Rob Tapert facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rob Tapert
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Tapert in 2018
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Robert Gerard Tapert
May 14, 1955 Royal Oak, Michigan, U.S.
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| Other names | Robert G. Tapert |
| Alma mater | Michigan State University |
| Occupation | Film and television producer, screenwriter, television director |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 2 |
Robert Gerard Tapert, born on May 14, 1955, is an American producer, writer, and director for movies and TV shows. He is famous for helping create the popular TV series Xena: Warrior Princess.
Contents
Robert Tapert's Career
Robert Tapert started his journey in filmmaking while studying economics at Michigan State University. There, he met future filmmaking friends Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell through his roommate, Ivan Raimi.
Making Movies
Tapert and director Sam Raimi first worked on short films. Then, they made their first full-length movie, a horror film called The Evil Dead. Tapert produced it, Raimi directed, and Bruce Campbell starred. This movie was a big hit at the Cannes Film Festival in France. A great review from horror author Stephen King helped it get released in cinemas in the USA and worldwide.
Even though critics didn't love it at first, The Evil Dead became a cult classic. This means many fans loved it over time, and it's now seen as a very important horror movie. The film led to a whole series of five movies and a TV show, and Tapert has produced all of them.
Tapert continued to produce many other movies, often working with Raimi or Campbell. Some of these include Darkman, Timecop, and The Gift.
In 2002, Tapert helped start a film company called Ghost House Pictures. Their first movie, The Grudge, made almost $200 million around the world! They also made other successful horror films like Boogeyman, 30 Days of Night, and Drag Me to Hell, which Raimi directed.
In 2013, Tapert and Raimi chose a director named Fede Álvarez to make a new version of The Evil Dead. They had seen his short film Ataque de pánico!.
Tapert worked with Álvarez again in 2016 on the hit movie Don't Breathe. This film earned $157 million worldwide. He also produced its sequel in 2021.
Television Shows
In the 1990s, Tapert produced and wrote several TV series. These included Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, M.A.N.T.I.S., and American Gothic. Tapert also helped create Young Hercules, a show that starred Ryan Gosling.
While working on Hercules, Tapert created the character of Xena. Later, he made a separate show just for her called Xena: Warrior Princess. This show was seen as groundbreaking because it featured a very strong female hero. Many people, including Joss Whedon (who created Buffy the Vampire Slayer), say that Xena helped open the door for a new generation of female action heroes. These include characters like Buffy, Max from Dark Angel, and Sydney Bristow from Alias. Xena also helped make the job of stuntwomen more important and recognized.
In 2008, Tapert produced Legend of the Seeker. This was a TV show based on the popular Sword of Truth books by Terry Goodkind.
Tapert then worked on the Roman epic series Spartacus for Starz, which started in 2010. This series included Spartacus: Blood and Sand and Spartacus: War of the Damned.
Tapert's most recent TV project is Ash vs Evil Dead. This show is based on the Evil Dead movies and started on Starz in 2015.
Robert Tapert's Personal Life
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Robert Tapert has two sisters, Dorothy and Mary Beth, and a younger brother, Jeff. He married actress Lucy Lawless on March 28, 1998. They have two sons together. Lucy Lawless played the main character in Xena: Warrior Princess.
Filmography
Movies
Producer
- Crimewave (1986)
- Evil Dead II (1987)
- Darkman (1990)
- Army of Darkness (1992)
- Timecop (1994)
- The Grudge (2004)
- Boogeyman (2005)
- The Grudge 2 (2006)
- The Messengers (2007)
- 30 Days of Night (2007)
- Drag Me to Hell (2009)
- The Possession (2012)
- Evil Dead (2013)
- Poltergeist (2015)
- Don't Breathe (2016)
- The Grudge (2020)
- The Unholy (2021)
- Don't Breathe 2 (2021)
- Evil Dead Rise (2023)
Executive producer
- Within the Woods (1978) (Short film)
- The Evil Dead (1981)
- Hard Target (1993)
- The Quick and the Dead (1995)
- The Gift (2000)
- Rise: Blood Hunter (2007)
- Boogeyman 2 (2007)
- Nightbooks (2021)
Direct-to-video
Producer
- Battle the Big Tuna (1991) (Documentary film)
- 30 Days of Night: Dark Days (2010)
Executive producer
- Darkman II: The Return of Durant (1995)
- Darkman III: Die Darkman Die (1996)
- Hercules and Xena – The Animated Movie: The Battle for Mount Olympus (1998)
- Messengers 2: The Scarecrow (2009)
Television Shows
| Year(s) | Title | Director | Writer | Executive Producer |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Darkman | No | No | Yes | TV movie |
| 1994–1995 | M.A.N.T.I.S. | No | No | Yes | 23 episodes |
| 1994–1999 | Hercules: The Legendary Journeys | Yes | Yes | Yes | Wrote and directed episode "Once a Hero" |
| 1995–1998 | American Gothic | No | No | Yes | 22 episodes |
| 1995–2001 | Xena: Warrior Princess | Yes | Yes | Yes | Wrote 15 episodes Directed 4 episodes |
| 1997 | Spy Game | No | No | Yes | 13 episodes |
| 1998–1999 | Young Hercules | No | Yes | Yes | Wrote 3 episodes |
| 2000 | Jack of All Trades | No | No | Yes | 22 episodes |
| 2000–2001 | Cleopatra 2525 | No | Yes | Yes | Wrote episode "Quest for Firepower" |
| 2008–2010 | Legend of the Seeker | No | No | Yes | 44 episodes |
| 2010–2013 | Spartacus | No | No | Yes | 39 episodes |
| 2015–2018 | Ash vs Evil Dead | No | No | Yes | 30 episodes |
Video Games
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Evil Dead: Regeneration | Supervising producer |
Musical Production
Tapert produced a stage musical called Pleasuredome. It was a love story set in 1980s New York City and featured songs from that time. The play was based on Tapert's own experiences. It opened in 2017 to great reviews and sold-out shows in Auckland, New Zealand, where Tapert lives. His wife, Lucy Lawless, starred in it.
The musical sold 57,000 tickets during its first 13-week run.
