Photo: Christopher Polk (Getty Images)
Roger Corman, one of the most prolific, influential filmmakers of all time, died last weekend at the age of 98. Prominently known for his campy, 1960s horror films (his nickname was “King of the B’s”), Corman was far more than a small-time B-movie director. He helped launch the careers of droves of actors and filmmakers who would go on to become some of the most prominent, influential people in Hollywood (Martin Scorsese, Jack Nicholson, and Francis Ford Coppola are just a few who got their start on Corman’s dime).
Sure, there may be some haters out there (I’m looking at you, Paul Schrader), but, on the whole, Corman can be remembered as a titanic force in the entertainment industry, responsible for unleashing a veritable tsunami of filmmaking. According to the Academy of Motion Pictures, he produced more than 300 films and has directing credits on at least 50. He also founded New World Pictures, which released many cult classics throughout the 1970s and ‘80s.
To celebrate Corman, you click through and check out a few of the most notable movies he directed, produced, or financed.