''The Films of Rick Dalton'' is an upcoming novel written by Quentin Tarantino. It details the life and film and television career of the fictional actor Rick Dalton. Dalton is the main protagonist in Tarantino's 2019 film ''

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood ''Once Upon a Time in Hollywood'' is a 2019 comedy-drama film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. Produced by Columbia Pictures, Bona Film Group, Heyday Films, and Visiona Romantica and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing, it is a ...

'' and 2021

novelization A novelization (or novelisation) is a derivative novel that adapts the story of a work created for another medium, such as a film, TV series, stage play, comic book or video game. Film novelizations were particularly popular before the advent of ...

. In the film he is portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio. Tarantino has already completed the novel and plans to publish it as his third book.

Character biography and background

Originally from the

Midwest The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four Census Bureau Region, census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of ...

, Rick Dalton is an actor who moved to Los Angeles and starred in the fictitious television Western series ''Bounty Law'' from 1959 to 1963, inspired by real-life series ''

Wanted Dead or Alive Wanted Dead or Alive may refer to: Film and television * ''Wanted: Dead or Alive'' (1951 film), an American film of 1951 * ''Wanted Dead or Alive'' (TV series), a 1958–1961 TV series starring Steve McQueen * ''Wanted: Dead or Alive'' (1987 fil ...

,'' starring

Steve McQueen Terrence Stephen McQueen (March 24, 1930November 7, 1980) was an American actor. His antihero persona, emphasized during the height of the counterculture of the 1960s, made him a top box-office draw for his films of the late 1950s, 1960s, and 1 ...

. Dalton's career was parallel to McQueen's for a couple of years. His series ran on NBC at the same time McQueen's ran on CBS. However, after McQueen starred in '' The Magnificent Seven'' their career paths took two very different trajectories. After ''Bounty Law'' Dalton began to appear in supporting film roles, leading to a four-picture-contract with Universal Pictures, ending in 1967. His film career never took off and in '67 he started to guest star on TV series as villains. While preparing to film his role in the 1966 movie ''The 14 Fists of McClusky'' Dalton would practice by using a flamethrower for three hours a day for two weeks. In February 1969 Dalton has no understanding of New Hollywood or the

hippie A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to different countries around ...

generation and sees himself as not belonging. He guest stars on the TV western ''

Lancer A lancer was a type of cavalryman who fought with a lance. Lances were used for mounted warfare in Assyria as early as and subsequently by Persia, India, Egypt, China, Greece, and Rome. The weapon was widely used throughout Eurasia during the M ...

'' where he is challenged as an actor for the first time by both child actor Trudi Frazer and director Sam Wanamaker. Through this challenge Dalton is able to see a future for himself in the new generation of filmmaking. Tarantino said of Dalton, "his biggest enemy is himself... his bad guys are his own demons," and likens Dalton finally facing his demons on ''Lancer'' to '' The Wild Bunch'' facing the Mexican Army. Dalton's relationship with his stunt double and best friend Cliff Booth is based on

Kurt Russell Kurt Vogel Russell (born March 17, 1951) is an American actor. He began acting on television at the age of 12 in the Westerns on television, western series ''The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters (TV series), The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters'' (19 ...

and his stunt double of many years, John Casino, and

Burt Reynolds Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. (February 11, 1936 – September 6, 2018) was an American actor, considered a sex symbol and icon of 1970s American popular culture. Reynolds first rose to prominence when he starred in television series such as ' ...

' with his longtime stunt double Hal Needham. Tarantino's inspiration for Dalton came from actors whose careers began in

classical Hollywood Classical Hollywood cinema is a term used in film criticism to describe both a narrative and visual style of filmmaking which became characteristic of American cinema between the 1910s (rapidly after World War I) and the 1960s. It eventually be ...

but faltered in the 1960s, including Ty Hardin, who went from starring in a successful TV Western to making

Spaghetti Western The Spaghetti Western is a broad subgenre of Western films produced in Europe. It emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's film-making style and international box-office success. The term was used by foreign critics because most o ...

