John Carpenter Biography

As a child, Carpenter became fascinated with 1950s science fiction and horror films, such as 'Forbidden Planet', as well as the classic Westerns of John Ford and Howard Hawks; he began shooting his own 8mm films in his spare time.

After graduating from high school, Carpenter attended the University of Southern California to study filmmaking. There, he co-wrote a student film called 'The Resurrection of Bronco Billy' which, in 1971, won an Oscar for Best Live Action Short.

Carpenter, with friend Dan O'Bannon, began work on a sci-fi parody called 'Dark Star'. Over time, Carpenter expanded the student short to feature length, at a cost of sixty thousand dollars. The film received positive reviews when it was released theatrically in 1974, but it opened few doors commercially.

His next project was the low-budget thriller 'Assault on Precinct 13'. While the film wasn't a hit, it caught the attention of critics in the UK, where it was enthusiastically received at the London Film Festival.

Carpenter was then recruited to make 'Halloween'. Shot on a budget of three hundred and twenty five thousand dollars, 'Halloween' became a roaring commercial success, over time grossing more than eighteen million dollars and, for many years, holding the record for the biggest box-office gross for an independently released film.

He also directed a pair of movies for television, including the critically acclaimed 'Elvis', which marked his first collaboration with actor Kurt Russell.

In 1979, Carpenter married actress Adrienne Barbeau. The couple had a son, Cody, in 1984, before the marriage ended shortly after.

In 1981, he reluctantly made 'Halloween II', but he was more enthusiastic about 'Escape From New York', a clever fusion of science fiction and action-adventure.

Carpenter enjoyed further success with a remake of 'The Thing', the Stephen King adaptation 'Christine', and 'Starman'. His critical success was not mirrored in his personal life, however, and he and Barbeau were divorced.

After a disappointing reception for 'Big Trouble in Little China', Carpenter deliberately scaled back his projects. He preferred to make smaller films over which he could maintain greater control, such as 'They Live' and 'In the Mouth of Madness'.

Carpenter also composed (and occasionally performed) the music for most of his films, as well as those of others.

In 1990, Carpenter married producer Sandy King. King actually produced a number of Carpenter's later feature films, including: They Live, In the Mouth of Madness, Ghosts of Mars and Escape from L.A.