Penelope Spheeris
Encyclopedia
Penelope Spheeris is an American
director
, producer
and screenwriter
. She is best known as a documentary film
director whose works include the trilogy titled The Decline of Western Civilization
. She has also directed feature films, including Wayne's World
, her highest grossing film.
and the first cousin of musician Chris Spheeris
, and the Greek-French
director Costa Gavras, whom she says makes her consider that there is something to the gene
tic aspects to the job description Spheeris spent her first seven years traveling around the American South and American Midwest with her father's carnival. She majored in film
and has a Master of Fine Arts
degree in Theater Arts from UCLA
in Los Angeles
, California
.
, many of them being highlights in the first season of the TV series Saturday Night Live
. Her first feature film was The Decline of Western Civilization
(1981
), a punk rock
documentary
that she produced as well as directed. She followed up with The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years, this time about the Los Angeles
heavy metal
scene of 1988, with footage and interviews of legendary metal bands such as Kiss
, Ozzy Osbourne
, Aerosmith
, Megadeth
and Motörhead. She later returned to the streets of L.A. and the punk rock scene in 1998 for the documentary The Decline of Western Civilization Part III.
She was offered the chance to direct This is Spinal Tap
, but turned it down, thinking it wasn't possible to make fun of heavy metal.
In addition, she worked as a writer for the TV series Roseanne
(1988
-1997
). In the 1990s, Spheeris directed Wayne's World
, a comedy based on Mike Myers
' skits from Saturday Night Live. The movie grossed $121 million and became a popular hit. She directed the Wayne's World music video work for Queen
's "Bohemian Rhapsody
", which earned a Grammy
nomination. She had difficulty working with Myers, while acknowledging him as "profoundly talented," and in an Entertainment Weekly
article stated she believes Myers dissuaded Paramount Pictures
from hiring her for the sequel.
In 1996 she directed We Sold Our Soul for Rock 'n' Roll, a documentary about the Ozzfest
, produced by Sharon Osbourne
. It explores life on the road.
Other films Spheeris has directed include The Beverly Hillbillies; The Little Rascals (for which she co-wrote the screenplay); the Chris Farley
comedy Black Sheep; the Marlon Wayans
-David Spade
team-up Senseless
; and The Kid & I
starring Tom Arnold
. In 2006 she was set to direct the as-of-yet still-unfilmed Gospel According to Janis, about Janis Joplin
.
In 2010, she directed the comedy Balls to the Wall
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
and screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
. She is best known as a documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
director whose works include the trilogy titled The Decline of Western Civilization
The Decline of Western Civilization
The soundtrack was released in December 1980 by Slash Records on LP. In the late 1990s it was released on CD as well. It is currently out of print. Germs singer Darby Crash appears on the soundtrack album cover. He died shortly before the film was released, though the promotional images for the...
. She has also directed feature films, including Wayne's World
Wayne's World (film)
Wayne's World is a 1992 American comedy film directed by Penelope Spheeris and starring Mike Myers in his film debut as Wayne Campbell and Dana Carvey as Garth Algar, hosts of the Aurora, Illinois-based Public-access television cable TV show Wayne's World...
, her highest grossing film.
Earlier life
Spheeris was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, to a Greek immigrant father who owned the Magic Empire Shows circus carnival and was a side-show strong man. Her mother was a ticket taker for a traveling circus side show. Spheeris is the sister of singer Jimmie SpheerisJimmie Spheeris
Jimmie Spheeris November 5, 1949 – July 4, 1984) was an American singer-songwriter who released four albums in the 1970s on the Columbia Records and Epic Records labels.He was of Greek descent...
and the first cousin of musician Chris Spheeris
Chris Spheeris
Chris Spheeris is a Greek-American composer of instrumental music. He is a producer, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist. Chris is the cousin of Penelope Spheeris and her brother Jimmie Spheeris, and Costas Gavras...