s, and also Tab Hunter, George Maharis, Vince Edwards, Fabian Forte, William Shatner, and Edd Byrnes, whom Tarantino said DiCaprio responded to the most. In the film Leonardo DiCaprio based his performance on Ralph Meeker. After watching numerous performances on television and film, DiCaprio really connected with Meeker. He decided that was the guy closest to Dalton, stating "That was the soul of who Rick Dalton was for me." Dalton suffers from alcoholism and an undiagnosed bipolar disorder, inspired by Pete Duel. After creating the character of Dalton for the film ''

'', Tarantino collaborated with DiCaprio to fully develop and craft the character. What attracted DiCaprio to Dalton was that he, along with Booth were telling a Hollywood story as outsiders. DiCaprio saw them as the Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway of Hollywood. They watch

Sharon Tate Sharon Marie Tate Polanski (January 24, 1943 – August 9, 1969) was an American actress and model. During the 1960s, she played small television roles before appearing in films and was regularly featured in fashion magazines as a model and cover ...

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

as Gatsby and Carraway look at Daisy Buchanan's. DiCaprio described Tate's house as "this crystal castle next door... and they don't belong to it... That's the Hollywood they want to belong to, or at least Rick is desperately hoping to be a part of." DiCaprio and Tarantino studied the performances of Byrnes, Hardin, Meeker and others to find Dalton's identity. DiCaprio also really connected with Dalton's relationships with Trudi Frazer (who he saw as a young Meryl Streep) and Booth. To him Dalton was a template for Hollywood at the time, and for actor's self doubt which he related to on a personal level. Dalton has a

stutter Stuttering, also known as stammering, is a speech disorder in which the flow of speech is disrupted by involuntary repetitions and prolongations of sounds, syllables, words, or phrases as well as involuntary silent pauses or blocks in which the ...

which DiCaprio based on a friend of his. He stated that it comes out when his friend is nervous and uncertain about his life. DiCaprio felt that it would help to represent Dalton's nervousness and anxiety. Not included in the film or its novelization, before shooting Spaghetti Westerns in Italy, Dalton's agent Marvin Schwarz arranges for him to have dinner with Sergio Corbucci and his wife, costume designer Nori Bonicelli, during which Dalton confuses Corbucci with

Sergio Leone Sergio Leone (; 3 January 1929 – 30 April 1989) was an Italian film director, producer and screenwriter credited as the pioneer of the Spaghetti Western genre and widely regarded as one of the most influential directors in the history of cin ...

and disparages the English-dubbed version of '' Navajo Joe''. Despite showing little respect or understanding for the genre and the Italian film industry, Dalton agrees to work with Corbucci because he believes he will suit the ''Nebraska Jim'' role well. Although Dalton comes to respect Corbucci's methods, his frequent outbursts over the Italian crew's methods of making the film, such as the use of multilingual actors speaking their own language (whose dialogue would later be replaced through dubbing), prompts Corbucci to turn down Dalton's offer to play Hud Dixon in '' The Specialists'' in favor of Johnny Hallyday. Tarantino revealed that Dalton finds more success after the events of the film. His killing of Manson Family member Susan "Sadie" Atkins with a flamethrower from his film ''The 14 Fists of McClusky'' attracts much of the media's attention, leading to offers for roles in feature films. He also gets bigger guest roles in TV series, including an episode of ''Mission: Impossible'' centered around his character. After Dalton stars in the early 1980s film ''The Fireman'' he becomes a straight-to-video action star. He travels to Italy and the Philippines shooting

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 ...

versions of top action films for Cannon Films and goes on to make two sequels to ''The Fireman''. He continues to guest star on television shows but he is in high demand and earns top rate for his appearances. In 1988, Dalton retires from acting and moves to Hawaii with his wife Francesca Capucci, eventually meeting Tarantino himself at the 1996 Hawaii International Film Festival.

Ralph Meeker

Meeker, the actor DiCaprio tapped into the most for his portrayal, served as an influence for a previous Tarantino character. Tarantino's vision for Butch Coolidge ( Bruce Willis)'s demeanor in '' Pulp Fiction'' was that of Meeker's portrayal of Mike Hammer in

Robert Aldrich Robert Burgess Aldrich (August 9, 1918 – December 5, 1983) was an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. His notable credits include '' Vera Cruz'' (1954), ''Kiss Me Deadly'' (1955), ''The Big Knife'' (1955), '' Autumn L ...

