George A. Romero Biography

Fast Facts

• Graduated from Carnegie Mellon University, where he studied film and theater
• Started out making short films and commercials, including a stint making educational shorts for the PBS children's series "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood․"
• Quote: "(On his early inspiration, "The Tales of Hoffmann"): "It was a fantasy and it had a few frightening, sort of bizarre things in it․․․it gave me an early appreciation for the power of visual media-the fact that you could experiment with it․""
• Quote: "I also have always liked the monster within idea․ I like the zombies being us․ Zombies are the blue-collar monsters․"
• After the success of "Night of the Living Dead," he attempted other non-zombie films like "There's Always Vanilla" and "The Crazies," but returned to the zombie genre with "Dawn of the Dead" in 1978
• Best known as the classic zombie film creator, director, and producer behind 1968's "Night of the Living Dead․"
• Despite their often graphic violence, his films are also social commentaries, exploring themes like the modern family with "Night of the Living Dead" and consumerism with "Dawn of the Dead․"
• Has worked with legendary horror writer Stephen King on films like "The Dark Half" and the "Creepshow" series
• Directed a live-action commercial for the video game "Resident Evil 2" in 1998 and later wrote a script for the first "Resident Evil" film, although it was later rejected for Paul W․ S․ Anderson's version
• Has made cameo appearances in several of his films, including a reporter from Washington in 1968's "Night of the Living Dead․"