David Hess
Biography
David Hess was a New York City-born American actor, director, singer, and songwriter whose career began in music. During the 1950s he wrote songs that Elvis Presley and Pat Boone recorded, and he later headed A&R at Mercury Records. His feature debut came in 1972 when he played the killer Krug Stillo in Wes Craven's The Last House on the Left, a film for which he also composed the score. Hard-edged parts as criminals followed, among them Hitch Hike (1977), and he took a supporting role in Craven's Swamp Thing (1982). His first outing as a director was the slasher movie To All a Goodnight (1980). Later he moved into dubbing, script writing for German directors, albums, and teaching improvisational theater to young people at the California Film Institute. He died in 2011.
75years old at death
- Born New York City
- Died Tiburon
- Star sign: VirgoThe sign runs August 23 to September 22
- David Alexander Hess (birth name)
Movie Career
- Films
- 9
- Career span
- 40 years1970 to 2010
First and latest
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About the name
In 1962, Hess wrote and recorded "Speedy Gonzales" under the name David Dante. Pat Boone's version became a single in the U.S. and the UK and sold more than 8 million copies worldwide.
Big break
Hess's career moved in new directions in 1972 when he starred in the Wes Craven horror classic The Last House on the Left, and he also composed its soundtrack.
A first
Hess made his American feature directing debut with To All a Good Night, a 1980 film for Media Home Entertainment.
A change of course
A job offer from PolyGram's German affiliate brought Hess to Munich, Germany, where he worked in film dubbing from 1972 to 1976. That work then led him to write English shooting scripts for German directors including Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Reinhard Hauff, and Peter Schamoni.
A change of course
Later in his life, Hess worked with the California Film Institute, teaching improvisational theater to young people in its youth programs.
David Hess movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
Worked with
David Hess shares two films with Arthur Brauss, and one with each of the others. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Arthur Brauss's page
Herschell Gordon Lewis's page
Charles Bronson's page
James Mason's page
Robert Forster's page
Lee Marvin's page
All films by Wes Craven
Awards
One award and honor.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other honors | |||
| 2007 | Jeff Awards | Won | |
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.