Gregory Dark (born Gregory Hippolyte Brown on July 12, 1957, in Los Angeles) is an American film director, film producer,

music video director A music video director is the head of music video production. The director conceives of videos' artistic and dramatic aspects while instructing the musical act, technical crew, actors, models, and dancers. They may or may not be in collaboration ...

, and screenwriter. Dark is an adult filmmaker who transitioned into directing Hollywood movies. He has also been credited as Alexander Hippolyte, Gregory Hippolyte, Gregory Brown, and as The Dark Brothers.

Early career

Dark began his career as a fine artist of both paintings and

conceptual art Conceptual art, also referred to as conceptualism, is art in which the concept(s) or idea(s) involved in the work take precedence over traditional aesthetic, technical, and material concerns. Some works of conceptual art, sometimes called insta ...

and installations. After graduating with a

Master of Fine Arts A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.) is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts admini ...

degree from

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

, he moved to New York City to pursue graduate studies in film at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

. From the mid-1980s through the mid-1990s, Dark directed

hardcore Hardcore, hard core or hard-core may refer to: Arts and media Film * ''Hardcore'' (1977 film), a British comedy film * ''Hardcore'' (1979 film), an American crime drama film starring George C Scott * ''Hardcore'' (2001 film), a British documen ...

and

Rated R Rated R refers to movies (and also to TV shows and video games in certain systems) that have been given a "restricted" rating by one of the following film rating systems: * Motion Picture Association of America film rating system * Canadian Home Vid ...

films A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

. His work from this period helped create the current "

alt porn Alternative porn (also known as alt porn, alternaporn, or simply alt in context), a shortening of "alternative pornography", is a subgenre of pornography that is centered around alternative subcultures, such as goths, punks, emos, scenes, ska ...

" genre as well as inventing the noir-romance genre of the

erotic thriller The erotic thriller is a film subgenre defined as a thriller with a thematic basis in illicit romance or erotic fantasy. Though exact definitions of the erotic thriller can vary, it is generally agreed "bodily danger and pleasure must remain in ...

. ''

Sight & Sound ''Sight and Sound'' (also spelled ''Sight & Sound'') is a British monthly film magazine published by the British Film Institute (BFI). It conducts the well-known, once-a-decade ''Sight and Sound'' Poll of the Greatest Films of All Time, ongoing ...

'' the journal of the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

considered Dark's erotic thrillers groundbreaking films of the genre. In the 1980s, Dark, along with Richard Lerner and Wendy Apple, directed and produced ''Fallen Angels'', the seminal documentary about the early Los Angeles porn scene. Dark directed or produced more than 30 action films and erotic thrillers as head of production for Axis Films, a

B movie A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double feature ...

company, from 1987 to 1995. Dark's erotic thrillers in the early 1990s such as ''Animal Instincts I'' and ''II'', ''

Body of Influence ''Body of Influence'' is a 1993 American erotic thriller drama film directed by Gregory Dark and produced by Andrew W. Garroni. The film has music composed by Ashley Irwin. The film stars Nick Cassavetes, Shannon Whirry, Richard Roundtree, Sandah ...

'', and ''Mirror Images II'' featured

Shannon Whirry Shannon Whirry is an American actress. Career A native from Green Lake, Wisconsin, where she was the salutatorian of her 1983 high school graduating class, in 1985 Whirry was accepted to study at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, one of onl ...

in various stages of undress. In 1994, he directed the film ''

Stranger by Night ''Stranger by Night'' is a 1994 action film directed by Gregory Dark and starring Steven Bauer, Jennifer Rubin and William Katt. It was released on November 23, 1994. Plot Detective Bobby Corcoran and his partner, Detective Larson, are on the hun ...

'' starring

Steven Bauer Steven Bauer (born Esteban Ernesto Echevarría Samson; December 2, 1956) is a Cuban-born American actor. Bauer began his career on PBS, portraying Joe Peña, the son of Cuban immigrants on '' ¿Qué Pasa, USA?'' (1977–1980) and is perhaps most ...