's '' Kiss Me Deadly''.

Novel background

In July 2021, Tarantino revealed that he had written most of a career book, recounting the filmography of Rick Dalton as if he had actually existed. It would include synopses, critical quotes from the time, and recounting of his film and television career until 1988. It details every one of Dalton's appearances on film and episodic television, with most of them being real programs and films with Dalton replacing the actual actor who starred in the project. However some of the films and shows are completely fictional. One of the fictional films is the vigilante movie ''The Fireman'': By December 2021, Tarantino expected the book to be released following his film criticism book titled ''

Cinema Speculation ''Cinema Speculation'' is a 2022 nonfiction book by American filmmaker Quentin Tarantino, published by Harper on November 1, 2022. Background ''Cinema Speculation'' is Tarantino's debut work of nonfiction and combines "film criticism, film theor ...

''. Tarantino also added that within his ''Once Upon a Time'' universe a fictionalized version of himself writes the book after meeting Dalton and

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...

and curating a Rick Dalton film retrospective.

Partial fictional filmography

This is an incomplete filmography of Dalton. All information in the filmography can be found in the following sources unless otherwise cited within the filmography.

Television

*''

Tales of Wells Fargo ''Tales of Wells Fargo'' is an American Western television series starring Dale Robertson that ran from 1957 to 1962 on NBC. Produced by Revue Productions, the series aired in a half-hour format until its final season, when it expanded to ...

'' (1957) — episode: ''Jesse James'' —

Jesse James Jesse Woodson James (September 5, 1847April 3, 1882) was an American outlaw, bank and train robber, guerrilla and leader of the James–Younger Gang. Raised in the " Little Dixie" area of Western Missouri, James and his family maintained stro ...

(portrayed by Hugh Beaumont in real-life) *'' Whirlybirds'' (year unknown) — Guest role (episode directed by Bud Springsteen) *''Big Sky Country'' (1958) — episode: ''Pilot'' — Oldest son (The series was never picked up) (co-starring

Frank Lovejoy Frank Andrew Lovejoy Jr. (March 28, 1912 – October 2, 1962) was an American actor in radio, film, and television. He is perhaps best remembered for appearing in the film noir ''The Hitch-Hiker'' and for starring in the radio drama '' Night Beat' ...

as the series lead, a widowed sheriff. Produced by

Four Star Productions Four Star Television, also called Four Star International, was an American television production company. Founded in 1952 as Four Star Productions by prominent Hollywood actors Dick Powell, David Niven, Charles Boyer, and Joel McCrea, it was insp ...

.) *''Bounty Law'' (TV series) (1959–1963) — Jake Cahill (Lead role: 48 episodes) (directors: Paul Wendkos) (for Donowitz see ''Coming Home In a Body Bag'' below)">roducers: Robert Fuzz, Lee Donowitz (for Donowitz see ''Coming Home In a Body Bag'' below)*'' Riverboat'' (year unknown) — Guest role (co-starred

, directed by William Witney) *''

Hullabaloo Hubbabaloo or hullaballoo may refer to: * Hullabaloo (band), a punk band * Hullabaloo (song), a 1990 single by Absent Friends * Hullabaloo (festival), a music festival at the University of California San Diego * ''Hullabaloo'' (film), a 1940 film ...

'' (1965) — Guest Star, Himself (Dalton appeared to promote his film ''Tanner''. Musical guests: The Kinks, who also appeared on a real-life episode in 1965 which featured Frankie Avalon and

Annette Funicello Annette Joanne Funicello (October 22, 1942 – April 8, 2013) was an American actress and singer. Funicello began her professional career as a child performer at the age of twelve. She was one of the most popular Mouseketeers on the orig ...

as hosts. The clip in ''

'' most closely resembles an episode from 1966 hosted by George Maharis.) *'' Tarzan'' (1967) — episode: ''Jewel of the Jungle'' — Brick Bedford *'' The Green Hornet'' (1967) — episode: ''Hornet Hunter'' — Thompson Shaw. The episode most closely resembles the real life episode ''Invasion from Outer Space''.

