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 Hill was born in Long Beach, California and educated at Mexico City College and Michigan State University. He worked in oil drilling and construction in the 60s before becoming a 2nd assistant director in 1967. He has written and co-written screenplays, including several uncredited works. He has produced and directed films since 1975.
Bio:
Hill was born in Long Beach, California and educated at Mexico City College and Michigan State University. He worked in oil drilling and construction in the 60s before becoming a 2nd assistant director in 1967. He has written and co-written screenplays, including several uncredited works. He has produced and directed films since 1975.
Tivia:
Is an avid fan of John Wayne. When The Duke saw Hard Times (1975), he wanted Hill to helm his last film, The Shootist (1976). But Hill refused because he didn't want to see his hero dying in a movie.His favourites directors are John Ford, Howard Hawks, John Huston, Raoul Walsh, Sam Peckinpah, and Sergio Leone.Sylvester Stallone personally hand-picked him to direct Bullet to the Head (2012).Was originally meant to direct Alien (1979).He once said in an interview that he considers all of his films as a director westerns. If you look closely, you can see western touches, such as revolvers, Winchester rifles and cowboy hats in all of his work.His film Streets of Fire (1984) is said to have been an influence on the Japanese anime series Bubblegum Crisis (1987).He purposefully made Brewster's Millions (1985) "to improve his bank account and success quotient". He later called the movie "an aberration in the career line" being his only flat out comedy. He added that "whatever [the film's] deficiencies, I think the wistful quality was there. I was happy about that. The picture did well and made money.".Stated on the DVD introduction for the Ultimate Director's Cut on The Warriors (1979) that he is against making special editions to his own films because he feels that movies should speak for themselves and do not demand as he describes "special explanations and long apologies".He wrote a graphic novel, Triggerman that was published in France.Originally planned for his Streets of Fire (1984) to be the first in a trilogy of films centering on the character of Tom Cody, played by Michael Par��, but the film's box office failure put an end to that project.Was interested in directing The Gauntlet (1977) and approached Kris Kristofferson for the lead role.He wanted to direct The Fugitive (1993) with Nick Nolte in the lead role. This was dashed when Nolte was deemed too old.Co-founder of "Brandywine Productions" with David Giler and Gordon Carroll, a film company most famously associated with the 'Alien' series of films.He was attached to direct Dick Tracy (1990) in the 1980s with Joel Silver producing. Pre-production had progressed as far as set building, but the film was stalled when artistic control issues arose with Warren Beatty. Hill wanted to make the film violent and realistic, while Beatty envisioned a stylized homage to the 1930s comic strip. The actor also reportedly wanted $5 million plus fifteen percent of the box office gross, a deal which Universal refused to accept. Hill left the project, but Beatty stuck with it.Credits his spare writing style to an enormous influence on him from Alexander Jacobs's script for Point Blank (1967), which he read while initially trying to enter the film industry.As a teenager, Hill contemplated being a comic book illustrator and studied art at the Universidad de las Am��ricas, Mexico City.His unmade projects include: u003culu003cliLloyd Williams and His Brother aka The Drifters - a Western written circa 1971. Hill says Sam Peckinpah was considering making it after The Getaway (1972) but decided to do Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (1973) instead so Hill used material from the script in Hard Times (1975).u003c/liu003cliThe Last Gun - a Western written with Roger Spottiswoode (circa 1977).u003c/liu003cliLone Star from the play by James M. McClure to star Powers Boothe and Sigourney Weaver (1981).u003c/liu003cliThe Last Good Kiss based on a novel by James Crumley (early 1980s).u003c/liu003cliAn adaptation of Red Harvest by Dashiell Hammett (early 1980s).u003c/liu003cliAn adaptation of Jim Thompson's Pop. 1280 (1980s).u003c/liu003cliA remake of The Magnificent Seven (1960) (1984)u003c/liu003cliA remake of John Woo's The Killer (1989), with Richard Gere as the Chow Yun-Fat character and with Denzel Washington as the Danny Lee character. Left the project due to creative differences.u003c/liu003cliAmerican Iron (1989/1990) - a film set in the world of bikers written with