Hampton Fancher


Screenwriter

Biography

Hampton Fancher has not had the most prolific Hollywood career, but his story has certainly taken some interesting twists. Raised in the Mexican-American enclave of East Los Angeles, Fancher discovered a passion for flamenco at the age of 13 when he saw actor Anthony Dexter dance in the title role of the 1951 biopic "Valentino." Fancher's love of the dance became so great that he quit sc...

Biography

Hampton Fancher has not had the most prolific Hollywood career, but his story has certainly taken some interesting twists. Raised in the Mexican-American enclave of East Los Angeles, Fancher discovered a passion for flamenco at the age of 13 when he saw actor Anthony Dexter dance in the title role of the 1951 biopic "Valentino." Fancher's love of the dance became so great that he quit school, hopped a freighter to Barcelona, and studied with Spanish flamenco masters for several years, briefly renaming himself Mario Montejo. Returning home, he spent nearly two decades as a bit-part television actor and occasional acting teacher before he began writing his first screenplay, an adaptation of Philip K. Dick's '68 science-fiction novel, "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" After extensive rewrites by Fancher and fellow screenwriter David Webb Peoples under the supervision of director Ridley Scott, the re-titled "Blade Runner" was unveiled to initial critical and commercial disappointment; it has since become a beloved cult classic. Fancher's next screenplay was the police action drama "The Mighty Quinn," released in '89 with Denzel Washington in the title role. Ten years later, he wrote and directed the serial-killer drama "The Minus Man," starring Owen Wilson and singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow. Fancher had a brief, tumultuous marriage to actress Sue Lyon in the mid-'60s; he later claimed that, as a fan of novelist Vladimir Nabokov, he was mainly attracted to Lyon because she had played the title role in Stanley Kubrick's "Lolita."

Life Events

Videos

Movie Clip

Mighty Quinn, The (1989) -- (Movie Clip) There's Been A Homicide In dress-whites at a wedding in the Jamaica-like (where it was shot) island nation, title character, police chief Denzel Washington takes an urgent call and nearly collides with childhood friend Maubee (Robert Townsend), early in The Mighty Quinn, 1989.
Mighty Quinn, The (1989) -- (Movie Clip) Are You Being Police Polite? Gently investigating the murder of the owner of the luxury resort (working on location in Jamaica), police chief and title character Denzel Washington introduces himself to the savvy Hadley Elgin (Mimi Rogers), young wife of probably-corrupt political fixer Thomas (James Fox), in The Mighty Quinn, 1989.
Mighty Quinn, The (1989) -- (Movie Clip) I'm Hurting Inside Late bringing his son (David McFarlane) home to his estranged wife (Sheryl Lee Ralph), island-nation police chief (Denzel Washington, title character) finds her rehearsing, with two of Bob Marley’s daughters (Cedella in the flowered top, Sharon in lavender, who were then members with their brother of Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers), one of Bob’s lesser-known, though far from obscure compositions, in The Mighty Quinn, 1989.
Rome Adventure (1962) -- (Movie Clip) Lovers Must Learn Young Suzanne Pleshette is composure itself, as librarian Prudence, telling off her bosses (led by Norma Varden) with a clever nod to the book on which the movie is based then, with parents (Mary Patton, Maurice Wells), disembarking, meeting Albert (Hampton Fancher), opening Rome Adventure, 1962.
Rome Adventure (1962) -- (Movie Clip) From The Caesars To Mussolini Fresh off the boat, American Prudence (Suzanne Pleshette) with companions Albert (Hampton Fancher) and Roman Alberto (Rossano Brazzi), who has arranged lodgings, meeting the countess (Iphigenie Castiglione), then leading man Troy Donahue, as distracted Don, in Rome Adventure, 1962.
Parrish (1961) -- (Movie Clip) Flirt With Strange Boys New on the Connecticut tobacco farm scene is bicycling Paige (Sharon Hugueny), who visits with hunky new hand Parrish (Troy Donahue), then returns home where her father Judd (Karl Malden) is busy abusing her brothers (Hampton Fancher, David Knapp), in Delmer Daves' Parrish, 1961.

Bibliography