Gary Kent Gary Kent (born June 7, 1933) is an American film director, actor, and stuntperson notable for his appearances in various independent, grindhouse and exploitation films. A native of Washington, Kent studied at the University of Washington be ...

served as the stunt coordinator on the episode. Kent was married to stunt woman Tomi Barrett. *''Bingo Martin'' (1967) — episode: ''Heck to Pay'' — Rocky Ryan *'' Land of the Giants'' (1968) — episode: ''Capture'' — Dr. David Hellstrom *'' The F.B.I.'' (1969) — episode: ''All The Streets Are Silent'' — Michael Murtaugh (portrayed by

in real-life episode) *''

'' (1969) — episode: '' Pilot'' — Caleb DeCoteau. Inspired by the real-life pilot ''The High Riders''. *'' Matt Lincoln'' (1970) — Guest role *'' ''Mission: Impossible'' (early 1970s) — Guest villain *'' Cade's County'' (1971) — Guest role *''

Banacek ''Banacek'' is an American detective TV series starring George Peppard that aired on the NBC network from 1972 to 1974. The series was part of the rotating '' NBC Wednesday Mystery Movie'' anthology. It alternated in its time slot with several o ...

'' (early 1970s) — Guest role

Real films

Although these films are real, any information including Rick Dalton and Cliff Booth is fictional. *''

Battle of the Coral Sea The Battle of the Coral Sea, from 4 to 8 May 1942, was a major naval battle between the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) and naval and air forces of the United States and Australia. Taking place in the Pacific Theatre of World War II, the batt ...

'' (1959) — small role (loosely based on Cliff Booth's escape from a WWII

POW A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war ...

camp. The film did not depict how Booth decapitated the Japanese soldiers.) *''

The Chapman Report ''The Chapman Report'' is a 1962 American Technicolor drama film starring Shelley Winters, Jane Fonda, Claire Bloom and Glynis Johns. It was made by DFZ Productions and distributed by Warner Bros. It was directed by George Cukor and produced by D ...

'' (1962) — Ed Kraski (portrayed by Ty Hardin in real-life) *'' Cannon for Cordoba'' (1970) — Jackson Harkness (portrayed by Don Gordon in real-life) *''

The Deadly Trackers ''The Deadly Trackers'' is a 1973 American Western film directed by Barry Shear and starring Richard Harris, Rod Taylor and Al Lettieri. It is based on the novel ''Riata'' by Samuel Fuller. Plot Sheriff Sean Kilpatrick (Harris) is a pacifis ...

'' (1973) — Role unknown *'' Grizzly'' (1976) — Don Stober (portrayed by Andrew Prine in real-life) Additionally Dalton was up for the part of Lover Boy in the 1959 film '' Gidget''. The role ultimately went to Tom Laughlin. He was also reportedly considered for the role of Virgil "The Cooler King" Hilts (

) in John Sturges' '' The Great Escape''.

Fictional films

''Drag Race, No Stop''

(year unknown) Cast Crew *Director - William Witney *Writer - Richard C. Sarafian

''Comanche Uprising''

(1961) Cast Crew

''Big Game''

(1963) Cast *Rick Dalton - Randy Wilson Crew *Director -

Stewart Granger Stewart Granger (born James Lablache Stewart; 6 May 1913 – 16 August 1993) was a British film actor, mainly associated with heroic and romantic leading roles. He was a popular leading man from the 1940s to the early 1960s, rising to fame thr ...

''Hellfire, Texas''

(1964) Based on the novel by Nelson and Shirley Wolford. (Based on the real film ''

A Time for Killing ''A Time for Killing'' is a 1967 Western film directed originally by Roger Corman but finished by Phil Karlson. Filmed in Panavision and Pathécolor, it stars Glenn Ford, George Hamilton, Inger Stevens, and Harrison Ford (credited as Harriso ...

'') Cast Crew

''Tanner''

(1965) loosely based on '' Gunman's Walk'' (1958). Cast Crew *Director - Jerry Hopper

''Jigsaw Jane''

(year unknown) Cast Crew *Producers - Murphy Crawford, Martin H. Poll *Director - David Lowell Rich *Writer - Jerome Zastoupil. (Tarantino's middle name is Jerome and he grew up with the surname Zastoupil, the name of his stepfather.)