, and the Greek-French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
director Costa Gavras, whom she says makes her consider that there is something to the gene
Gene
A gene is a molecular unit of heredity of a living organism. It is a name given to some stretches of DNA and RNA that code for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. Living beings depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains...
tic aspects to the job description Spheeris spent her first seven years traveling around the American South and American Midwest with her father's carnival. She majored in film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and has a Master of Fine Arts
Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts is a graduate degree typically requiring 2–3 years of postgraduate study beyond the bachelor's degree , although the term of study will vary by country or by university. The MFA is usually awarded in visual arts, creative writing, filmmaking, dance, or theatre/performing arts...
degree in Theater Arts from UCLA
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Career
Spheeris launched her career by producing short subjects for comedian Albert BrooksAlbert Brooks
Albert Lawrence Brooks is an American actor, voice actor, writer, comedian and director. He received an Academy Award nomination in 1987 for his role in Broadcast News...
, many of them being highlights in the first season of the TV series Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
. Her first feature film was The Decline of Western Civilization
The Decline of Western Civilization
The soundtrack was released in December 1980 by Slash Records on LP. In the late 1990s it was released on CD as well. It is currently out of print. Germs singer Darby Crash appears on the soundtrack album cover. He died shortly before the film was released, though the promotional images for the...
(1981
1981 in film
-Events:*January 19 - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer acquires beleaguered concurrent United Artists. UA was humiliated by the astronomical losses on the $40,000,000 movie Heaven's Gate, a major factor in the decision of owner Transamerica to sell it....
), a punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
that she produced as well as directed. She followed up with The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years, this time about the Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
scene of 1988, with footage and interviews of legendary metal bands such as Kiss
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
, Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...
, Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
, Megadeth
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California which was formed in 1983 by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson and guitarist Greg Handevidt, following Mustaine's expulsion from Metallica. The band has since released 13 studio albums, three live albums, two...
and Motörhead. She later returned to the streets of L.A. and the punk rock scene in 1998 for the documentary The Decline of Western Civilization Part III.
She was offered the chance to direct This is Spinal Tap
This Is Spinal Tap
This Is Spinal Tap is an American 1984 rock musical mockumentary directed by Rob Reiner about the fictional heavy metal band Spinal Tap...
, but turned it down, thinking it wasn't possible to make fun of heavy metal.
In addition, she worked as a writer for the TV series Roseanne
Roseanne (TV series)
Roseanne is an American sitcom broadcast on ABC from October 18, 1988 to May 20, 1997. Starring Roseanne Barr, the show revolved around the Conners, an Illinois working class family...
(1988
1988 in television
The year 1988 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1988.For the American TV schedule, see: 1988-89 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:...
-1997
1997 in television
The year 1997 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1997.- Events :-Debuts:-Miniseries:*Knots Landing: Back to the Cul-de-Sac, a reunion of the 1979–93 series*The Last Don...
). In the 1990s, Spheeris directed Wayne's World
Wayne's World (film)
Wayne's World is a 1992 American comedy film directed by Penelope Spheeris and starring Mike Myers in his film debut as Wayne Campbell and Dana Carvey as Garth Algar, hosts of the Aurora, Illinois-based Public-access television cable TV show Wayne's World...
, a comedy based on Mike Myers
Mike Myers (actor)
Michael John "Mike" Myers is a Canadian actor, comedian, screenwriter, and film producer of British parentage...
' skits from Saturday Night Live. The movie grossed $121 million and became a popular hit. She directed the Wayne's World music video work for Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
's "Bohemian Rhapsody
Bohemian Rhapsody
"Bohemian Rhapsody" is a song by the British rock band Queen. It was written by Freddie Mercury for the band's 1975 album A Night at the Opera...
", which earned a Grammy
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
nomination. She had difficulty working with Myers, while acknowledging him as "profoundly talented," and in an Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
article stated she believes Myers dissuaded Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
from hiring her for the sequel.
In 1996 she directed We Sold Our Soul for Rock 'n' Roll, a documentary about the Ozzfest
Ozzfest
Ozzfest is an annual festival tour of the United States featuring performances by many heavy metal and hard rock musical groups. It was founded by Ozzy Osbourne and his wife Sharon Osbourne, both of whom also organize each yearly tour with their son Jack Osbourne...
, produced by Sharon Osbourne
Sharon Osbourne
Sharon Rachel Osbourne is an English television host, author, music manager, businesswoman and promoter as well as the wife of heavy metal singer-songwriter Ozzy Osbourne....
