Howard Avedis born Hikmet Labib Avedis; (May 25, 1927 – October 25, 2017) was a film director, producer and author

Background

Avedis lived in Southern California with his wife Marlene. As a film student, he studied at the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

and won the

George Cukor George Dewey Cukor (; July 7, 1899 – January 24, 1983) was an American film director and film producer. He mainly concentrated on comedies and literary adaptations. His career flourished at RKO when David O. Selznick, the studio's Head of ...

Award. As of 2014, he was working on his second novel. His first publication was ''Hotel Paradise: Nothing Is As It Seems''.

Film work

His early work as a director included '' The Stepmother'' in 1972, a film that starred

Alejandro Rey Alejandro Rey (February 8, 1930 – May 21, 1987) was an Argentine-American actor and television director. Career Early work Rey was born in Buenos Aires and studied acting under Hedwig Schlichter and Milagros de la Vega. He became known a ...

. In 1974, he directed and produced '' The Teacher'', shot in 12 days all around Los Angeles, on a budget of $65,000 using the investor producers home, her boat and clever use of the industrial abandoned (used mostly for location shooting ) industrial manufacturing section in east L.A., a film that starred

Angel Tompkins Angel Tompkins is an American actress. She appeared in several films and television shows, and is a Golden Globe nominee. Career Angel Tompkins was a model in the Chicago area before being discovered by Woody Allen, who sent her to Universal Pic ...

Jay North Jay North (born August 3, 1951) is an American actor. His career as a child actor began in the late 1950s with roles in eight TV series, two variety shows and three feature films. At age 7 he became a household name for his role as the well-mean ...

and Anthony James. in 1975, he produced and directed ''

The Fifth Floor ''The Fifth Floor'' is a 1978 American film about a sane woman who gets sent to an asylum. It stars Dianne Hull, Bo Hopkins and Mel Ferrer. Plot The film focuses on Kelly McIntyre, a disco dancer played by Dianne Hull who through no fault of her ...

'', a film about a young lady who gets sent to the psych ward called "The Filth Floor". It starred

Dianne Hull Dianne Hull (born November 24, 1949) is an American actress whose film career spanned from 1969 to the early 1990s. The films she has acted in include ''The Magic Garden of Stanley Sweetheart'', ''Aloha, Bobby and Rose'', '' The Arrangement'', ' ...

and

Bo Hopkins William Mauldin "Bo" Hopkins (February 2, 1938 – May 28, 2022) Issucover/ref> was an American actor. He was known for playing supporting roles in a number of major studio films between 1969 and 1979, and appeared in many television shows and ...

. Other films he has produced or directed include ''

Mortuary A morgue or mortuary (in a hospital or elsewhere) is a place used for the storage of human corpses awaiting identification (ID), removal for autopsy, respectful burial, cremation or other methods of disposal. In modern times, corpses have cus ...

'', ''Separate Ways'' and ''

They're Playing with Fire ''They're Playing with Fire'' is a 1984 American erotic thriller film directed by Howard Avedis and starring Sybil Danning, Eric Brown, Andrew Prine, and Paul Clemens. The film borrows some elements from 1974's '' The Teacher''. Plot Vivaciou ...

''. Crown International released the film and ''The Teacher'' has remained a popular cult film to this day. In 2007, his film ''The Teacher'' paired with ''The Pick Up'' and released on a DVD titled "Welcome to the Grindhouse: Two Sinful Shockers". In May 2012, his 1983 horror film ''Mortuary'' was transferred to DVD, with special features included, in HD mastered from the original Inter-Negative. It was released by Scorpio Releasing in conjunction with Camelot Entertainment.

Filmography

As Howard Avedis

* ''Kidnapped'' (1987) * ''

'' (1984) * ''

'' (1983) * ''Separate Ways'' (1981) * ''

'' (1978)

As Hikmet Avedis

* ''Texas Detour'' (1978) * ''

Scorchy ''Scorchy'' is a 1976 American crime film written and directed by Howard Avedis, and starring Connie Stevens, Cesare Danova, William Smith, Norman Burton, John Davis Chandler and Joyce Jameson. It was released on October 8, 1976 by American In ...

'' (1976) * '' Dr. Minx'' (1975) * ''

The Specialist ''The Specialist'' is a 1994 American action thriller film directed by Luis Llosa and starring Sylvester Stallone, Sharon Stone, James Woods, Eric Roberts, and Rod Steiger. It is loosely based on "The Specialist" series of novels by John Shirley. ...

'' (1975) * '' The Teacher'' (1974)

As Hikmet L. Avedis

* '' The Stepmother'' (1972)

Books

* ''Hotel Paradise'' – (2014) , 9781493575664Google Book
Hotel Paradise: Nothing Is As It Seems
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Avedis, Howard 1927 births 2017 deaths USC School of Cinematic Arts alumni American film directors American people of Iraqi descent Iraqi emigrants to the United States