''The 14 Fists of McClusky''

(1966) Dalton replaced Fabian Forte who broke his shoulder shortly before shooting. Inspired by Roger Corman's 1964 film '' The Secret Invasion'' and Phil Karlson's '' Hornets' Nest''. ''14 Fists'' was filmed in Yugoslavia. Cast *

Rod Taylor Rodney Sturt Taylor (11 January 1930 – 7 January 2015) was an Australian actor. He appeared in more than 50 feature films, including ''The Time Machine'' (1960), ''One Hundred and One Dalmatians'' (1961), '' The Birds'' (1963), and ''In ...

- McClusky. Taylor starred in Tarantino's '' Inglourious Basterds'' as

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...

. It was his last film. A character named McClusky appears in Tarantino's screenplay of '' Natural Born Killers''. He is a prison warden and head of California state prisons. In

Oliver Stone William Oliver Stone (born September 15, 1946) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. Stone won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay as writer of '' Midnight Express'' (1978), and wrote the gangster film remake '' Sc ...

film adaptation A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dial ...

McClusky is played by Tommy Lee Jones and is the deranged, media seeking prison warden of Batongaville State Prison. Crew *Director - Paul Wendkos

''Salty, The Talking Sea Otter''

(1967) Cast *Rick Dalton - Jed Martin

''Kill Me Quick, Ringo, Said The Gringo''

(1969) Cast *Rick Dalton -

Ringo Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...

. The role was played by Montgomery Wood, Mark Damon, and Ken Clark in real-life Spaghetti Westerns. A character named Ringo appears in '' Pulp Fiction'', portrayed by Tim Roth.

''Nebraska Jim''

(1970) (The 1966

film ''

Savage Gringo ''Savage Gringo'' ( it, Ringo del Nebraska) is a 1966 Western film starring Ken Clark. The film is about a drifter who protects a rancher couple from a ruthless landowner. Under its Italian title, ''Savage Gringo'' was one of numerous Spaghetti ...

'' or ''Ringo Del Nebraska'' was released in Germany as ''Nebraska Jim''.) Cast *Rick Dalton - Nebraska Jim *Daphna Ben-Cobo Crew *Director - Sergio Corbucci

''Red Blood, Red Skin''

(1970) (Based on the novel ''The Only Good Indian Is a Dead Indian'' by Floyd Ray Wilson. Floyd Ray Wilson is the name of the boxer Butch Coolidge kills in the ring in ''Pulp Fiction''.) Inspired by ''

Land Raiders A land raid was a form of political protest in rural Scotland, primarily in the Highlands. History A land raid was a form of political protest in rural Scotland, primarily in the Highlands. Land raiders threatened to seize, or seized, land which ...

'' (1970). Cast *Rick Dalton - Romeo Douglas * Telly Savalas * Carroll Baker

''Hell Boats''

(1970) Cast *Rick Dalton - Lt. Cmdr. Jeffords Crew *Director - Paul Wendkos

''Operazione Dyn-O-Mite!''

(1970) (A spaghetti '' James Bond'' rip-off-type film. Archive footage from ''

Death on the Run ''Death on the Run'' (Italian: ''Bersaglio mobile''), also known as ''Moving Target'', is a 1967 Italian Eurospy film directed by Sergio Corbucci. Filmed in Athens,''Films and Filming'', Volume 14, Hansom Books, 1968. it was referred as a film di ...

'' was used in ''Once Upon a Time in Hollywood'' for the ''Operazione Dyn-O-Mite'' scenes. Also inspired by '' Secret Agent Super Dragon'' and '' Kiss the Girls and Make Them Die''.) Cast *Rick Dalton - Jason ( Ty Hardin played the role in ''Death on the Run''. Tarantino saw the character and film as a precursor for Jason Bourne.) *Francesca Capucci * Margaret Lee Crew *Director - Antonio Margheriti *Stunts - Cliff Booth

''The Fireman''

(early 1980s) Cast Crew *Director - Rick Dalton **Action sequences - Cliff Booth *Producers - Rick Dalton, Cliff Booth *Writers - Cliff Booth, Rick Dalton Sequels *''The Fireman 2'' (1980s) — lead role *''The Fireman 3'' (1980s) — lead role

''Coming Home In a Body Bag''

Sometime in the late 1980s Dalton appeared in the film ''Coming Home In a Body Bag''. The film is originally referred to in the Tarantino penned '' True Romance''. Within the Tarantino universe the film is a well known Vietnam War film, with its title alluding to Hal Ashby's real-life 1978 Vietnam film '' Coming Home''. Cast *Rick Dalton – Colonel MacDuff *Mickey Burnett – Unknown role. Burnett originally appeared in Tarantino's ''

My Best Friend's Birthday ''My Best Friend's Birthday'' is a 1987 amateur comedy film directed, edited, co-written, co-produced and starring Quentin Tarantino. The film was shot in black-and-white and was originally meant to have a runtime of 70 minutes, but only 36 min ...

