American director and producer Roger Corman, master of the B series, has died at 98

The director is credited with discovering some cinematic greats such as Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro and Francis Ford Coppola.

France Télévisions – Culture Editorial

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American director and producer Roger Corman speaks on stage to present the Grand Prix during the closing ceremony of the 76th edition of the Cannes Film Festival, France, May 27, 2023. (VALERY HACHE / AFP)

American director and producer Roger Corman, known for his low-budget films produced at a breakneck pace, died at the age of 98, according to American media, on Saturday. His family said he died Thursday at his home in Santa Monica, California.

Roger Corman had directed and produced hundreds of low-budget genre films beginning in the 1950s.

“His legendary ability to stretch a dollar allowed him to quickly conceive and create period films and science fiction epics on budgets that would not cover the food costs of a modern studio shoot”according to his biography on the Oscars website. “Thanks to his ingenuity, his boundless energy and his deep love of cinema, Roger Corman made more films than anyone else”adds the site.

Among the titles he produced, The Fast and the Furious (1954), Dementia 13 (1963) Big Bad Mama (1974) are among the best known.

Born in Detroit, Michigan, he made his way to Hollywood, starting as a courier at 20th Century-Fox and later as a screenwriter.


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