. It explores life on the road.
Other films Spheeris has directed include The Beverly Hillbillies; The Little Rascals (for which she co-wrote the screenplay); the Chris Farley
Chris Farley
Christopher Crosby "Chris" Farley was an American comedian and actor. Farley was a member of Chicago's Second City Theatre and cast member of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live from 1990 to 1995....
comedy Black Sheep; the Marlon Wayans
Marlon Wayans
Marlon L. Wayans is an American actor, model producer, comedian, writer, and director of movies, beginning with his role as a pedestrian in I'm Gonna Git You Sucka in 1988...
-David Spade
David Spade
David Wayne Spade is an American actor, comedian and television personality who first became famous in the 1990s as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, and from 1997 until 2003 when he starred as Dennis Finch on Just Shoot Me!. He also starred as C.J...
team-up Senseless
Senseless
Senseless is a 1998 American comedy film directed by Penelope Spheeris and written by Greg Erb and Craig Mazin. The film stars Marlon Wayans, David Spade, and Matthew Lillard as college students.-Plot:...
; and The Kid & I
The Kid & I
The Kid & I is a 2005 American comedy film starring Tom Arnold and Eric Gores.-Plot:Former actor Bill Williams is about to commit suicide over his ruined career. He throws out all his stuff and gives his clothes to a poor alcoholic. The man drinks Bill's vodka and takes half of his pills messing...
starring Tom Arnold
Tom Arnold (actor)
Thomas Dwaine "Tom" Arnold is an American actor and comedian. He has appeared in many films, perhaps most notably True Lies . He was the host of The Best Damn Sports Show Period for four years.-Early life:...
. In 2006 she was set to direct the as-of-yet still-unfilmed Gospel According to Janis, about Janis Joplin
Janis Joplin
Janis Lyn Joplin was an American singer, songwriter, painter, dancer and music arranger. She rose to prominence in the late 1960s as the lead singer of Big Brother and the Holding Company and later as a solo artist with her backing groups, The Kozmic Blues Band and The Full Tilt Boogie Band...
.
In 2010, she directed the comedy Balls to the Wall
Balls to the Wall (film)
Balls to the Wall is an 2011 American comedy film written by Jason Nutt and directed by Penelope Spheeris. The film had its premiere at the Newport Beach Film Festival on April 30, 2011.-Plot:...
.
Filmography
- Uncle Tom's Fairy TalesUncle Tom's Fairy TalesUncle Tom's Fairy Tales is a 1968 film directed by Penelope Spheeris and starring Richard Pryor. The only known negative of the film was said to have been shredded by Pryor after a disagreement with his wife at the time....
(1968) - I Don't KnowI Don't Know"I Don't Know" is a song by Honeyz, which peaked at #28 on the UK Singles Chart in 2001.-Track listing:UK Part I#"I Don't Know" #"I Don't Know" #"Why You Wanna Lie on Me?"#"I Don't Know"...
(1972) (Short) - Saturday Night LiveSaturday Night LiveSaturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
(1975-1976) (TV) (Producer of Albert Brooks segments only) - Real LifeReal Life (film)Real Life is an American comedy film released in 1979. The first feature directed by Albert Brooks, who also co-authored the screenplay, it is a spoof of the 1973 reality television program An American Family and portrays a documentary filmmaker named Albert Brooks who attempts to live with and...
(1979) (Producer Only) - The Decline of Western CivilizationThe Decline of Western CivilizationThe soundtrack was released in December 1980 by Slash Records on LP. In the late 1990s it was released on CD as well. It is currently out of print. Germs singer Darby Crash appears on the soundtrack album cover. He died shortly before the film was released, though the promotional images for the...
(1981) - SuburbiaSuburbia (film)Suburbia, also known as Rebel Streets and The Wild Side, is a 1984 film written and directed by Penelope Spheeris about suburban punks who run away from home. The kids take up a minimalist, punk lifestyle by squatting in abandoned suburban tract homes...
(a.k.a "Rebel Streets" and "The Wild Side") (1984) (also Writer) - The Boys Next DoorThe Boys Next Door (1985 film)The Boys Next Door is a 1985 independent adventure-drama film about two aimless young men who embark on an orgy of sex, drugs, and murder.-Plot:...
