Sam Raimi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sam Raimi
Raimi at GalaxyCon Raleigh in 2024
Born	Samuel M. Raimi (1959-10-23) October 23, 1959 (age 65) Royal Oak, Michigan, U.S.
Occupation	Film director film producer screenwriter actor
Years active	1972–present
Spouse(s)	Gillian Greene ​ ​ (m. 1993; separated 2024)​
Children	5
Relatives	Ted Raimi (brother) Ivan Raimi (brother) Lorne Greene (father-in-law)

Sam Raimi (born October 23, 1959) is an American filmmaker. He is famous for directing movies and TV shows. He is best known for the Evil Dead horror films and the first three Spider-Man movies.

Raimi also directed other popular films. These include the superhero movie Darkman (1990) and the fantasy film Oz the Great and Powerful (2013). More recently, he directed the Marvel movie Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022). His films often have a very active and exciting visual style. This style is inspired by comic books and funny slapstick comedy. He started two production companies: Renaissance Pictures in 1979 and Ghost House Pictures in 2002. Raimi has also produced many successful TV shows. These include Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess.

Sam Raimi's Early Life

Sam Raimi was born in Royal Oak, Michigan. He grew up in a Conservative Jewish family. His parents were Celia Barbara and Leonard Ronald Raimi. His family came from Russia and Hungary. Sam has a younger brother, Ted, who is an actor. His older brother, Ivan, is a writer and a doctor. His older sister, Andrea, is a court reporter.

Sam had another older brother, Sander, who sadly died at age 15. This event made his family very close. Sam has said it affected everything he has done since. Sander was also the one who first showed Sam Spider-Man comics. This started Sam's love for comic books.

Raimi went to Groves High School. He later studied at Michigan State University. He left college after three semesters to make his first feature film, The Evil Dead.

Sam Raimi's Career in Film

Sam Raimi became very interested in making movies when his dad brought home a movie camera. He started making short films with his friend Bruce Campbell in 1975. They used a special kind of film called Super 8.

In college, Sam worked with Bruce Campbell and Robert Tapert. They made a 32-minute horror film called Within the Woods (1978). This film helped them raise money for their first full-length movie, It's Murder!. Raimi also made a short film called Clockwork (1978).

With help from family and friends, Raimi got money to make The Evil Dead (1981). This horror film became very popular and launched his career.

Directing Different Movie Types

After The Evil Dead, Raimi worked on his third film, Crimewave (1985). He wrote this movie with the famous Coen brothers. It was supposed to be like a live-action comic book. However, the film was not very successful. This was partly because the studio changed things Raimi didn't want them to.

Raimi then went back to horror with Evil Dead II. This movie mixed horror with funny slapstick comedy. It showed his love for the Three Stooges. Sam also wrote Easy Wheels (1989) with his brother Ivan. This movie made fun of biker films.

Since he loved comic books, Raimi wanted to make a movie about "The Shadow". But he couldn't get the rights to the character. So, he created his own superhero, Darkman (1990). This was his first movie with a major studio. It was a success and led to two more Darkman movies.

Darkman helped Raimi get money for Evil Dead III. This movie was called Army of Darkness. It was less horror and more fantasy and comedy. Army of Darkness did not do well in theaters. But it became a cult classic when it came out on video.

In the 1990s, Raimi directed movies in other genres. These included the western The Quick and the Dead (1995). It starred Sharon Stone and Gene Hackman. He also directed the crime thriller A Simple Plan (1998). This movie got good reviews and starred Bill Paxton and Billy Bob Thornton. Another film was the romantic drama For Love of the Game (1999) with Kevin Costner.

Raimi in 2007

Spider-Man and Beyond

Sam Raimi became very famous with the huge hit movie Spider-Man (2002). This film was based on the popular comic book series. It earned over $800 million around the world. Raimi then directed two sequels: Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3. Both of these movies also earned about $800 million each.

