Wes Craven Biography

Fast Facts

• His parents were strict Baptists and he was not allowed to watch horror movies as a kid
• While in college, he suffered a viral infection of the spine that temporarily paralyzed him from the chest down
• After grad school, he became a college professor and later taught at a high school
• Had aspirations to be an author; changed career paths after he saw the 1968 horror film Night of the Living Dead
• Got his start in the movie industry in 1969 as a messenger; later worked at a post-production company as a sound editor
• Released his debut novel, The Fountain Society, in 1999
• Directed his first non-horror movie, Music of the Heart, in 1999
• Was an avid nature and bird lover, and joined the Audubon California Board of Directors in 2010