Timothy Michael Sullivan (born July 2, 1964) is an American film director, producer, actor, and screenwriter.

Biography

Early career

A monster kid raised on

Forrest J Ackerman Forrest James Ackerman (November 24, 1916 – December 4, 2008) was an American magazine editor; science fiction authors, science fiction writer and literary agent; a founder of science fiction fandom; a leading expert on science fiction, horror ...

Famous Monsters of Filmland ''Famous Monsters of Filmland'' is an American genre-specific film magazine, started in 1958 by publisher James Warren and editor Forrest J Ackerman. ''Famous Monsters of Filmland'' directly inspired the creation of many other similar publica ...

fanzine, Sullivan's career began as a teenager when he landed a job as a

production assistant A production assistant, also known as a PA, is a member of the film crew and is a job title used in filmmaking and television for a person responsible for various aspects of a production. The job of a PA can vary greatly depending on the budget ...

on the 1983 cult horror film '' Return of the Aliens: The Deadly Spawn''. Sullivan majored in film studies 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 ...

, and his first writer/director/producer credit was the short ''A Christmas Treat'' (1985), for which he won

Fangoria ''Fangoria'' is an internationally distributed American horror film fan magazine, in publication since 1979. It is published four times a year by Fangoria Publishing, LLC and is edited by Phil Nobile Jr. The magazine was originally released i ...

magazine's Short Film Search Award. While attending NYU, Sullivan wrote the music news for

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

. After graduating, he worked as a production assistant on such award-winning films as ''

Three Men and a Baby ''Three Men and a Baby'' is a 1987 American comedy film directed by Leonard Nimoy. It stars Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg, and Ted Danson as three bachelors as they attempt to adapt their lives to de facto fatherhood with the arrival of the love ...

'', ''

Cocktail A cocktail is an alcoholic mixed drink. Most commonly, cocktails are either a combination of spirits, or one or more spirits mixed with other ingredients such as tonic water, fruit juice, flavored syrup, or cream. Cocktails vary widely across ...

'', ''

Coming To America ''Coming to America'' is a 1988 American romantic comedy film directed by John Landis and based on a story originally created by Eddie Murphy, who also stars in the lead role. The film also co-stars Arsenio Hall, James Earl Jones, Shari Head ...

'', and ''

The Godfather Part III ''The Godfather Part III'' is a 1990 American crime film produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola from the screenplay co-written with Mario Puzo. The film stars Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire, Andy García, Eli Wallach, Joe Mantegn ...

''.

Career

Throughout his career Sullivan has worn many hats, including acting. Much like

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

and

Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, writer, producer, and actor. His films are characterized by stylized violence, extended dialogue, profanity, Black comedy, dark humor, Nonlinear narrative, non-lin ...

, he has cast himself for roles in his own films. He was production manager for the independent films ''If Looks Could Kill'' (1986) and ''America Exposed'', (1990). After working in development at

New Line Cinema New Line Cinema is an American film production studio owned by Warner Bros. Discovery and is a film label of Warner Bros. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye as an independent film distribution company; later becoming a film studio after acq ...

for five years, Sullivan produced ''

Detroit Rock City "Detroit Rock City" is a song by the American hard rock group Kiss, released on their 1976 album ''Destroyer''. The song was written by Paul Stanley and producer Bob Ezrin. The song is one of the band's most popular and is a classic rock staple ...

'' which starred

KISS A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...

Edward Furlong Edward Walter Furlong (born August 2, 1977) is an American actor. He won Saturn and MTV Movie Awards for his breakthrough performance at age 13 as John Connor in James Cameron's '' Terminator 2: Judgment Day''; which was followed by a mini-seque ...

Sam Huntington Sam Huntington (born April 1, 1982) is an American actor. He is best known for his starring role as Josh Levison, a werewolf in the Syfy series '' Being Human'', and for his role as Jimmy Olsen in the superhero film ''Superman Returns''. For its ...

and

Natasha Lyonne Natasha Bianca Lyonne Braunstein ( ; born April 4, 1979) is an American actress, director, writer, and producer. She is known for playing Nicky Nichols on the Netflix comedy-drama series ''Orange Is the New Black'' (2013–2019), for which she r ...

. Sullivan's mainstream directorial debut was the well-received

Lion's Gate 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 ...

's horror-comedy, '' 2001 Maniacs'' (2005) starring

Robert Englund Robert Barton Englund (born June 6, 1947) is an American actor and director. He is best known for playing the supernatural serial killer Freddy Krueger in the ''A Nightmare on Elm Street (franchise), Nightmare on Elm Street'' film series. Class ...

and

Lin Shaye Linda Shaye (born October 12, 1943) is an American film, television, and theater actress. In a career spanning over forty years, she has appeared in more than a hundred feature films. She is perhaps best known for her starring role as Elise Rain ...

