Gregory Dark
Encyclopedia
Gregory Dark is an American
film director
, film producer
, music video director
, and screenwriter
. Dark is one of the few adult film-makers to successfully transition into mainstream Hollywood film-making. He has also been credited as Alexander Hippolyte, as Gregory Brown, and as The Dark Brothers.
and installations
. After graduating with an M.F.A.
from Stanford University
, he moved to New York City
to pursue graduate studies in film at New York University
.
From the mid-1980s through the mid-1990s, Dark directed hardcore
and softcore
adult films. His work from this period influenced the current "Alt porn" genre.
Dark directed or produced more than 30 action films and erotic thrillers as head of production for Axis Films, a B movie
company, from 1987 to 1995. Dark's erotic thrillers in the early 1990s such as Animal Instincts I and II, Body of Influence, and Mirror Images II featured Shannon Whirry
in various stages of undress.
Dark's films of this period won him accolades such as "the Steven Spielberg
of the soft-core set" and "the Martin Scorsese
of the erotic thriller".
director who has directed more than 150 clips, helming videos for popular recording artists such as Inspectah Deck
, Xzibit
, Linkin Park
, Sublime
, Snoop Dogg
, Britney Spears
, Mandy Moore
, David Banner
, Disturbed, Busta Rhymes
, Nick Cannon
and The Calling
. He has been nominated for and won several MTV Video Music Awards
as well as awards from BET
and Billboard
for his music video work.
In 1998 Dark directed the video for "Zoot Suit Riot
" by Cherry Poppin' Daddies
, which won the Daddies a nomination for "Best New Artist in a Video" at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards
. The same year he directed "Fuck Dying" and "Pushin' Weight
" for Ice Cube
. Dark's 1998 video "What U See Is What U Get
" for Xzibit
remained at the top of the Charts on BET for almost a year and won a Source Award
. On November 22 and 23, 1999, he directed the video for "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart
" by Britney Spears. In 2000, Vitamin C's "Graduation (Friends Forever)
" and Linkin Park's "One Step Closer
" video, which was shot in Los Angeles, 63 feet underground in an abandoned subway tunnel. In 2002 he directed the video for the A*Teens cover of "Can't Help Falling in Love
" for the Disney feature Lilo & Stitch
. In mid 2002 he also directed the video for the Breaking Benjamin
single Polyamorous
.
Dark directed the music video for "Undercover Funk" by Snoop Dogg
featuring Bootsy Collins
for the film Undercover Brother
. The video featured acting performances by the film's stars Eddie Griffin
, who morphs into Snoop Dogg at the beginning of the video, and dancing and lip synching performances by Neil Patrick Harris
and Denise Richards
.
See No Evil
, was released nationwide on May 19, 2006, for WWE Films and Lions Gate Entertainment
. It was directed by Dark, written by Dan Madigan
, produced by Joel Simon, and starred professional wrestler
Kane. See No Evil grossed more than $40 million.
In 2008 Dark directed the independent film
Little Fish, Strange Pond, starring Matthew Modine
, Adam Baldwin
, Callum Blue
, Zach Galifianakis
, Liza Weil
, and Paul Adelstein
, which was retitled to Frenemy for its December 2010 DVD release. During 2009, Dark directed An Evening With Stephen Lynch, a concert film
starring comedian and musician Stephen Lynch
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, film producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
, music video director
Music video director
A music video director is driven by a given music track. These are called music videos and are then used as promotional tools for popular music singles...
, and screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
. Dark is one of the few adult film-makers to successfully transition into mainstream Hollywood film-making. He has also been credited as Alexander Hippolyte, as Gregory Brown, and as The Dark Brothers.
Early career
Dark began his career as a fine artist of both paintings and conceptual artConceptual art
Conceptual art is art in which the concept or idea involved in the work take precedence over traditional aesthetic and material concerns. Many of the works, sometimes called installations, of the artist Sol LeWitt may be constructed by anyone simply by following a set of written instructions...
and installations
Installation art
Installation art describes an artistic genre of three-dimensional works that are often site-specific and designed to transform the perception of a space. Generally, the term is applied to interior spaces, whereas exterior interventions are often called Land art; however, the boundaries between...
. After graduating with an M.F.A.
Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts is a graduate degree typically requiring 2–3 years of postgraduate study beyond the bachelor's degree , although the term of study will vary by country or by university. The MFA is usually awarded in visual arts, creative writing, filmmaking, dance, or theatre/performing arts...
from Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, he moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to pursue graduate studies in film at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
.