. Dark's films of this period won him accolades such as "the

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...

of the soft-core set" and "the

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominatio ...

of the erotic thriller".

Music videos

In 1996, Dark directed the music video for " Bar-X-The Rocking M" by the

Melvins Melvins (sometimes The Melvins) are an American rock band formed in 1983 in Montesano, Washington. Their early work was key to the development of both grunge and sludge metal. Initially, they performed as a trio but later also sometimes appeare ...

. In 1998, he directed the video for " Zoot Suit Riot" by

Cherry Poppin' Daddies The Cherry Poppin' Daddies are an American swing and ska band established in Eugene, Oregon, in 1989. Formed by singer-songwriter Steve Perry and bassist Dan Schmid, the band has experienced numerous personnel changes over the course of its 30 ...

, which won the Daddies a nomination for "Best New Artist in a Video" at the

1998 MTV Video Music Awards The 1998 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on September 10, 1998, honoring the best music videos from June 17, 1997, to June 12, 1998. The show was hosted by Ben Stiller at Gibson Amphitheatre in Los Angeles. Madonna was the most successful winn ...

. That same year, he directed "Fuck Dying" and "

Pushin' Weight "Pushin' Weight" is a single by Ice Cube from his album '' War & Peace Vol. 1 (The War Disc)'' Produced by N.O. Joe. It features Mr. Short Khop. A music video was released and directed by Gregory Dark.Ice Cube An ice cube is a small piece of ice, which is typically rectangular as viewed from above and trapezoidal as viewed from the side. Ice cubes are products of mechanical refrigeration and are usually produced to cool beverages. They may be produc ...

. Dark's 1998 video "

What U See Is What U Get "What U See Is What U Get" is the first single from Xzibit's second album, '' 40 Dayz & 40 Nightz''. In its first week the song peaked at #50 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, being Xzibit's highest charting single. It peaked at #3 on Hot Rap Singl ...

" for

Xzibit Alvin Nathaniel Joiner (born September 18, 1974), better known by his stage name Xzibit (pronounced "exhibit"), is an American rapper, actor, television presenter, and radio personality. Xzibit began his musical career after the release of his ...

remained at the top of the Charts on BET for almost a year and won a

Source Award ''The Source'' is an American hip hop and entertainment website, and a magazine that publishes annually or . It is the world's longest-running rap periodical, being founded as a newsletter in 1988 by Jonathan Shecter. David Mays was the magaz ...

. In 1999, he directed the video for "

From the Bottom of My Broken Heart "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" is a song by American singer Britney Spears from her debut studio album, '' ...Baby One More Time'' (1999). It was released on December 14, 1999, by Jive Records as the fifth and final single from the album. A ...

" by Britney Spears. In 2000, Vitamin C's "

Graduation (Friends Forever) "Graduation (Friends Forever)" (also titled "Friends Forever (Graduation)") is a song by American pop singer Vitamin C, released as the third single from her self-titled debut studio album (1999). Vitamin C wrote the song as a response to how ...

" and Linkin Park's " One Step Closer" video, were shot in Los Angeles, sixty-three feet underground in an abandoned subway tunnel. In 2002, he directed the video for the

A*Teens A-Teens (stylized as A★TEENS or A*Teens) were a Swedish pop music group from Stockholm, Sweden, formed by Niklas Berg in 1998 originally as an ABBA tribute band called ABBA-Teens and was later renamed A-Teens. The band members were Marie Serne ...

cover of " Can't Help Falling in Love" for the Disney feature ''

Lilo & Stitch ''Lilo & Stitch'' is a 2002 American animated science fiction comedy-drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 42nd Disney animated feature film, it was written and directed by Chris Sande ...

''. Dark directed the music video for "Undercover Funk" by

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...

featuring

Bootsy Collins William Earl "Bootsy" Collins (born October 26, 1951) is an American bass guitarist and singer. Rising to prominence with James Brown in the early 1970s, and later with Parliament-Funkadelic, Collins established himself as one of the leading n ...

for the film ''

Undercover Brother ''Undercover Brother'' is a 2002 American satirical spy action comedy blaxploitation film directed by Malcolm D. Lee and starring Eddie Griffin. The screenplay by John Ridley and Michael McCullers is based on the Internet animated series creat ...