. This was followed by '' Snoop Dogg's Hood of Horror'' (2005) (as co-writer and producer) and ''

Driftwood __NOTOC__ Driftwood is wood that has been washed onto a shore or beach of a sea, lake, or river by the action of winds, tides or waves. In some waterfront areas, driftwood is a major nuisance. However, the driftwood provides shelter and fo ...

'' (2006), a supernatural thriller about troubled youths at a reform camp, starring

Raviv Ullman Raviv Chanan "Ricky" Ullman ( he, רביב אולמן; born 24 January 1986) is an Israeli-American actor, director, and musician. He is best known for playing Phil Diffy, the main character in the Disney Channel series '' Phil of the Future''. ...

and

Diamond Dallas Page Dallas Page (born Page Joseph Falkinburg Jr., April 5, 1956), better known by his ring name Diamond Dallas Page (often stylized as DDP), is an American actor and retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. In the course of his wrest ...

. Having released the long-awaited MANIACS sequel '' 2001 Maniacs: Field of Screams'' (2010), Sullivan gained additional notoriety as celebrity director of Vh1's hit series '' Scream Queens'' (2010), as well as creator and host of ''Shock N Roll'', his weekly talk and video blog on leading web network

Fearnet Fearnet was an American digital cable television network, website and video on demand service owned by Comcast. The network specialized in horror entertainment programming through a mix of acquired and original series, and feature films. Backgr ...

. Re-joining forces with ''

'' director

Adam Rifkin Adam Rifkin (born December 31, 1966), sometimes credited as Rif Coogan, is an American filmmaker, and actor. His career ranges from broad family comedies to dark and gritty urban dramas. He is best known for writing family-friendly comedies lik ...

for the comedy/horror anthology '' Chillerama'' (2011), Sullivan contributed the musical segment ''I Was a Teenage Werebear'' starring

Sean Paul Lockhart Sean Paul Lockhart (born October 31, 1986) is an American film actor and director, known for ''Milk'' (2008), '' Judas Kiss'' (2011), and ''Triple Crossed'' (2013). Lockhart started his career as a gay pornographic film actor mostly using the ...

, followed by the Rifkin written and directed

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 ' ...

vehicle ''

The Last Movie Star ''The Last Movie Star'' is a 2017 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Adam Rifkin. The film stars Burt Reynolds, Ariel Winter, Clark Duke, Ellar Coltrane and Chevy Chase. The film had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Fest ...

'' (2017), on which Sullivan earned an Associate Producer credit. Deeply affected by the 2013 death of his 'spiritual mentor'

Ray Manzarek Raymond Daniel Manzarek Jr. (né Manczarek; February 12, 1939 – May 20, 2013) was an American keyboardist. He is best known as a member of the Doors, co-founding the band with singer and lyricist Jim Morrison in 1965. Manzarek was induct ...

(with whom he was adapting a film version of Manzarek's novel ''The Poet in Exile''), Sullivan took an extended break from the industry (and Los Angeles) to focus on health, friends and family. It was during this time Sullivan formed his own production company, New Rebellion Entertainment., (with partners

, Mike Markoff, Cooper Tomlinson and

Nick Levay Nick Levay (1977–2021) also known as Rattle was an American computer security expert and hacker. He was the Chief Security Officer at the Council on Foreign Relations and other organizations such as Carbon Black and the Center for American ...

), creating and developing a variety of projects he will produce and direct in 2022, among them the late

George A. Romero George Andrew Romero (; February 4, 1940 – July 16, 2017) was an American-Canadian filmmaker, writer, editor and actor. His ''Night of the Living Dead'' series of films about an imagined zombie apocalypse began with the 1968 film of the ...

’s version of ''

Masque of the Red Death "The Masque of the Red Death" (originally published as "The Mask of the Red Death: A Fantasy") is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1842. The story follows Prince Prospero's attempts to avoid a dangerous plague ...

'' (in partnership with

Dark Horse Entertainment Dark Horse Entertainment is a motion picture and television production arm of American comic book publishing company Dark Horse Comics, founded in 1992. They also have a sub-label, Dark Horse Indie. They have their headquarters in Milwaukie, Oreg ...

and written by

Steve Niles Steve Niles (born June 21, 1965) is an American comic book author and novelist, known for works such as ''30 Days of Night'', '' Criminal Macabre: A Cal McDonald Mystery'', ''Simon Dark'', ''Mystery Society'', and '' Batman: Gotham County Line''. ...