Marc Brunet, Daniel Pyne, and John Mankiewicz.u003c/liu003cliRed, White, Black and Blue (1997) - rewrite by Hill of an Andrew Kevin Walker script.u003c/liu003cliVengeance of Mine - a contemporary thriller set in Las Vegas.u003c/liu003cliA proposed remake of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962).u003c/liu003c/ulIs a specialist of crime novels.Received the prestigious Joseph Plateau Award at the Flanders International Film Festival. The Joseph Plateau Life Time Achievement Award, considered the festival's highest honor, recognized Hill's achievement in filmmaking as a writer, director and producer, and was presented during the 34th edition of the festival in Ghent, Belgium (October 9th - 20th). (2007)Hill later estimated that only two minor scenes in The Drowning Pool (1975) were true to his adaptation.By Hill's own admission, his work on The MacKintosh Man (1973) "wasn't much" and he did it to settle a lawsuit with Warner Bros, with whom he was angry for selling Hickey & Boggs (1972). In addition, he and director John Huston disagreed on how closely to stick to the book on which it was based.He was the second assistant director on Take the Money and Run (1969), but said he remembers doing very little except passing out the call sheets and filling out time cards.Hill says he wrote the first half of The MacKintosh Man (1973) but the rest was done by "seven other people". He says he never saw the final product but was told it was "a real bomb".He was asthmatic as a child and, as a result, missed several years of school.Several of his films - Hard Times (1975), The Driver (1978), 48 Hrs. (1982), Extreme Prejudice (1987), Another 48 Hrs. (1990), Geronimo: An American Legend (1993) and Last Man Standing (1996) - had their running times gradually reduced. There are no plans to release Director's Cuts of any of them.Biography in: John Wakeman, editor. "World Film Directors, Volume Two, 1945-1985." Pages 433-438. New York: The H.W. Wilson Company, 1988.Co-wrote a version of Revenge (1990) with David Giler that wasn't used.Hill became a film fan at an early age, and the first film he remembers seeing was Song of the South (1946).Has directed two Emmy Award-winning performances: Thomas Haden Church in Broken Trail (2006) and Robert Duvall in Broken Trail (2006).His respect for Akira Kurosawa is so great, that he always refers to the Japanese director as "Mr. Kurosawa".Profiled in "American Classic Screen Interviews" (Scarecrow Press). (2010)Born on the same day as Nelson Carvajal.Have so far made 9 movies with composer Ry Cooder. Not including their television projects and the film Extreme Prejudice. However Extreme Prejudice is a tricky one to include or not since Ry Cooder worked on it but only as a producer of the source music. The Score was composed by Jerry Goldsmith. Hill and Cooder's first collaboration was on The Long Riders.He is the only director to have worked with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone and Bruce Willis on separate projects. |
| Name: |
Walter Hill |
Type: |
Producer,Writer,Director (IMDB) |
| Area: |
All World |
Platform: |
IMDB |
| Category: |
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Business scope: |
Producer,Writer,Director |
| Products for sale: |
Producer,Writer,Director |
| Last update: |
2024-07-01 03:51:56 |
| Biography: |
Hill was born in Long Beach, California and educated at Mexico City College and Michigan State University. He worked in oil drilling and construction in the 60s before becoming a 2nd assistant director in 1967. He has written and co-written screenpla |
| Trivia: |
Is an avid fan of John Wayne. When The Duke saw Hard Times (1975), he wanted Hill to helm his last film, The Shootist (1976). But Hill refused because he didn't want to see his hero dying in a movie.His favourites directors are John Ford, Howard Hawks, John Huston, Raoul Walsh, Sam Peckinpah, and Sergio Leone.Sylvester Stallone personally hand-picked him to direct Bullet to the Head (2012).Was originally meant to direct Alien (1979).He once said in an interview that he considers all of his films as a director westerns. If you look closely, you can see western touches, such as revolvers, Winchester rifles and cowboy hats in all of his work.His film Streets of Fire (1984) is said to have been an influence on the Japanese anime series Bubblegum Crisis (1987).He purposefully made Brewster's Millions (1985) "to improve his bank account and success quotient". He later called the movie "an aberration in the career line" being his only flat out comedy. He added that "whatever [the film's] deficiencies, I think the wistful quality was there. I was happy about that. The picture did well and made