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IMDbPro

Dan O'Bannon(1946-2009)

  • Writer
  • Additional Crew
  • Actor
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Dan O'Bannon
Trailer for Lifeforce
Play trailer1:26
Lifeforce (1985)
5 Videos
2 Photos
Dan O'Bannon was inspired at an early age by EC Comics like Tales from the Crypt and old horror films that he saw in St. Louis. He even wrote a few stories for Heavy Metal magazine (which also showed up in the film).

O'Bannon got his start when he and John Carpenter collaborated on the cult sci-fi film Dark Star (1974). After a failed attempt to make "Dune" with bizarre surrealist Alejandro Jodorowsky in Europe, O'Bannon returned to the US and began work on "Star Beast" (later retitled Alien (1979)) with Ronald Shusett (with whom he later worked again on Dead & Buried (1981)). He continued working in the Sci-fi/Horror genre mostly as a script doctor, but his directorial debut, The Return of the Living Dead (1985) is known as one of the best zombie movies ever made (and as of this writing two sequels with another in production). Lately O'Bannon has been appearing in a lot of DVD documentaries discussing his work and his influences. It is also worth noting that all of his films have interesting psychological interpretations. He has a tendency to appear in bow ties.
BornSeptember 30, 1946
DiedDecember 17, 2009(63)
BornSeptember 30, 1946
DiedDecember 17, 2009(63)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Awards
    • 4 wins & 8 nominations

Photos

Dan O'Bannon and Ronald Shusett in Memory: The Origins of Alien (2019)

Known for

Alien (1979)
Alien
8.5
  • Writer
  • 1979
Dark Star (1974)
Dark Star
6.2
  • Writer
  • 1974
Sigourney Weaver and Carrie Henn in Aliens (1986)
Aliens
8.4
  • Writer
  • 1986
The Return of the Living Dead (1985)
The Return of the Living Dead
7.3
  • Writer
  • 1985

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Writer

  • Untitled Alien Prequel
    • based on characters created by
    • In Development
  • Alien: Specimen (2019)
    Alien: Specimen
    • based on characters created by
    • Short
    • 2019
  • Alien: Ore (2019)
    Alien: Ore
    • based on characters created by
    • Short
    • 2019
  • Taylor Lyons in Alien: Alone (2019)
    Alien: Alone
    • based on characters created by
    • Short
    • 2019
  • Alien: Night Shift (2019)
    Alien: Night Shift
    • based on characters created by
    • Short
    • 2019
  • Alien: Containment (2019)
    Alien: Containment
    • based on characters created by
    • Short
    • 2019
  • Alien: Harvest (2019)
    Alien: Harvest
    • based on characters created by
    • Short
    • 2019
  • Alien: Covenant (2017)
    Alien: Covenant
    • based on characters created by
    • 2017
  • Alien: Isolation (2014)
    Alien: Isolation
    • characters
    • Video Game
    • 2014
  • Aliens: Colonial Marines (2013)
    Aliens: Colonial Marines
    • created by: Alien (uncredited)
    • Video Game
    • 2013
  • Kate Beckinsale, Jessica Biel, and Colin Farrell in Total Recall (2012)
    Total Recall
    • based on the motion picture "Total Recall", screen story by
    • based on the motion picture "Total Recall", screenplay by
    • screen story by
    • 2012
  • Prometheus (2012)
    Prometheus
    • based on elements created by
    • 2012
  • Aliens: Deleted and Extended Scenes (2010)
    Aliens: Deleted and Extended Scenes
    • based on characters created by
    • Video
    • 2010
  • Tom Woodruff Jr. and Ian Whyte in Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)
    Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem
    • "Alien" characters
    • 2007
  • Alien vs. Predator (2004)
    Alien vs. Predator
    • "Alien" characters
    • screen story
    • 2004
  • Alien: Outtakes (1999)
    Alien: Outtakes
    • screenplay by
    • Video
    • 1999

Additional Crew

  • Prometheus (2012)
    Prometheus
    • based on elements created by
    • 2012
  • Dana Carvey, Dick Butkus, James Farentino, and Bubba Smith in Blue Thunder (1984)
    Blue Thunder
    • executive story consultant
    • TV Series
    • 1984

Actor

  • Anton Yelchin in Delivering Milo (2001)
    Delivering Milo
    • Clerk
    • 2001
  • Area 51: The Alien Interview (1997)
    Area 51: The Alien Interview
    • Interviewer 1989
    • Video
    • 1997
  • The Return of the Living Dead (1985)
    The Return of the Living Dead
    • Helicopter Loudspeaker Officer
    • Bum Outside Warehouse (voice, uncredited)
    • 1985
  • Dark Star (1974)
    Dark Star
    • Pinback
    • 1974
  • Foster's Release
    • The Killer
    • Short
    • 1971
  • In-development projects at IMDbPro

Videos5

Theatrical Version
Trailer 2:05
Theatrical Version
Lifeforce: [Collectors Edition] Blu-Ray
Trailer 1:26
Lifeforce: [Collectors Edition] Blu-Ray
Alien
Trailer 1:06
Alien
The Return of the Living Dead
Trailer 2:44
The Return of the Living Dead
Dark Star
Trailer 2:23
Dark Star

Personal details

Edit
  • Official site
    • Official Site
  • Height
    • 5′ 6″ (1.68 m)
  • Born
    • September 30, 1946
    • St. Louis, Missouri, USA
  • Died
    • December 17, 2009
    • Los Angeles, California, USA(Crohn's disease)
  • Spouse
    • Diane Louise LindleyJanuary 18, 1986 - December 17, 2009 (his death, 1 child)
  • Publicity listings
    • 5 Interviews
    • 2 Articles

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    O'Bannon was reputed to suffer debilitating stress-induced stomach aches (which some detractors attributed to hypochondria). Upon his death, Diane O'Bannon revealed that her husband had been managing Crohn's Disease for about thirty years.
  • Quotes
    [talking about Total Recall (1990)] Verhoeven has moments. He's talented and he does have some grand sci-fi visual things to see from time to time, but he's a very flawed director and Total Recall had a lot of pitfalls for him and he fell in most of them. In particular, whenever he started to flounder and didn't know what to do, he would start throwing in violence. He'd say bring in all the rubber body parts and the blood hoses and everything and we'll start ripping people to shreds and squirt blood everywhere. And he'd keep shooting that until he overcame his nerves and got his feet on the ground and would start directing in some reasonable way again. So you'd end up with these intermittent scenes of absurdly excessive maimings at sort of intervals, and usually what he was substituting for were scenes that involved humor in the original [script]. And I realized, 'Oh, he's not good at humor. He doesn't know how to tell a joke onscreen.' Too bad, because some of the important stuff he did very well on Total Recall. It had grand moments.

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