George Hickenlooper

George Loening Hickenlooper III (May 25, 1963 – October 29, 2010) was an American narrative and documentary filmmaker.

Hickenlooper was born in St. Louis, the son of Barbara Jo Wenger, a social worker and stage actress, and George Loening Hickenlooper, Jr., a teacher and playwright. He was also the grand nephew of British-born conductor Leopold Stokowski through marriage to his great aunt, pianist Olga Samaroff (whose birth name was Lucy Mary Agnes Hickenlooper).

He attended high school at St. Louis University High, where he was part of a group of teenage filmmakers he informally called the "Splicers".

After graduating from Yale University with a B.A. in History and Film Studies in 1986, Hickenlooper interned for the producer Roger Corman, and launched his directing career with Art, Acting, and the Suicide Chair: Dennis Hopper in 1988.

His first feature-length documentary, Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse, explored the making of Apocalypse Now.It won several awards, including the National Board of Review award for "Best Documentary", an American Cinema Editors award for "Best Edited Documentary", two Academy of Television Arts and Sciences awards for "Outstanding Individual Achievement – Informational Programming – Directing" and "Outstanding Individual Achievement – Informational Programming – Picture Editing", and the International Documentary Association award. Hickenlooper himself won an Emmy for direction.

George Hickenlooper's cousin, John Hickenlooper, made a cameo appearance as a fictional senator in George's 2010 film Casino Jack.John was the mayor of Denver at the time, and later served as the Governor of Colorado.

In addition to his films, Hickenlooper authored a book in 1991, Reel Conversations.

Hickenlooper died in his sleep on October 29, 2010 at the age of 47.Despite initial reports that Hickenlooper had suffered a heart attack, the coroner ruled that his death was the result of accidental painkiller overdose, combining oxymorphone with alcohol.Sleep apnea and a "moderately enlarged heart" were contributing factors.He is survived by his wife Suzanne, son Charles, a younger brother and his mother and father.