Director Sam Raimi on the set of Columbia Pictures' "Spider-Man 3"
Director Sam Raimi on the set of Columbia Pictures' "Spider-Man 3" - © Columbia Pictures
Sam Raimi previously directed the supernatural thriller "The Gift" starring Cate Blanchett, Hilary Swank, Keanu Reeves, Greg Kinnear, and Giovanni Ribisi. Sam Raimi also directed the acclaimed suspense thriller "A Simple Plan," which starred Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton, and Bridget Fonda, and earned Thornton an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Additional directorial credits for Sam Raimi include the baseball homage "For Love of the Game" starring Kevin Costner and Kelly Preston.
With his longtime producing partner Rob Tapert, Sam Raimi returned to his horror roots in 2002, forming Ghost House Pictures. Ghost House is dedicated to the financing, development, and distribution of high concept genre films. Their next release is David Slade's "30 Days of Night," based on the comic book by Steve Niles.
Known for his imaginative filmmaking style, richly drawn characters and offbeat humor, Sam Raimi wrote and directed the cult classic "The Evil Dead," which became an immediate favorite when it debuted at the Cannes Film Festival and spawned the equally impressive "Evil Dead II."
Sam Raimi then proved his mastery of the fantasy thriller genre, writing and directing "Darkman" starring Liam Neeson and Frances McDormand, which he followed up with "Army of Darkness," a comic sword-and-sorcery fantasy starring Bruce Campbell. Sam Raimi also served as executive producer for John Woo's "Hard Target," and co-wrote (with Joel and Ethan Coen) "The Hudsucker Proxy" starring Tim Robbins, Paul Newman, and Jennifer Jason Leigh. Sam Raimi also directed the western "The Quick and the Dead" starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Sharon Stone, Russell Crowe, and Gene Hackman.
Sam Raimi's extensive television work includes the hit syndicated series "Xena: Warrior Princess," which he executive produced with Tapert. The highly successful series starring Lucy Lawless ran for six seasons. Sam Raimi and Tapert also executive produced the enormously popular "Hercules: Legendary Journeys" and served as executive producers for the CBS series "American Gothic."
Sam Raimi's interest in filmmaking began as a youngster in Michigan, where he directed his own Super 8 films. Later, Sam Raimi left Michigan State University to form Renaissance Pictures with Tapert and longtime friend and actor Bruce Campbell.