George A. Romero

Director George A. Romero pioneered the "zombie" movie with his landmark 1968 horror classic Night of the Living Dead. He has since written and directed a number of memorable horror films, including four Living Dead sequels.

Fast Facts:

1. Born February 4, 1940 in New York City, New York
2. Began making movies at the age of 14 with an 8mm camera
3. Directed a segment of Mister Rogers Neighborhood
4. Films generally set in and around Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
5. Height: 6' 5"
6. Directed a commercial for the video game Resident Evil 2

Beginnings

After graduating Carnegie Mellon University in 1960, Romero started making commercials and short films. He formed the company Image Ten Productions with some friends, and together they raised about $10,000 a piece to produce Living Dead independently.

Return of the Dead

Romero followed up the cult success of Living Dead with a number of other low-budget, socially-conscious horror films, including The Crazies, about a toxic spill that sets off a wave of homicides, and Martin, about a reluctant vampire. Though these films later found audiences, particularly on home video, they were largely unnoticed in their own time.

In 1978, Romero received $500,000 to shoot a follow-up to Living Dead entitled Dawn of the Dead, a satirical take on modern consumerism in which an army of zombies threatens survivors who have holed up in an abandoned shopping mall.

The film eventually grossed $55 million worldwide, and paved the way for more entries in the series - Day of the Dead, Land of the Dead, and the most recent incarnation, 2007's Diary of the Dead. Romero also collaborated on a 1990 remake of his original Night of the Living Dead, directed by his frequent collaborator, effects and make-up specialist Tom Savini.

In September of 2008, Romero started production for another installment to his zombie film line. The film is unofficially titled Island of the Dead.

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