Rupert Wainwright
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Biography
One of the youngest directors accepted in the Discovery Program sponsored by Columbia Pictures, British-born Rupert Wainwright established his reputation as an award-winning maker of commercial spots (i.e., Reebok Shoes' "Blacktop" ads) and music videos (more than a dozen for M.C. Hammer). A former actor who appeared in two British films ("Another Country" 1984 and "Dreamchild" 1985), he directed the very stylish ABC TV-movie "Dillinger" (1991), starring Mark Harmon, before making his feature debut at the helm of the Disney programmer "Blank Check" (1994), a "Home Alone" clone which wallowed so exuberantly in conspicuous consumption that its ultimate "money can't buy happiness" message rang hollow. Wainwright followed with the original and often provocative "The Sadness of Sex" (1995), a collaboration with actor-writer Barry Yourgrau comprising 15 vignettes on the cyclical phases of courtship, romance, passion and breakup, each directed in a distinct visual style and accompanied by a different kind of music. Unfortunately, the excessive MTV-like parade of images and sounds and consciously disjointed narrative undercut the emotional impact of the elaborately mounted multimedia performance piece. Wainwright's next feature entry was "Stigmata" (1999), an "Exorcist" clone starring Patricia Arquette as a woman who may or may not be possessed by demons and Gabriel Byrne as the priest dispatched by the Vatican to uncover the truth.
Filmography
Director (Feature Film)
Cast (Feature Film)
Writer (Feature Film)
Film Production - Main (Feature Film)
Director (Special)
Assistant Direction (Special)
Cinematography (Special)
Writer (Special)
Special Thanks (Special)
Life Events
1984
Film acting debut in "Another Country"
1985
Had last acting role (to date) in "Dreamchild"
1988
Worked as a production assistant on the Oscar-winning short film, "Ray's Male Heterosexual Dance Hall"
1991
Directed first TV-movie, "Dillinger" (ABC), first association with Patricia Arquette
1991
Short "The Open Window" aired as segment of "Showtime 30-Minute Movie"
1994
Directed the theatrical trailer for Michael Jackson's "HIStory" album
1994
Feature film directorial debut, "Blank Check", Disney's "Home Alone" clone
1995
Helmed original and often provocative (but ultimately unsatisfying) "The Sadness of Sex", a multimedia performance piece about the mysteries of love; also collaborated with Barry Yourgrau on screeenplay, based on Yourgrau's book
1996
With Sony Pictures Entertainment, created Pavlov Pictures, a commercial production division
1999
Directed "Stigmata", a thriller in the "Exorcist" mold starring Arquette, Gabriel Byrne and Jonathan Pryce
2005
Directed the remake of John Carpenter's "The Fog" starring Tom Welling and Maggie Grace
Family
Companions