money.".Stated on the DVD introduction for the Ultimate Director's Cut on The Warriors (1979) that he is against making special editions to his own films because he feels that movies should speak for themselves and do not demand as he describes "special explanations and long apologies".He wrote a graphic novel, Triggerman that was published in France.Originally planned for his Streets of Fire (1984) to be the first in a trilogy of films centering on the character of Tom Cody, played by Michael Par��, but the film's box office failure put an end to that project.Was interested in directing The Gauntlet (1977) and approached Kris Kristofferson for the lead role.He wanted to direct The Fugitive (1993) with Nick Nolte in the lead role. This was dashed when Nolte was deemed too old.Co-founder of "Brandywine Productions" with David Giler and Gordon Carroll, a film company most famously associated with the 'Alien' series of films.He was attached to direct Dick Tracy (1990) in the 1980s with Joel Silver producing. Pre-production had progressed as far as set building, but the film was stalled when artistic control issues arose with Warren Beatty. Hill wanted to make the film violent and realistic, while Beatty envisioned a stylized homage to the 1930s comic strip. The actor also reportedly wanted $5 million plus fifteen percent of the box office gross, a deal which Universal refused to accept. Hill left the project, but Beatty stuck with it.Credits his spare writing style to an enormous influence on him from Alexander Jacobs's script for Point Blank (1967), which he read while initially trying to enter the film industry.As a teenager, Hill contemplated being a comic book illustrator and studied art at the Universidad de las Am��ricas, Mexico City.His unmade projects include: u003culu003cliLloyd Williams and His Brother aka The Drifters - a Western written circa 1971. Hill says Sam Peckinpah was considering making it after The Getaway (1972) but decided to do Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (1973) instead so Hill used material from the script in Hard Times (1975).u003c/liu003cliThe Last Gun - a Western written with Roger Spottiswoode (circa 1977).u003c/liu003cliLone Star from the play by James M. McClure to star Powers Boothe and Sigourney Weaver (1981).u003c/liu003cliThe Last Good Kiss based on a novel by James Crumley (early 1980s).u003c/liu003cliAn adaptation of Red Harvest by Dashiell Hammett (early 1980s).u003c/liu003cliAn adaptation of Jim Thompson's Pop. 1280 (1980s).u003c/liu003cliA remake of The Magnificent Seven (1960) (1984)u003c/liu003cliA remake of John Woo's The Killer (1989), with Richard Gere as the Chow Yun-Fat character and with Denzel Washington as the Danny Lee character. Left the project due to creative differences.u003c/liu003cliAmerican Iron (1989/1990) - a film set in the world of bikers written with Marc Brunet, Daniel Pyne, and John Mankiewicz.u003c/liu003cliRed, White, Black and Blue (1997) - rewrite by Hill of an Andrew Kevin Walker script.u003c/liu003cliVengeance of Mine - a contemporary thriller set in Las Vegas.u003c/liu003cliA proposed remake of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962).u003c/liu003c/ulIs a specialist of crime novels.Received the prestigious Joseph Plateau Award at the Flanders International Film Festival. The Joseph Plateau Life Time Achievement Award, considered the festival's highest honor, recognized Hill's achievement in filmmaking as a writer, director and producer, and was presented during the 34th edition of the festival in Ghent, Belgium (October 9th - 20th). (2007)Hill later estimated that only two minor scenes in The Drowning Pool (1975) were true to his adaptation.By Hill's own admission, his work on The MacKintosh Man (1973) "wasn't much" and he did it to settle a lawsuit with Warner Bros, with whom he was angry for selling Hickey & Boggs (1972). In addition, he and director John Huston disagreed on how closely to stick to the book on which it was based.He was the second assistant director on Take the Money and Run (1969), but said he remembers doing very little except passing out the call sheets and filling out time cards.Hill says he wrote the first half of The MacKintosh Man (1973) but the rest was done by "seven other people". He says he never saw the final product but was told it was "a real bomb".He was asthmatic as a child and, as a result, missed several years of school.Several of his films - Hard Times (1975), The Driver (1978), 48 Hrs. (1982), Extreme Prejudice (1987), Another 48 Hrs. (1990), Geronimo: An American Legend (1993) and Last Man Standing (1996) - had their running times gradually reduced. There are no plans to release Director's