Edward Bunker facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Edward Bunker
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Edward Bunker mugshot taken at San Quentin State Prison in 1952
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| Born | Edward Heward Bunker December 31, 1933 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Died | July 19, 2005 (aged 71) Burbank, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Hollywood Forever, Hollywood, California |
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| Language | English |
| Genre | Transgressive fiction |
Edward Heward Bunker (December 31, 1933 – July 19, 2005) was an American author, screenwriter, and actor. He wrote many books, and some of them were made into movies. He also wrote scripts for films like Straight Time (1978), Runaway Train (1985), and Animal Factory (2000). He even acted in these movies and had a small part in Reservoir Dogs (1992).
Edward Bunker had a very challenging start in life. He began running away from home when he was just five years old. This led to a difficult cycle of being in and out of different institutions. However, after 1975, he focused on his writing and acting career. A character in the 1995 movie Heat, named Nate and played by Jon Voight, was even based on Edward Bunker. Bunker also helped the director, Michael Mann, with the film.
Contents
Early Life and Challenges
Growing Up in the 1930s and 1940s
Edward Bunker was born on December 31, 1933, in Los Angeles. His parents, Sarah and Edward N. Bunker, divorced when he was very young. This meant he spent time in different homes and institutions.
He once said, "My parents divorced when I was four and I was put in boarding homes, which I didn't like. I went overnight from being an only child—kind of pampered and spoilt—to a 'Lord of the Flies' situation with a lot of boys. I didn't like it and I ran away and rebelled and that set a pattern and the pattern went on."
Young Edward was often rebellious. He went to a military school for a short time, where he started taking things that weren't his. He ran away again and ended up living with people who traveled around. Even though he was found by authorities, this pattern of running away continued through his childhood.
Edward spent time in a youth facility called Preston Castle. Here, he met other young people who had also faced difficulties. Even though he was young, he was very smart (with an IQ of 152) and loved to read. He faced many challenges with the law and was in different institutions, including a mental hospital.
When he was fourteen, he was released to live with his aunt. But two years later, he was sent to an adult facility.
A New Path: Writing and Acting
First Steps as a Writer
While in an institution, Edward Bunker started to write. His first novel, No Beast So Fierce, was published in 1973. The famous actor Dustin Hoffman bought the rights to make it into a movie. Another author, James Ellroy, called it "one of the great crime novels."
Edward Bunker was released in 1975. By this time, he had spent 18 years of his life in various institutions. He decided to focus on his writing and acting career. He felt that his past choices were due to his difficult circumstances. Now that things were different, he could choose a new path.
Success in Film and Books
In 1977, he published his second novel, Animal Factory, which also received good reviews. The next year, Straight Time, a movie based on his first novel, was released. It wasn't a huge box office hit, but it was well-received. Edward Bunker got his first credits as a screenwriter and actor for this film.
He often played small roles in movies. He appeared in films like The Running Man, Tango & Cash, and Reservoir Dogs. He also wrote the screenplay for the 2000 film version of Animal Factory.
In 1985, he wrote the screenplay for Runaway Train. He had a small part in this movie, and he also helped his friend Danny Trejo get a role. They had known each other from their time in institutions. This film helped launch Danny Trejo's acting career.
In Reservoir Dogs, Edward Bunker played a character named Mr. Blue. The director of the film, Quentin Tarantino, had studied Straight Time when he was learning about filmmaking. Edward Bunker also inspired the character Nate in the 1995 movie Heat and worked as an adviser for the film.
Before he passed away, Edward Bunker helped make short films with Canadian director Sudz Sutherland. He also wrote and directed a commercial.
Personal Life and Legacy
In 1977, Edward Bunker married Jennifer Steele, a real estate agent. They had a son named Brendan in 1993, but their marriage later ended.
In the early 1990s, Bunker started a successful taxi company in Kingston, Ontario, with his friend Dave Whickham. He later sold his part of the company.
Edward Bunker was the uncle of Olympic silver medalist Bradley Smith.
He passed away on July 19, 2005, at the age of 71, after surgery related to his diabetes. The news of his death was shared by his longtime friend, Robert Dellinger, whom he had met in an institution where Dellinger taught a writing class.
Edward Bunker's autobiography, Mr. Blue: Memoirs of a Renegade, was published in 1999. It was also released in the U.S. as Education of a Felon.
Filmography
- 1978 Straight Time as Mickey (also co-screenwriter)
- 1980 The Long Riders as Bill Chadwell
- 1985 Runaway Train as Jonah (also co-screenwriter)
- 1986 Slow Burn as George
- 1987 Shy People as Chuck
- 1987 The Running Man as Lenny
- 1988 Miracle Mile as The Nightwatchman
- 1988 Fear as Lenny
- 1989 Relentless as Cardoza
- 1989 Best of the Best as Stan
- 1989 Tango & Cash as Captain Holmes
- 1992 Reservoir Dogs as "Mr. Blue"
- 1993 Best of the Best 2 as Spotlight Operator
- 1993 Distant Cousins as Mr. Benson
- 1993 Love, Cheat & Steal as Old Con
- 1994 Somebody to Love as Jimmy
- 1996 Caméléone as Sid Dembo
- 1998 Shadrach as Joe Thorton
- 2000 Animal Factory as Buzzard (also co-screenwriter)
- 2001 Family Secrets as Douglas Marley
- 2002 13 Moons as Hoodlum #1
- 2005 The Longest Yard as "Skitchy" Rivers
- 2005 Nice Guys (AKA: High Hopes) as Joe "Big Joe"
- 2010 Venus & Vegas Micky, The Calc (filmed in 2004; released posthumously) (final film role)
Books
- No Beast So Fierce (1973)
- The Animal Factory (1977)
- Little Boy Blue (1981)
- Dog Eat Dog (1995)
- Mr. Blue: Memoirs of a Renegade (1999)—issued in the U.S. as Education of a Felon (2000)
- Stark (2006)
- Death Row Breakout and Other Stories (2010)—published posthumously
Images for kids
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Edward Bunker mugshot taken at San Quentin State Prison in 1952
See also
In Spanish: Edward Bunker para niños