'' played by Craig Hamann, in which he works at the rockabilly radio station K-Billy. He was named after

Sonny Crockett Sonny is a common nickname and occasional given name. Often it can be a derivative of the English word "Son", a name derived from the Ancient Germanic element *sunn meaning "sun", a nickname derived from the Italian name Salvatore (especially in N ...

( Don Johnson)'s alter ego, Sonny Burnett from TV series '' Miami Vice''. Mickey later became the name of the Tarantino invented serial killer ( Woody Harrelson) in '' Natural Born Killers''. *Luke Griffin * – Unknown role. O'Neal also starred in the pilot episode of ''Fox Force Five'' as the blonde leader with Mia Wallace as Raven McCoy. Wallace is played by Uma Thurman in ''Pulp Fiction''. Somerset is based on Tatum O'Neal and originally appeared in an imitation ABC " After school special" script Tarantino wrote as a child, in which Tarantino also appears. He stated he "fell hopelessly in love" with her after seeing '' The Bad News Bears''. Actress Evan Rachel Wood played O'Neal's character "The Blonde Fox" from ''Fox Force Five'', although said to be inspired by Mia and Thurman's character Beatrix "The Bride" Kiddo from Tarantino's '' Kill Bill'' for a 2019 stage musical based on Tarantino's films and featuring music from his films, titled ''Fox Force Five and the Tyranny of Evil Men''. The character was later portrayed by

Lindsey Gort Lindsey Gort (born April 24, 1984) is an American actress. She is known for her portrayals of Samantha Jones on CW's ''The Carrie Diaries'' and Amy Quinn on the legal drama series '' All Rise''. Career Gort was born in Scottsdale, Arizona. Sh ...

in a 2021 version of the play. Crew *Directed by Anthony Irvin *Written by Freddie White *Music by Michael Kamen *Produced by . Donowitz appears in ''True Romance'', portrayed by Saul Rubinek and is also a producer of Dalton's ''Bounty Law''. He is the son of Donny Donowitz portrayed by Eli Roth in Tarantino's '' Inglourious Basterds''. Lee is based on film producer Joel Silver. Specifically Silver's mannerisms and demeanor while working on '' The Last Boy Scout'', based on his dealings with director Tony Scott, who also directed ''True Romance''. Author Sharon Willis wrote that Lee Donowitz as a voice of Hollywood was a parody of

and "the voice of film as a commodity in the same universe as drugs." Also, that his betrayal by his protégé Eliot Blitzer (

Bronson Pinchot Bronson Alcott Pinchot (; born May 20, 1959) is an American actor. He is best known for playing Balki Bartokomous on the ABC sitcom '' Perfect Strangers'' (1986–93). He also performed in films, such as ''Risky Business'' (1983), ''Beverly Hill ...

) in ''True Romance'' is

Oedipal The Oedipus complex (also spelled Œdipus complex) is an idea in psychoanalytic theory. The complex is an ostensibly universal phase in the life of a young boy in which, to try to immediately satisfy basic desires, he unconsciously wishes to have ...

in tone. Lee Donowitz was also portrayed by Kevin Pollak in a December 2015 live reading of Tarantino's screenplay presented by

Jason Reitman Jason R. Reitman (; born October 19, 1977) is a Canadian-American actor and filmmaker, best known for directing the films ''Thank You for Smoking'' (2005), ''Juno'' (2007), '' Up in the Air'' (2009), ''Young Adult'' (2011), and '' Ghostbusters: ...

at the Ace Hotel Theater.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Films of Rick Dalton, The Hollywood novels Works by Quentin Tarantino Upcoming books