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IMDbPro

Bob Rafelson(1933-2022)

  • Producer
  • Director
  • Writer
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Bob Rafelson in Mountains of the Moon (1990)
NO SUBTITLES NECESSARY: LASZLO AND VILMOS. The lifelong friendship of the great cinematographers Laszlo Kovacs and Vilmos Zsigmond and their impact on American cinema. As film students in Hungary, Laszlo and Vilmos took to the war-torn streets of Budapest to shoot footage of the Russian invasion, and subsequently volunteered to smuggle it out of the country. Barely escaping with their lives, the two friends fled to America and settled in Hollywood, eventually saving enough money to buy their own 16mm camera. 

After working on a string of low-budget horror and biker movies, both men soon rose to prominence in the late 60's and 70's, shooting the films that defined what came to be known as the American New Wave: Easy Rider, Five Easy Pieces, McCabe and Mrs. Miller, Deliverance, Paper Moon, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and more. Working with directors including Robert Altman, Bob Rafelson, Peter Bogdanovich, and Martin Scorsese, they helped create a new American film aesthetic, and pioneered innovative, fearless ways to tell stories.

“When it comes to Laszlo Kovacs and Vilmos Zsigmond, it's clear that the American New Wave of the late 1960's and early '70s wouldn't have flowered as it did without them." 	  – Leonard  Maltin

Told through interviews with Laszlo (who died in 2007) and Vilmos, as well as directors including Rafelson, Bogdanovich, John Boorman, Graeme Clifford, Richard Donner, William Richert, Mark Rydell, composer John Williams and actors such as Jon Voight, Peter Fonda, Sandra Bullock, Karen Black, Dennis Hopper and Sharon Stone, NO SUBTITLES NECESSARY is an intimate portrait of two giants of modern imagemaking and their deep bond of brotherhood that transcended every imaginable boundary. Two heroes. One road.
Play clip7:00
No Subtitles Necessary: Laszlo & Vilmos
1 Video
25 Photos
Bob Rafelson was an American film director, writer and producer. He is regarded as one of the founders of the New Hollywood movement in the 1970s. Among his best-known films are Five Easy Pieces (1970), The King of Marvin Gardens (1972), and The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981). He was also one of the creators of the pop group and TV series The Monkees (1966).

Rafelson's debut as a director was Head, a feature film starring the Monkees. Co-written with friend Jack Nicholson, and featuring appearances by Nicholson, Victor Mature, Teri Garr, Carol Doda, Annette Funicello, Frank Zappa, Sonny Liston, Timothy Carey, Ray Nitschke, and Dennis Hopper. Rafelson did six films with Jack Nicholson, Head (1968), Five Easy Pieces (1970), The King of Marvin Gardens (1972), The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981), Man Trouble (1992), and Blood and Wine (1996).
BornFebruary 21, 1933
DiedJuly 23, 2022(89)
BornFebruary 21, 1933
DiedJuly 23, 2022(89)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Nominated for 2 Oscars
    • 3 wins & 10 nominations total

Photos25

Bob Rafelson in TCM Remembers 2022 (2022)
Jack Nicholson and Bob Rafelson in Five Easy Pieces (1970)
Jack Nicholson, Dennis Hopper, and Bob Rafelson in Drive, He Said (1971)
Steve Blauner, Bob Rafelson, and Bert Schneider in Drive, He Said (1971)
Jack Nicholson, Jessica Lange, Sven Nykvist, and Bob Rafelson in The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981)
Bob Rafelson in Five Easy Pieces (1970)
Bob Rafelson in Five Easy Pieces (1970)
Jack Nicholson and Bob Rafelson in Five Easy Pieces (1970)
Jack Nicholson and Bob Rafelson in Five Easy Pieces (1970)
Jack Nicholson and Bob Rafelson in Five Easy Pieces (1970)
T.C. Jones, Bob Rafelson, Peter Tork, and The Monkees in Head (1968)
Jack Nicholson, Bob Rafelson, Peter Tork, and The Monkees in Head (1968)

Known for

Jack Nicholson in Five Easy Pieces (1970)
Five Easy Pieces
7.4
  • Producer
  • 1970
Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork in The Monkees (1966)
The Monkees
7.4
TV Series
  • Producer(as Robert Rafelson)
Stay Hungry (1976)
Stay Hungry
5.6
  • Producer
  • 1976
Jennifer Lopez, Jack Nicholson, and Stephen Dorff in Blood and Wine (1996)
Blood and Wine
6.0
  • Director
  • 1996

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Producer

  • Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange in The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981)
    The Postman Always Rings Twice
    • producer (produced by)
    • 1981
  • Stay Hungry (1976)
    Stay Hungry
    • producer
    • 1976
  • Hearts and Minds (1974)
    Hearts and Minds
    • producer (uncredited)
    • 1974
  • The Mother and the Whore (1973)
    The Mother and the Whore
    • producer (uncredited)
    • 1973
  • Jack Nicholson and Bruce Dern in The King of Marvin Gardens (1972)
    The King of Marvin Gardens
    • producer
    • 1972
  • Jeff Bridges, Timothy Bottoms, Ellen Burstyn, Cloris Leachman, Cybill Shepherd, and Ben Johnson in The Last Picture Show (1971)
    The Last Picture Show
    • producer (uncredited)
    • 1971
  • Jack Nicholson in Five Easy Pieces (1970)
    Five Easy Pieces
    • producer
    • 1970
  • Peter Fonda in Easy Rider (1969)
    Easy Rider
    • producer (uncredited)
    • 1969
  • Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, Peter Tork, and The Monkees in Head (1968)
    Head
    • producer
    • 1968
  • Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork in The Monkees (1966)
    The Monkees
    • producer
    • executive producer (as Robert Rafelson)
    • TV Series
    • 1966–1968
  • Three's a Crowd
    • producer
    • TV Movie
    • 1967
  • Channing (1963)
    Channing
    • associate producer (as Robert Rafelson)
    • TV Series
    • 1963–1964
  • Jack Palance, Tuesday Weld, and Russ Tamblyn in The Greatest Show on Earth (1963)
    The Greatest Show on Earth
    • associate producer
    • producer
    • TV Series
    • 1963

