Historical Figure
George A. Romero
b. 1940
American filmmaker (1940–2017)
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Biography
George Andrew Romero was an American-Canadian filmmaker, writer, editor and actor. Regarded as an influential pioneer of the horror film genre and in particular zombie films, he has been called an "icon" and the "father of the zombie film". The first half of his Night of the Living Dead series—Night of the Living Dead (1968), Dawn of the Dead (1978), and Day of the Dead (1985)—are considered three of the best and most influential horror films ever made, and were major contributors to the image of the zombie in modern culture.
Timeline
The story of George A. Romero, told in moments.
Night of the Living Dead shot in Evans City, Pennsylvania for $114,000. The cast were mostly locals. Romero used chocolate syrup for blood. The film grossed $30 million.
Dawn of the Dead filmed in the Monroeville Mall. Romero set his zombies loose in a shopping center and called it a satire of consumerism. He wasn't wrong.
Day of the Dead completed his original trilogy. Lower budget, darker tone. A zombie named Bub learning to salute became one of the most oddly moving scenes in horror.
Died of lung cancer in Toronto at 77. He'd been living in Canada to avoid U.S. healthcare costs. His wife said he was listening to the score of The Quiet Man when he passed.
In Their Own Words (2)
I don't like the new trends in horror. All this torture stuff seems really mean-spirited. People have forgotten how to laugh, and I don't see anybody who's using it as allegory. The guy I love right now is Guillermo del Toro. I'd love to make a film like Pan's Labyrinth.
As quoted in "10 Questions for George Romero", Time, (June 07, 2010), 2010
To me, the zombies have always just been zombies. They’ve always been a cigar. When I first made Night of the Living Dead, it got analyzed and overanalyzed way out of proportion. The zombies were written about as if they represented Nixon’s Silent Majority or whatever. But I never thought about it that way. My stories are about humans and how they react, or fail to react, or react stupidly. I’m pointing the finger at us, not at the zombies. I try to respect and sympathize with the zombies as much as possible.
As quoted in George A. Romero: "Who Says Zombies Eat Brains?", Vanity Fair (27 May 2010), 2010
Artifacts (15)
To avoid dangers such as unrestrained nanobot replication, we need relinquishmen...
nological progress proceeds safely and quickly but does not deprive the world of profound benefits. He said: "To avoid dangers such as unrestrained nanobot replication, we need relinquishment at the...
I realize that most inventions fail not because the R&D department can't get the...
a venture capitalist, and a daughter, Amy, a cartoonist. === Creative approach === Kurzweil has said: "I realize that most inventions fail not because the R&D department can't get them to work, but...
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