Bill Gunn (writer)
Quick Facts
Biography
Bill Gunn (born William Harrison Gunn; July 15, 1934 – April 5, 1989) was an American playwright, novelist, actor and film director. His 1973 cult classic horror film Ganja and Hess was chosen as one of ten best American films of the decade at the Cannes Film Festival, 1973. In the New Yorker, film critic Richard Brody described him as being "a visionary filmmaker left on the sidelines of the most ostensibly liberated period of American filmmaking."
His drama Johnnas won an Emmy award in 1972.
Career
A native of Philadelphia, Gunn wrote more than 29 plays during his lifetime. He also authored two novels and wrote several produced screenplays. He died from encephalitis at a Nyack, New York hospital the day before his play, The Forbidden City opened at the Public Theater in New York City.
Filmography (as director)
| Year | Film | Credit |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Stop | director |
| 1973 | Ganja & Hess ... aka Black Evil ... aka Black Vampire (USA: video title) ... aka Blackout: The Moment of Terror ... aka Blood Couple (cut version) ... aka Double Possession ... aka Vampires of Harlem | director |
| 1980 | Personal Problems | director |
Filmography (as actor)
| Year | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1957 | Crossroads | Roy |
| unknown | Look Up and Live (TV series) | George |
| 1961 | Route 66 | Hank Plummer |
| Naked City (TV series) | Al Norbert | |
| 1962 | The Defenders (TV series) | Frank Reilly |
| The Interns (TV series) | Rosco (uncredited) | |
| Stoney Burke (TV series) | Bud Sutter | |
| 1963 | Stoney Burke (TV series) | Toby |
| The Outer Limits (TV series) | Lieutenant James P. Willowmore | |
| 1964 | The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (TV series) | Namana |
| Dr. Kildare (TV series) | Jesse Kamba, MD | |
| 1965 | The Fugitive (TV series) | Avery |
| 1966 | Penelope | Sergeant Rothschild |
| 1973 | Ganja & Hess | George Meda |
| 1982 | Losing Ground | |
| 1986 | The Cosby Show (TV series) | Homer (2 episodes) |