''. The video featured acting performances by the film's stars

Eddie Griffin Edward Rubin Griffin (born July 15, 1968) is an American comedian and actor. He is best known for portraying Eddie Sherman in the sitcom ''Malcolm & Eddie'', the title character in the 2002 comedy film ''Undercover Brother'', and Tiberius Jeffe ...

, who morphs into Snoop Dogg at the beginning of the video, and dancing and lip-synching performances by

Neil Patrick Harris Neil Patrick Harris (born June 15, 1973) is an American actor, singer, writer, producer, and television host. Primarily known for his comedic television roles and dramatic and musical stage roles, he has received multiple accolades throughout ...

and

Denise Richards Denise Richards (born February 17, 1971) is an American actress, television personality, and former fashion model. Her most recognized roles are Carmen Ibanez in '' Starship Troopers'' (1997), Kelly Van Ryan in '' Wild Things'' (1998) and Bond gi ...

Major motion pictures

Dark's first major motion picture, the

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoca ...

'' See No Evil'', was released nationwide on May 19, 2006, for

WWE Films WWE Studios Inc. (formerly known as WWE Films) is an American film studio owned by the professional wrestling promotion WWE. WWE Studios movies frequently mix well-known actors and actresses in lead roles with WWE wrestlers, and teams with existi ...

and

Lions Gate Entertainment Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation, doing business as Lionsgate, is a Canadian-American entertainment company. It was formed by Frank Giustra on July 10, 1997, domiciled in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and is currently headquartered in ...

. It was directed by Dark, written by

Dan Madigan Dan Madigan is an American television producer, author and screenwriter. He is known for his work in the professional wrestling industry, including writing and producing for WWE Smackdown. Works Madigan wrote the script and novel tie-in for WWE ...

, produced by Joel Simon, and starred

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

Kane. ''See No Evil'' grossed almost $19 million worldwide theatrical with a budget of $8 million The movie grossed over $45 million on DVD sales and rentals. In 2008 Dark directed the

independent film An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is produced outside the major film studio system, in addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies (or, i ...

Little Fish, Strange Pond ''Little Fish, Strange Pond'' (alternate titled as ''Frenemy'') is a 2009 direct-to-DVD independent black comedy drama film directed by Gregory Dark and written by Robert Dean Klein. Cast *Matthew Modine as Mr. Jack *Callum Blue as Sweet Stephen ...

'', which was seen at a number of film festivals. The film starred

Matthew Modine Matthew Avery Modine (born March 22, 1959) is an American actor and filmmaker, who rose to prominence through his role as U.S. Marine Private/Sergeant J.T. "Joker" Davis in ''Full Metal Jacket''. His other film roles include the title character ...

Adam Baldwin Adam Baldwin (born February 27, 1962) is an American actor. He starred in '' Full Metal Jacket'' (1987) as Animal Mother, as well as in the television series ''Firefly The Lampyridae are a family of elateroid beetles with more than 2,000 ...

Callum Blue Daniel James Callum Blue (born 19 August 1977), known professionally as Callum Blue, is an English actor. Best known for his roles on the Showtime series ''Dead Like Me'' and ''The Tudors'', as well as his roles as Zod in the American televis ...

Zach Galifianakis Zachary Knight Galifianakis (born October 1, 1969) is an American actor and comedian. He appeared in ''Comedy Central Presents'' special and presented his show ''Late World with Zach'' on VH1. Galifianakis has starred in films including ''Th ...

Liza Weil Liza Rebecca Weil (born June 5, 1977) is an American actress. She is best known for her starring role as Paris Geller in the WB/ CW comedy-drama series ''Gilmore Girls'' (2000–2007) and its Netflix revival series '' Gilmore Girls: A Year in t ...

