, Debra reunited with John Carpenter to produce a remake of The Fog. She was also working on the Oliver Stone film World Trade Center when she passed away from cancer on March 7, 2005.

After her death, John Carpenter told the Associated Press that working with Debra was "one of the greatest experiences of my life." He said she had a passion for all kinds of movies, not just those about women or women's ideas.

To honor Debra Hill's contributions, the Producers Guild of America created the Debra Hill Fellowship in 2005. This fellowship helps new producers get started in the film industry. In 2023, a documentary about her life and career, called Hollywood Trailblazer: The Debra Hill Story, began production.

Filmography

Films

Television Work

See also

In Spanish: Debra Hill para niños