Director

  • The Lionel Richie Collection (2003)
    The Lionel Richie Collection
    • Director (video All Night Long)
    • Video
    • 2003
  • Samuel L. Jackson, Milla Jovovich, and Stellan Skarsgård in No Good Deed (2002)
    No Good Deed
    • Director
    • 2002
  • Porn.com (2002)
    Porn.com
    • Director
    • Short
    • 2002
  • Afterthoughts
    • Director
    • TV Movie
    • 2002
  • Poodle Springs (1998)
    Poodle Springs
    • Director
    • TV Movie
    • 1998
  • Mira Sorvino in Tales of Erotica (1996)
    Tales of Erotica
    • Director (segment Wet)
    • 1996
  • Jennifer Lopez, Jack Nicholson, and Stephen Dorff in Blood and Wine (1996)
    Blood and Wine
    • Director
    • 1996
  • Alan Arkin and George Segal in Picture Windows (1994)
    Picture Windows
    • Director (1994)
    • TV Series
    • 1995
  • Wet (1994)
    Wet
    • Director
    • Short
    • 1994
  • Jack Nicholson and Ellen Barkin in Man Trouble (1992)
    Man Trouble
    • Director
    • 1992
  • Mountains of the Moon (1990)
    Mountains of the Moon
    • Director
    • 1990
  • Theresa Russell and Debra Winger in Black Widow (1987)
    Black Widow
    • Director
    • 1987
  • Lionel Richie in Lionel Richie: All Night Long (All Night) (1983)
    Lionel Richie: All Night Long (All Night)
    • Director
    • Music Video
    • 1983
  • Camille de Casabianca and Bob Rafelson in Modesty (1981)
    Modesty
    • Director
    • Short
    • 1981
  • Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange in The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981)
    The Postman Always Rings Twice
    • Director (directed by)
    • 1981

Writer

  • Porn.com (2002)
    Porn.com
    • written by
    • Short
    • 2002
  • Mira Sorvino in Tales of Erotica (1996)
    Tales of Erotica
    • Writer (segment Wet (1995))
    • 1996
  • Jennifer Lopez, Jack Nicholson, and Stephen Dorff in Blood and Wine (1996)
    Blood and Wine
    • story
    • 1996
  • Wet (1994)
    Wet
    • written by
    • Short
    • 1994
  • Mountains of the Moon (1990)
    Mountains of the Moon
    • screenplay
    • 1990
  • Camille de Casabianca and Bob Rafelson in Modesty (1981)
    Modesty
    • Writer
    • Short
    • 1981
  • Robert Redford in Brubaker (1980)
    Brubaker
    • story (uncredited)
    • 1980
  • Stay Hungry (1976)
    Stay Hungry
    • screenplay
    • 1976
  • Jack Nicholson and Bruce Dern in The King of Marvin Gardens (1972)
    The King of Marvin Gardens
    • story
    • 1972
  • Jack Nicholson in Five Easy Pieces (1970)
    Five Easy Pieces
    • story
    • 1970
  • Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, Peter Tork, and The Monkees in Head (1968)
    Head
    • written by
    • 1968
  • Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork in The Monkees (1966)
    The Monkees
    • written by (as Robert Rafelson)
    • TV Series
    • 1967–1968
  • Jack Palance, Tuesday Weld, and Russ Tamblyn in The Greatest Show on Earth (1963)
    The Greatest Show on Earth
    • writer
    • TV Series
    • 1963
  • The Witness
    • story editor (as Robert Rafelson)
    • TV Series
    • 1961
  • Walter Matthau in Play of the Week (1959)
    Play of the Week
    • adaptation
    • TV Series
    • 1960

Videos1

No Subtitles Necessary: Laszlo & Vilmos
Clip 7:00
No Subtitles Necessary: Laszlo & Vilmos

Personal details

Edit
  • Alternative name
    • Robert Rafelson
  • Born
    • February 21, 1933
    • New York City, New York, USA
  • Died
    • July 23, 2022
    • Aspen, Colorado, USA(lung cancer)
  • Spouses
      Gabrielle Taurek1999 - July 23, 2022 (his death, 2 children)
  • Parents
      Sydney Rafelson
  • Other works
    TV commercial: DIM underwear.
  • Publicity listings
    • 1 Print Biography
    • 3 Interviews
    • 5 Articles

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Co-created The Monkees, along with Bert Schneider.
  • Quotes
    [In a 1981 interview] In '7, I said I'll be lucky if I direct ten pictures in my life. It looks like I'm on schedule.
  • Trademark
      Often cast Jack Nicholson

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