Ramón Menéndez (born January 21, 1950) is a Cuban-American film director and screenwriter. He is best known for writing and directing the 1988 film '' Stand and Deliver''. His other film directing credits include ''

Money for Nothing "Money for Nothing" is a song by the British rock band Dire Straits, the second track on their fifth studio album '' Brothers in Arms'' (1985). It was released as the album's second single on 28 June 1985 through Vertigo Records. The song's lyr ...

'' (1993) starring

John Cusack John Paul Cusack ( ; born June 28, 1966)(28 June 1996)Today's birthdays ''Santa Cruz Sentinel'', ("Actors John Cusack is 30") is an American actor. With a career spanning over four decades, he has appeared in over 80 films. He began acting in f ...

and the

Disney Channel Disney Channel is an American pay television television channel, channel that serves as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Company ...

original film ''

Gotta Kick It Up! ''Gotta Kick It Up!'' is a 2002 American sports comedy-drama film released as a Disney Channel Original Movie. In the United States, it debuted on July 26, 2002. It is based on a true story of a middle school dance team. The film was directed ...

'' (2002). He also served as a screenwriter for all of the films he directed. His only film as a screenwriter and not as a director was the 2001 film ''

Tortilla Soup Tortilla soup () is a traditional Mexican soup containing fried corn tortilla. Although the exact origin of tortilla soup is unknown, it is particularly common in the Mexico City area in Mexico. Traditional tortilla soup is made with chicken b ...

''. He has also worked in episodic television, directing episodes ''

Tales from the Crypt Tales from the Crypt may refer to: * ''Tales from the Crypt'' (album), by American rapper C-Bo * ''Tales from the Crypt'' (comics), published by EC Comics during the 1950s ** ''Tales from the Crypt'' (film), a 1972 Amicus film starring Ralph Ric ...

'' and '' Perversions of Science'', in 1994 and 1997, respectively. Menéndez won two

Independent Spirit Award The Independent Spirit Awards, originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards, and later as the Film Independent Spirit Awards, are awards presented annually in Santa Monica, California, to independent filmmakers. Founded in ...

s for his work on '' Stand and Deliver''. Menéndez is a native of Cuba and grew up in California. He is an alumnus of

San Francisco State University San Francisco State University (San Francisco State, SF State and SFSU) is a Public university, public research university in San Francisco, California, United States. It was established in 1899 as the San Francisco State Normal School and is ...

and

UCLA Film School The UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television (UCLA TFT), is one of the 12 schools within the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) located in Los Angeles, California. Its creation was groundbreaking in that it was the first time a leadi ...

. His first credit in film industry was serving as an assistant director on the

Oliver Stone William Oliver Stone (born ) is an American filmmaker. Stone is an acclaimed director, tackling subjects ranging from the Vietnam War and American politics to musical film, musical Biographical film, biopics and Crime film, crime dramas. He has ...

-directed film ''

Salvador Salvador, meaning "salvation" (or "saviour") in Catalan, Spanish, and Portuguese may refer to: * Salvador (name) Arts, entertainment, and media Music *Salvador (band), a Christian band that plays both English and Spanish music ** ''Salvador'' ( ...

'' (1986), he also had a small acting role in the film. He is a frequent collaborator with film producer

Tom Musca Tom Musca (born 1951) is an American filmmaker and professor. Biography Musca received a BA from Rutgers University in 1973 and an MFA from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1981. Musca's best known work was as the writer and produce ...

Filmography

*''

Madame X ''Madame X'' (original title ''La Femme X'') is a 1908 Play (theatre), play by French playwright Alexandre Bisson (1848–1912). It was novelized in English and adapted for the American stage; it was also adapted for the screen sixteen times ...

'' (1981, actor, as Luis) *''

'' (1986, first assistant director, also actor as Gomez) *''

Life Is Most Important ''Life Is Most Important'' () is a 1987 Mexican drama film directed by Luis Alcoriza. It was entered into the 15th Moscow International Film Festival. The film was selected as the Mexican entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 60th Academ ...

'' (1987, actor, as Gregorio) *'' Stand and Deliver'' (1988, director and screenwriter) *''

'' (1993, director and screenwriter) *''

'' (1994, director, episode: "The Bribe") *'' Perversions of Science'' (1997, director, episode: "Given the Heir") *''

'' (2001, screenwriter) *''

'' (2002, director, teleplay writer)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Menendez, Ramon 1950 births American male screenwriters Cuban emigrants to the United States Independent Spirit Award for Best Director winners Living people San Francisco State University alumni UCLA Film School alumni Cuban film directors Cuban screenwriters Cuban male writers