Tommy Wiseau
Vorlage:Infobox Celebrity Tommy Wiseau (born October 3, 1968)[1] is an American screenwriter, director, producer, and actor. He is the founder of the film production company Wiseau Films. Wiseau is best known for his cult film The Room, but is also responsible for the documentary Homeless in America and the sitcom The Neighbors.
Personal life
Little is known about Wiseau's early life or family background. He claims to have lived in France "a long time ago";[2] grown up in New Orleans;[3] gone back and forth between the United States and Europe through much of his life; and at some point moved to San Francisco, where he was employed at a hospital.[2] He now prefers to make it known that he is an American,[4] and claims to be fluent in "many languages."[2] Wiseau studies psychology as a "hobby".[5]He has acknowledged that his surname is similar to the French word oiseau, which means "bird" in English.
Wiseau was interested in becoming a rock star before turning to acting.[6] He was trained in acting at the American Conservatory Theater, Laney College and the Jean Shelton Actors Lab. He has also received acting training at the Vincent Chase Workshop and the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in Los Angeles, California. Wiseau has said that he has been influenced by James Dean,[6] Marlon Brando,[6] Elizabeth Taylor,[7] Tennessee Williams,[7] The Guns of Navarone,[6] and Citizen Kane.[6][7] His first film was a five minute-long piece about which very little is known.[7]
Wiseau has stated in a number of articles that he regularly feels misquoted during interviews,[3][7] and often encourages (or requires) writers to post audio of their conversation online.[6] He is generally coy with writers about the details of his personal life and upcoming projects, occasionally granting them "clues".[5]
Film career
In 2003, Wiseau released his first film, The Room, which was based upon his unreleased play and unpublished novel of the same name.[2] Wiseau is credited as an actor (in the leading role of Johnny), executive producer, writer and director. The Room has been described as one of the worst movies ever made but, despite this (or because of it), it has developed a cult following in Los Angeles, where it continues to have monthly midnight screenings.
In 2004, Wiseau released a documentary called Homeless in America. He later spoke of the film: "I didn't make any money on it… but I'm very proud of it because I think that people should know about it."[5] The film also included Greg Sestero, who played Mark in The Room, as an interviewer and executive producer.
Current and upcoming projects for Wiseau include a sitcom pilot called The Neighbors,[6] a book on the differences between 35mm and HD video,[6] a Broadway adaptation & 500-page novel of The Room,[2][5] and an untitled feature film, on which he will begin production sometime in 2009.[7] It is currently unknown whether he will be directing/writing the feature or merely acting.[7] In June 2009, he told The Onion AV Club that his "next movie will be also basketball, you’ll be surprised too."[8] In addition, Wiseau plans to make a vampire film (or films),[6][7] which may be shot in "Austin, Texas."[5] Wiseau has stated that he currently has two 100-page vampire scripts, and hopes to film both.[5]
Work in television
Wiseau guest-starred in a Season 4 episode of Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! entitled "Tommy", wherein Wiseau "guest-directed" a segment; he later told an interviewer he was merely an actor on the episode, and would work with the duo again "any time."[7] He has also portrayed Trig, the Space Trader in an episode of the online series Moonshine.[9] Wiseau is also working on a sitcom called The Neighbors. A 22-minute pilot was shot in 2008, and Wiseau now claims to be "negotiating with some of the networks" for a deal.[5]
Production credits
Producer
- The Room (2003)
- Homeless in America (2004)
- The Neighbors (2007)
Director
- The Room (2003)
- Homeless in America (2004)
Writer
- The Room (2003)
- Homeless in America (2004)
Actor
- The Room (2003) as Johnny
- "Playboy Adventures #2" (2006) as Doctor
- Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! (2009) as Himself/Pig Man
- "Moonshine" (2009) as Trig, the Space Trader
References
External links
- ↑ IMDB entry for Tommy Wiseau.
- ↑ a b c d e Seattle Post Intelligencer article: "Is 'The Room' the worst movie of all time?".
- ↑ a b Interview: Tommy Wiseau « Terminal Laughter. Terminallaughter.wordpress.com, abgerufen am 18. Juli 2009.
- ↑ http://www.npr.org/templates/dmg/dmg_wmref.php?prgCode=DAY&showDate=05-May-2006&segNum=10&mediaPref=WM&getUnderwriting=1
- ↑ a b c d e f g Portland Mercury article: "Tommy Wiseau: The Complete Interview(s)".
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i The Onion AV Club article: "Interview: Tommy Wiseau".
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i nonTV Interview: Tommy Wiseau. nonTV.tumblr.com, abgerufen am 19. Mai 2009.
- ↑ The Onion AV Club article: "Tommy Wiseau interview".
- ↑ Moonshine episode featuring Tommy Wiseau on YouTube.