), and the branded franchise ''Night Songs'', which explores the paranormal romance between a music journalist and a vampiric young rock star featuring songs co-written by Sullivan with

Doug Rockwell Doug Rockwell (born September 21, 1985) is an Emmy-winning2019 Daytime Emmy Nominations for Loud House"Outstanding Music Direction and Composition"/ref> songwriter, producer and musician based in Los Angeles, CA. Background Rockwell spent his ear ...

Andreas Carlsson Andreas Carlsson (; born 3 April 1973) is a Swedish music producer and pop songwriter. Biography Carlsson was part of the Cheiron Studios team until the studio was closed down in 2000. In January 2001, former Cheiron-members Andreas Carlsson, Kri ...

and

Eric Singer Eric Singer (born Eric Doyle Mensinger; May 12, 1958) is an American drummer. Associated with the hard rock band Kiss since 1991, he has also performed with artists such as Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper, Lita Ford, Badlands, Brian May and Gary ...

Personal life

Sullivan is openly gay and a passionate activist for equality and

NOH8 The NOH8 Campaign (NOH8 meaning "No Hate") is a charitable organization whose mission is to promote LGBT marriage, gender and human equality through education, advocacy, social media, and visual protest. The campaign was created as photographic ...

Filmography

Actor

*''If Looks Could Kill'' (1986) as Groom (uncredited) *''America Exposed'' as Biker *''

'' (1999) as KISS Concert Audience Member (uncredited) *'' 2001 Maniacs'' (2005) as Coffin Harry *''

'' (2006) as Van Driver (uncredited) *''Famous Monster: Forrest J Ackerman'' (2007) as Himself *''The War Prayer'' (2007) as The Preacher *''

Whore Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-penet ...

'' (2008) as Man in Black (uncredited) *'' 2001 Maniacs: Field of Screams'' (2010) as Road Rascals Narrator (billed as Marc Ambrose) *'' Scream Queens'' (2010) as Himself *'' Chillerama'' (2011) as Coach Tuffman *''Chillerama: House of Psycho Charger'' (2011) as Sgt. Sullivan *''

Bloody Bloody Bible Camp ''Bloody Bloody Bible Camp'' is a 2012 American horror-comedy/splatter film. The film was directed by Vito Trabucco and produced by Reggie Bannister, who stars as Father Richard Cummings. The film also features Tim Sullivan as a cross dressing nun ...

'' (2012) as Sister Mary Chopper *'' Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley’s Island of Dr. Moreau'' (2014) as Himself 0 Comments Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley’s Island of Dr. Moreau Gets a Trailer and Release News
/ref> *''Adi Shankar's Gods and Secrets'' (2016) as Red *''

'' (2017) as Bouncer (uncredited)

Producer

* A Christmas Treat (1985) * If Looks Could Kill (1986) * America Exposed (1990) *

(1999) as associate producer * Everclear: The Boys Are Back in Town ''Music Video'' (1999) as producer * Snoop Dogg's Hood of Horror (2006) * Killed on the Fourth of July (2010) * Chillerama (2011) as executive producer * Chillerama: House of Psycho Charger (PsychoCharger) ''Music Video'' (2011) * One for the Road (2011) as executive producer *

(2012) as producer * Cut/Print (2012) as producer *

(2017) as associate producer

Writer

* ''

The Deadly Spawn ''The Deadly Spawn'' is a 1983 American science fiction horror film written and directed by Douglas McKeown, and produced by Ted A. Bohus. The film's plot centers on an meteor that lands on Earth, which unleashes a carnivorous alien that finds ...

'' (1983) Additional Dialogue * ''A Christmas Treat'' (1985) * '' 2001 Maniacs'' (2005) * '' Snoop Dogg's Hood of Horror'' (2006) * ''

'' (2006) * '' 2001 Maniacs: Field of Screams'' (2010) * '' Chillerama'' (segment I was a Teenage Werebear)(2011)

Director

* ''A Christmas Treat'' (1985) * '' 2001 Maniacs'' (2005) * ''

'' (2006) * '' 2001 Maniacs: Field of Screams'' (2010) * '' Chillerama'' (segment I was a Teenage Werebear)(2011) * ''Chillerama: House of Psycho Charger'' (PsychoCharger) ''Music Video'' (2011) * ''Mad World'' (Josh Brodis) 2012 ''Music Video'' (2012) * Cut/Print ''LA Production'' (2012)

References

External links

*
Tim Sullivan at Myspace
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sullivan, Tim 1964 births American film producers American male actors American male screenwriters Living people Writers from Plainfield, New Jersey Tisch School of the Arts alumni LGBT film directors LGBT people from New Jersey Film directors from New Jersey