, and

Paul Adelstein Paul Adelstein (born April 29, 1969) is an American actor and writer, known for the role of Agent Paul Kellerman in the Fox television series ''Prison Break'' and his role as pediatrician Cooper Freedman in the ABC medical drama ''Private Practic ...

and was retitled ''Frenemy'' for its December 2010 Lions Gate Entertainment DVD release. During 2009, Dark directed ''An Evening With Stephen Lynch'', a

concert film A concert film, or concert movie, is a film that showcases a live performance from the perspective of a concert goer, the subject of which is an extended live performance or concert by either a musician or a stand-up comedian. Early history The ...

starring comedian and musician Stephen Lynch.

Selected filmography

As director – Film * ''

Mirror Images A mirror image (in a plane mirror) is a reflected duplication of an object that appears almost identical, but is reversed in the direction perpendicular to the mirror surface. As an optical effect it results from reflection off from substances ...

'' (1992) (as A. Gregory Hippolyte) * ''

Secret Games ''Secret Games'' is a 1992 American erotic thriller drama film directed by Gregory Dark and produced by Andrew W. Garroni. This film has been music composed by Joseph Smith.The film starring Martin Hewitt, Michele Brin, Delia Sheppard, Catya Sa ...

'' (1992) (as Gregory Hippolyte) * ''

Night Rhythms ''Night Rhythms'' is a 1992 American erotic thriller film directed by Gregory Dark. The film stars Martin Hewitt, David Carradine, Deborah Driggs, Delia Sheppard, and . Plot Nick West hosts a late night radio show where he gets multiple female c ...

'' (1992) (as A. Gregory Hippolyte) * '' Animal Instincts'' (1992) (as A. Gregory Hippolyte) * ''

'' (1993) (as Gregory Hippolyte) * '' Sins of the Night'' (1993) (as Gregory Hippolyte) * '' Secret Games 2: The Escort'' (1993) (as Gregory Hippolyte) * '' Mirror Images 2'' (1993) * ''

Object of Obsession Gregory Dark (born Gregory Hippolyte Brown on July 12, 1957, in Los Angeles) is an American film director, film producer, music video director, and screenwriter. Dark is an adult filmmaker who transitioned into directing Hollywood movies. H ...

'' (1994) (as Gregory H. Brown) * ''

Animal Instincts 2 Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals consume organic material, breathe oxygen, are able to move, can reproduce sexually, and go through an ontogenetic stage in ...

'' (1994) (as Gregory Hippolyte) * ''

Secret Games 3 ''Secret Games 3'' is a 1994 American erotic thriller drama film directed by Gregory Dark and produced by Andrew W. Garroni. This film has music composed by Ashley Irwin, and starred Woody Brown, Rochelle Swanson, May Karasun and Dean Scofield ...

'' (1994) (as Gregory Hippolyte) * ''

'' (1994) (as Gregory H. Brown) * '' Animal Instincts 3'' (1996) (as Gregory Hippolyte) * '' See No Evil'' (2006) * ''

'' (2009)

Awards

*1996

XRCO Award The XRCO Awards are given by the American X-Rated Critics Organization annually to people working in adult entertainment and it is the only adult industry awards show reserved exclusively for industry members. Once every calendar year, XRCO m ...

– Best Director *1996

XRCO Hall of Fame The XRCO Hall of Fame lists well-known adult entertainment works and workers. The list is managed by X-Rated Critics Organization and inducted annually during the XRCO Award The XRCO Awards are given by the American X-Rated Critics Organizati ...

inductee

References

External links

*
Gregory Dark
at the Music Video Database
"The Devil in Greg Dark"
by

Tom Junod Tom Junod (born April 9, 1958) is an American journalist. He is the recipient of two National Magazine Awards from the American Society of Magazine Editors. Early life In 1980, Junod graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the S ...

, ''

Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...

'', February 1, 2001 {{DEFAULTSORT:Dark, Gregory 1957 births Alt porn American music video directors American pornographic film directors American pornographic film producers Living people Writers from Los Angeles Stanford University alumni Tisch School of the Arts alumni American conceptual artists American installation artists 20th-century American painters Painters from California Film directors from Los Angeles 21st-century American painters