(1985) - Hollywood Vice SquadHollywood Vice Squad-Plot:Pauline Stanton, a mother, travels to Hollywood to find her teenage runaway daughter Lori. Once there, Pauline discovers that Lori has become involved in the pornography industry and teams with the police to find her and get her back.-Cast:...
(1986) - DudesDudes (film)-Plot:Two punks from the big city , traveling across the country in a Volkswagen bug, embrace the western ethos when they must take revenge against a group of rednecks for killing their friend in this lighthearted road movie...
(1987) - Summer Camp NightmareSummer Camp NightmareSummer Camp Nightmare is a 1987 horror film starring Chuck Connors and Charlie Stratton. The film is loosely based on the novel The Butterfly Revolution by William Butler.-Plot:...
(1987) (co-writer only, with Bert L. Dragin) - The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years (1988)
- Thunder and Mud (1990)
- Banned in the U.S.A. (1990)
- Roseanne (1990) (TV) (Writer Only)
- Rap's Most Wanted (1991)
- Prison Stories: Women on the Inside (1991) (TV)
- Wayne's WorldWayne's World (film)Wayne's World is a 1992 American comedy film directed by Penelope Spheeris and starring Mike Myers in his film debut as Wayne Campbell and Dana Carvey as Garth Algar, hosts of the Aurora, Illinois-based Public-access television cable TV show Wayne's World...
(1992) - The Beverly Hillbillies (1993)
- Danger TheatreDanger TheatreDanger Theatre was a half-hour comedy anthology series for television, produced by Universal Studios and originally aired on the American Fox network in 1993....
(1993) (TV) (also Writer/Executive Producer) - The Little Rascals (1994) (also Co-Writer, with Paul GuayPaul GuayPaul Francois Guay is a retired American professional ice hockey player. He is now an assistant coach for his high school's hockey team.-Playing career:...
and Stephen Mazur) - Black Sheep (1996)
- The Decline of Western Civilization Part IIIThe Decline of Western Civilization IIIThe Decline of Western Civilization III is a 1998 documentary film directed by Penelope Spheeris that chronicles the gutter punk lifestyle of homeless teenagers. It is the third film of a trilogy by Spheeris depicting life in Los Angeles at various points in time. The first film The Decline of...
(1998) - SenselessSenselessSenseless is a 1998 American comedy film directed by Penelope Spheeris and written by Greg Erb and Craig Mazin. The film stars Marlon Wayans, David Spade, and Matthew Lillard as college students.-Plot:...
(1998) - Hollyweird (1999)
- We Sold Our Souls for Rock 'n RollWe Sold Our Souls for Rock 'n RollWe Sold Our Souls for Rock 'n Roll is a 2001 documentary by Penelope Spheeris. It was filmed at the 1999 Ozzfest and won an award for "Most Popular Documentary" at the 2001 Melbourne International Film Festival. Legal issues delayed the release. The documentary got mixed...
(2001) - The Crooked E: The Unshredded Truth About EnronThe Crooked E: The Unshredded Truth About EnronThe Crooked E: The Unshredded Truth About Enron is a television movie aired by CBS in January 2003, which was based on the book Anatomy of Greed by Brian Cruver...
(2003) (TV) - Cracking UpCracking UpFor the movie, see Cracking Up .Cracking Up is an American television sitcom created by School of Rock writer Mike White, who also served as the series' head writer. It aired on the Fox Network on Monday nights from March to May 2004. The title of the program and the name of the psychiatrist, Dr...
(2004) (TV) - The Kid & IThe Kid & IThe Kid & I is a 2005 American comedy film starring Tom Arnold and Eric Gores.-Plot:Former actor Bill Williams is about to commit suicide over his ruined career. He throws out all his stuff and gives his clothes to a poor alcoholic. The man drinks Bill's vodka and takes half of his pills messing...
(2005) - Balls to the WallBalls to the Wall (film)Balls to the Wall is an 2011 American comedy film written by Jason Nutt and directed by Penelope Spheeris. The film had its premiere at the Newport Beach Film Festival on April 30, 2011.-Plot:...
(2010)
External links
- Penelope Spheeris - Official