Robert Gerard Tapert (born May 14, 1955), sometimes credited as Rob Tapert, Robert G. Tapert, or Rip Tapert, is an American film producer, best known for his co-founding of, and his subsequent work with, the Renaissance Pictures company.
Tapert first become involved with filmmaking while attending Michigan State University. He intended to study economics, but was drawn into film courses by his roommate Ivan Raimi's brother Sam. Sam Raimi had been making films of his own in his native Michigan for many years, usually with his brothers Ivan and Ted, and Raimi's childhood friend Bruce Campbell. Ultimately, Sam Raimi and Tapert decided that they should make a film together.
The result of this endeavour was The Happy Valley Kid, the story of a young man, played by Tapert, who goes to college, only to be met with rejection at every turn. Near the end of the film, he loses his mind, dresses up as a cowboy, and begins gunning down all those who wronged him. Despite its seemingly serious plot, the film is largely a comedy. The film was screened at Michigan State several times, and made a profit for Raimi and Tapert. This spurred them onto the idea of making a feature film.
Ultimately, when this feature film was produced, it was a graphic horror film titled The Evil Dead, directed by Sam Raimi and starring Bruce Campbell. Thanks to a glowing review from author Stephen King, the film was a wild success with the crowd at the Cannes Film Festival in France, despite not enamouring other critics. The film was successful enough to spawn two sequels, Evil Dead II and Army Of Darkness.
Tapert has also produced numerous other films, typically involving Sam Raimi and/or Bruce Campbell in some capacity, such as Crimewave, Easy Wheels, Lunatics: A Love Story, Darkman, Timecop, The Gift, The Grudge (and its sequel, The Grudge 2) and 30 Days of Night.
During the 1990s, Tapert produced several television series, most notably Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess.
He has been married to Xena star Lucy Lawless since March 28, 1998. They have two sons: Julius Robert Bay Tapert (born October 16, 1999) and Judah Miro Tapert (born May 7, 2002).
References
Robert G. Tapert at the Internet Movie Database
Warren, Bill. The Evil Dead Companion, ISBN 0-312-27501-3.
v • d • e
Sam Raimi's Evil Dead series
The Evil Dead (1981) · Evil Dead II (1987) · Army of Darkness (1993)
Cast
Bruce Campbell · Ellen Sandweiss · Betsy Baker · Embeth Davidtz · Bridget Fonda · Dan Hicks · Marcus Gilbert
Crew
Sam Raimi · Scott Spiegel · Ivan Raimi · Bob Murawski · Robert Tapert · Dino De Laurentiis
Related films
Within the Woods · La Casa 3 · La Casa 4 · La Casa 5 · My Name Is Bruce
Video games
The Evil Dead • Evil Dead: Hail to the King • Evil Dead: A Fistful of Boomstick • Evil Dead: Regeneration
Comic books
Ashes 2 Ashes • Shop till You Drop Dead • Marvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness • Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash
Other topics
Ash Williams • Necronomicon Ex-Mortis • Characters and locations • Evil Dead: The Musical
External links
Rob Tapert Online - News & Multimedia Fan Site
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Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Tapert"
Categories: 1955 births | American film producers | Evil Dead | Living people | Michigan State University alumni
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