After Spider-Man 3, Raimi planned to make more sequels. However, he couldn't find a script he liked. He later said that making Spider-Man 3 was a difficult experience for him. He wanted to make Spider-Man 4 to end his series on a high note. But he felt he couldn't make the script good enough in time. In 2022, Raimi helped as a creative consultant for Marvel Studios' Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Raimi often works with the Coen brothers. Joel Coen was one of the editors for Evil Dead. The Coens helped write Crimewave and The Hudsucker Proxy with Raimi. Raimi also appeared in some of their movies, like Miller's Crossing. The Coen brothers even gave Raimi advice on filming in snow for A Simple Plan.

Raimi has also acted in some films himself. He was in The Stand as a hitman. He also appeared in John Carpenter's Body Bags. His biggest acting role was in Indian Summer. This film was written by his childhood friend, Mike Binder. It was filmed at a camp they both went to when they were younger.

Raimi also produced all the English-language Grudge horror movies. These were based on Japanese films.

In 2009, Blizzard Entertainment said Raimi would direct a movie based on the Warcraft video game series. But in 2012, it was announced he would not direct it.

Raimi (far left) at a discussion panel for his film Drag Me to Hell in 2008

Raimi directed Oz the Great and Powerful, which came out in 2013. It earned $493 million worldwide. He said he would not direct the planned sequel.

In 2016, it was confirmed that Raimi would direct a film called World War 3. This movie is based on a book about a possible future. In 2017, reports said Raimi would direct a thriller about the Bermuda Triangle.

In 2018, Raimi was set to direct the first movie in the Kingkiller Chronicle series, The Name of the Wind.

In 2020, it was announced that Raimi was talking with Marvel Studios to direct Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. He confirmed he was directing it in April 2020. This was Raimi's return to superhero films after many years. It was also his first movie as a director since Oz the Great and Powerful in 2013.

Sam Raimi's Work in Television

Besides movies, Raimi has worked a lot in television. He produced popular TV series like Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. He also produced its spin-off show, Xena: Warrior Princess. Both shows featured his younger brother Ted Raimi and his friend Bruce Campbell.

He also produced other shows such as American Gothic, Cleopatra 2525, and Jack of All Trades. In 2008, Raimi was an executive producer for Legend of the Seeker. This show was based on a fantasy book series. He also produced the Spartacus: Blood and Sand TV series and its follow-ups. In 2015, he directed the first episode of Ash vs Evil Dead for Starz.

Sam Raimi's Personal Life

Since 1993, Sam Raimi has been married to Gillian Greene. She is the daughter of Canadian actor Lorne Greene. They have five children. Their three oldest children, Emma Rose, Lorne, and Henry, appeared as extras in Drag Me to Hell. They also appeared in the final battle scene of Spider-Man 3. Lorne also helped as a second unit director on Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Sam Raimi's Filmography

Here are some of the films Sam Raimi has directed:

Sam Raimi has also produced many films, including:

• Timecop (1994)
• The Grudge (2004)
• 30 Days of Night (2007)
• Evil Dead (2013)
• Poltergeist (2015)
• Don't Breathe (2016)
• Crawl (2019)
• Evil Dead Rise (2023)

Awards and Recognition

Sam Raimi has won several awards for his work:

• Sitges – Catalan International Film Festival Prize of the International Critics' Jury 1981
• Sitges – Catalan International Film Festival Best Director Award 1990
• Sitges – Catalan International Film Festival Time-Machine Honorary Award 1992
• Brussels International Festival of Fantasy Film Golden Raven Award 1993
• Fantasporto Critics' Award 1993
• Cognac Festival du Film Policier Special Jury Prize 1999
• Saturn Award Best Director Award 2004
• Empire Award Best Director Award 2004
• Inkpot Award 2014

Images for kids

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  Raimi speaking at the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con

See also

In Spanish: Sam Raimi para niños

• Sam Raimi's unrealized projects