Cuts of any of them.Biography in: John Wakeman, editor. "World Film Directors, Volume Two, 1945-1985." Pages 433-438. New York: The H.W. Wilson Company, 1988.Co-wrote a version of Revenge (1990) with David Giler that wasn't used.Hill became a film fan at an early age, and the first film he remembers seeing was Song of the South (1946).Has directed two Emmy Award-winning performances: Thomas Haden Church in Broken Trail (2006) and Robert Duvall in Broken Trail (2006).His respect for Akira Kurosawa is so great, that he always refers to the Japanese director as "Mr. Kurosawa".Profiled in "American Classic Screen Interviews" (Scarecrow Press). (2010)Born on the same day as Nelson Carvajal.Have so far made 9 movies with composer Ry Cooder. Not including their television projects and the film Extreme Prejudice. However Extreme Prejudice is a tricky one to include or not since Ry Cooder worked on it but only as a producer of the source music. The Score was composed by Jerry Goldsmith. Hill and Cooder's first collaboration was on The Long Riders.He is the only director to have worked with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone and Bruce Willis on separate projects. |
| Trademarks: |
At least one character in many of his films drives a sky blue Cadillac Convertible. e.g. 48 Hrs. (1982), Brewster's Millions (1985) and Red Heat (1988).
Several of Hill's films have a bar called "Torchy's." Inseveral of his films, characters utter a variation on Cody's (Streets of Fire (1984)) and The Driver's exhortation to "Go home!"
Frequently has a minor character named "Luther" in his films
Frequently works with character actors James Remar, David Patrick Kelly, Brion James, and Ed O'Ross. Frequently casts actors Bill Paxton and Stoney Jackson in minor roles (e.g. Streets of Fire (1984) and Trespass (1992)).
Has an affinity for the city of El Paso. El Paso has been mentioned in or has been the location of several Walter Hill movies. |
| Quotes: |
[on working with Charles Bronson on Hard Times (1975)] Well, Charlie does things in terms of performance that are hard for a lot of other people to comprehend as being part of an actor's tool, and that is being visually interesting. There is a great poetry in Charlie's face. With just a look, he can suggest moods that are quite interesting. He's always on time, he always knows his lines, and he never misses a mark.
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<hr>
I very purposely -- more and more so every time I do a script -- give characters no back story. The way you find out about these characters is by watching what they do, the way they react to stress, the way they react to situations and confrontations. In that way, character is revealed through drama rather than being explained through dialogue.
<br />
<hr>
[2002, Being asked on what he learned from the experience of making Supernova (2000)] Ah, what did I learn the most? Oh, I think there was a desperate political situation with a failing administration, and I foolishly got into helping a movie that I thought could turn into something, but I then discovered I didn't have as free a hand as I had been led to believe, and when I was taking the movie along the lines that I thought would make it a credible movie, they did not share that vision, so we had a rather angry breach, and the movie was re-cut by two or three directors. I won't say there's no recognition of what I did, but the ending's much different, and much of the setup is different. Mine was a much darker vision. I can honestly tell you that I have yet to have seen it, but it's on cable a lot and sometimes I'll be surfing about and I'll sit there and watch about 4 minutes just to see what they've fucked up, but James Spader's performance is still, I can see is quite interesting in it, I thought Jimmy did a good job.
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<hr>
I am very happy about it. I mean no film is beyond criticism, but I think we've made a very modest movie. Heck, we did it in 39 days, it cost $20 million dollars, which is very cheap for Hollywood standards, and tells a good story. I guess it's the literary equivalent of a short story,
<br />
<hr>
48 Hrs. (1982) was fun. Back then, Eddie Murphy was very inexperienced, and Nick Nolte was. Eddie wasn't an actor; he was just being an actor. Also, Nick is extremely talented and together they just clicked. It was a marvellous experience. Nick is someone I can call one of my best friends today, |
| Job title: |
Producer,Writer,Director |
| Spouse: |
Hildy Gottlieb (September 7, 1986 - present) (2 children)Maureen McCurry (April 19, 1969 - December 1972) (divorced) |
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