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IMDbPro

Richard Franklin(1948-2007)

  • Director
  • Producer
  • Writer
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Richard Franklin in Psycho II (1983)
Trailer for The Psycho Legacy
Play trailer2:51
The Psycho Legacy (2010)
1 Video
1 Photo
Writer, director and producer Richard Franklin was born on July 15, 1948 in Melbourne, Australia. Infatuated with cinema at an early age, Franklin first began making 8mm films at age 10. Franklin saw Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" two years later and was hooked on movies for life. Richard enrolled at Monash University in Melbourne and worked as an assistant cameraman at a television advertising company. Franklin eventually went to America and attended the University of Southern California in 1967. While studying at USC Franklin got Hitchcock to do a Q&A session for a screening of "Rope." Hitchcock in turn invited Franklin to watch him work on the set of "Topaz." Franklin returned to Australia following graduation in 1969 and got a job as an assistant director for the popular TV series "Homicide." Franklin went on to direct several episodes. He also made several short movies and documentaries around this time. Franklin made his feature film debut with the raunchy sex comedy "The True Story of Eskimo Nell." He followed this picture with the equally bawdy "Fantasm." His third movie "Patrick" was a nifty horror feature that proved to be a big international success; it won the Grand Prize at the Avoriaz Fantastic Film Festival, was nominated for an AFI Award for Best Film, and won the Best Director Award at the Sitges-Catalonian International Film Festival. "Roadgames" was a tense and witty "danger on the road" thriller knockout which was the most expensive Australian film made in the early 80s. Franklin then did the surprisingly solid and satisfying belated sequel "Psycho II." His other movies include the delightful "Cloak and Dagger," the silly "Link," and the hugely enjoyable "F/X 2." However, Franklin became weary of Hollywood studio politics and returned to his native Australia. He made the acclaimed play adaptations "Hotel Sorrento" and "Brilliant Lies." "Hotel Sorrento" won an AFI Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and was nominated for both Best Film and Best Director. Franklin also did a made-for-TV adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle's classic fantasy adventure novel "The Lost World." His final feature was the horror thriller "Visitors." In addition to his film work, Franklin also directed episodes of the TV shows "Flatland," "A Fine Romance," and "Beauty and the Beast." He was a drummer in the Melbourne band The Pink Finks and was a lecturer at the Swinburne School of Film and Television in Australia. Richard Franklin died from prostate cancer at age 58 on July 11, 2007.
BornJuly 15, 1948
DiedJuly 11, 2007(58)
BornJuly 15, 1948
DiedJuly 11, 2007(58)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Awards
    • 4 wins & 6 nominations

Known for

Patrick (1978)
Patrick
6.1
  • Director
  • 1978
Hotel Sorrento (1995)
Hotel Sorrento
6.5
  • Director
  • 1995
Elisabeth Shue in Link (1986)
Link
5.9
  • Director
  • 1986
The Blue Lagoon (1980)
The Blue Lagoon
5.8
  • Producer
  • 1980

Credits

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IMDbPro

Director

  • Visitors (2003)
    Visitors
    • Director
    • 2003
  • Dennis Hopper, Phillip Rhys Chaudhary, Bumper Robinson, and Françoise Yip in Flatland (2002)
    Flatland
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 2002
  • Daniel Goddard in BeastMaster (1999)
    BeastMaster
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 2000–2001
  • Rachel Blakely, Peter McCauley, Jennifer O'Dell, David Orth, and William Snow in The Lost World (1999)
    The Lost World
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1999–2000
  • The Lost World (1999)
    The Lost World
    • Director
    • TV Movie
    • 1999
  • Rachel Blakely and Peter Phelps in One Way Ticket (1997)
    One Way Ticket
    • Director
    • TV Movie
    • 1997
  • Brilliant Lies (1996)
    Brilliant Lies
    • Director
    • 1996
  • Hotel Sorrento (1995)
    Hotel Sorrento
    • Director
    • 1995
  • Running Delilah (1993)
    Running Delilah
    • Director
    • TV Movie
    • 1993
  • Bryan Brown and Brian Dennehy in F/X2 (1991)
    F/X2
    • Director
    • 1991
  • Margaret Whitton in A Fine Romance (1989)
    A Fine Romance
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1989
  • Linda Hamilton and Ron Perlman in Beauty and the Beast (1987)
    Beauty and the Beast
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1987
  • Elisabeth Shue in Link (1986)
    Link
    • Director
    • 1986
  • Cloak & Dagger (1984)
    Cloak & Dagger
    • Director
    • 1984
  • Psycho II (1983)
    Psycho II
    • Director (directed by)
    • 1983

Producer

  • Cut the Crap (2007)
    Cut the Crap
    • executive producer
    • Short
    • 2007
  • Visitors (2003)
    Visitors
    • producer
    • 2003
  • David Ngoombujarra in Harry's War (1999)
    Harry's War
    • producer
    • TV Movie
    • 1999
  • Brilliant Lies (1996)
    Brilliant Lies
    • producer
    • 1996
  • Hotel Sorrento (1995)
    Hotel Sorrento
    • producer
    • 1995
  • Elisabeth Shue in Link (1986)
    Link
    • producer
    • 1986
  • Road Games (1981)
    Road Games
    • producer
    • 1981
  • The Blue Lagoon (1980)
    The Blue Lagoon
    • co-producer
    • 1980
  • Patrick (1978)
    Patrick
    • producer
    • 1978
  • The True Story of Eskimo Nell (1975)
    The True Story of Eskimo Nell
    • producer
    • 1975
  • The Jumping Jeweller of Lavender Bay
    • producer
    • Short
    • 1971

Writer

  • Charles Dance, Martin Crewes, Rachel Griffiths, Eliza Taylor, and Sharni Vinson in Patrick: Evil Awakens (2013)
    Patrick: Evil Awakens
    • inspired by: "Patrick" directed by
    • 2013
  • Brilliant Lies (1996)
    Brilliant Lies
    • written by
    • 1996
  • Hotel Sorrento (1995)
    Hotel Sorrento
    • screenplay
    • 1995
  • Road Games (1981)
    Road Games
    • original story
    • 1981
  • The True Story of Eskimo Nell (1975)
    The True Story of Eskimo Nell
    • written by
    • 1975
  • The Jumping Jeweller of Lavender Bay
    • Writer
    • Short
    • 1971

Videos1

The Psycho Legacy
Trailer 2:51
The Psycho Legacy

Personal details

Edit
  • Official site
    • Official Site
  • Alternative name
    • Richard Bruce
  • Born
    • July 15, 1948
    • Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
  • Died
    • July 11, 2007
    • Melbourne, Victoria, Australia(prostate cancer)
  • Spouses
      Jennifer Hadden2000 - July 11, 2007 (his death)
  • Other works
    Directed a promotional commercial for Certified Practising Accountants (CPA) Australia in 1998 featuring comic actor, Francis Greenslade.
  • Publicity listings
    • 2 Interviews
    • 1 Article

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    He was working on his autobiography and a PhD at the time of his death.
  • Quotes
    We're already a cross-culturalized society. I'm always concerned whether my friends in America will be able to understand what we're saying on screen. I'm trying to be true for Australians and true to the international audience. I'm all for personal film, but if I can make a statement that's universal, is it any less personal?

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