From the mid-1980s through the mid-1990s, Dark directed hardcore
Hardcore pornography
Hardcore pornography is a form of pornography that features explicit sexual acts. The term was coined in the second half of the 20th century to distinguish it from softcore pornography. It usually takes the form of photographs, often displayed in magazines or on the Internet, or films. It can also...
and softcore
Softcore
Softcore pornography is a form of filmic or photographic pornography or erotica that is less sexually explicit than hardcore pornography. It is intended to tickle and arouse men and women. Softcore pornography depicts nude and semi-nude performers engaging in casual social nudity or non-graphic...
adult films. His work from this period influenced the current "Alt porn" genre.
Dark directed or produced more than 30 action films and erotic thrillers as head of production for Axis Films, a B movie
B movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
company, from 1987 to 1995. Dark's erotic thrillers in the early 1990s such as Animal Instincts I and II, Body of Influence, and Mirror Images II featured Shannon Whirry
Shannon Whirry
Shannon Whirry is an American actress who was raised in Green Lake, Wisconsin.-Career:Shannon Whirry trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in the 1980s, appearing onstage in Butterflies Are Free and Mrs Warren's Profession. However, she began to work primarily in erotic B movies in...
in various stages of undress.
Dark's films of this period won him accolades such as "the Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
of the soft-core set" and "the Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese
Martin Charles Scorsese is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film historian. In 1990 he founded The Film Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to film preservation, and in 2007 he founded the World Cinema Foundation...
of the erotic thriller".
Music videos
Dark then became a sought-after music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
director who has directed more than 150 clips, helming videos for popular recording artists such as Inspectah Deck
Inspectah Deck
Jason Hunter, better known by his stage name Inspectah Deck, is an American rapper, producer, and member of the Wu-Tang Clan...
, Xzibit
Xzibit
Alvin Nathaniel Joiner , better known by his stage name Xzibit , is an American rapper, actor, and television host. He is known as the host of the MTV show Pimp My Ride, which brought him mainstream success...
, Linkin Park
Linkin Park
Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. Formed in 1996, the band rose to international fame with their debut album, Hybrid Theory, which was certified Diamond by the RIAA in 2005 and multi-platinum in several other countries...
, Sublime
Sublime (band)
Sublime was an American ska punk band from Long Beach, California, formed in 1988. The band's line-up, unchanged until their breakup, consisted of Bradley Nowell , Eric Wilson and Bud Gaugh . Michael "Miguel" Happoldt also contributed on a few Sublime songs, such as "New Thrash." Lou Dog, Nowell's...
, Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school...
, Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
, Mandy Moore
Mandy Moore
Amanda Leigh "Mandy" Moore is an American singer-songwriter, actress and fashion designer. Moore became famous as a teenager in the late 1990s, after the release of her teen pop albums So Real, I Wanna Be with You, and Mandy Moore. In 2007, she took an adult pop-folk direction with the release of...
, David Banner
David Banner
Lavell Crump , better known by his stage name David Banner, is an American rapper, record producer and occasional actor. Banner was born in Jackson, Mississippi and graduated from Southern University. He started his music career as a member of the rap duo, Crooked Lettaz before going solo in 2000...
, Disturbed, Busta Rhymes
Busta Rhymes
Trevor Tahiem Smith, Jr., better known by his stage name Busta Rhymes ,Smith is an American rapper, producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the alias Busta Rhymes after NFL wide receiver George "Buster" Rhymes...
, Nick Cannon
Nick Cannon
Nicholas Scott "Nick" Cannon is an American actor, comedian, rapper, entrepreneur, record producer, radio, and television personality. On television, Cannon began as a teenage sketch comedian on All That before going on to host The Nick Cannon Show, Wild 'N Out, and America's Got Talent...
and The Calling
The Calling
The Calling is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, best known for their hit single, "Wherever You Will Go." The group formed in 2000 and have released two albums. They have been on an indefinite hiatus since 2005.-Band history:...
. He has been nominated for and won several MTV Video Music Awards
MTV Video Music Awards
An MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos...
as well as awards from BET
Black Entertainment Television
Black Entertainment Television is an American, Viacom-owned cable network based in Washington, D.C.. Currently viewed in more than 90 million homes worldwide, it is the most prominent television network targeting young Black-American audiences. The network was launched on January 25, 1980, by its...
and Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
for his music video work.
In 1998 Dark directed the video for "Zoot Suit Riot
Zoot Suit Riot (song)
"Zoot Suit Riot" is a song by American ska-swing band the Cherry Poppin' Daddies. It was written and composed by Steve Perry as a bonus track for the band's all-swing compilation album of the same name, and thus follows a musical style similar to 1940s jump swing."Zoot Suit Riot" is often cited as...
" by Cherry Poppin' Daddies
Cherry Poppin' Daddies
The Cherry Poppin' Daddies are an American band established in Eugene, Oregon, in 1989. Formed by Steve Perry and Dan Schmid , the band has experienced many membership changes over the years, with only Perry, Schmid and Dana Heitman currently remaining from the original line-up.The Daddies' music...
, which won the Daddies a nomination for "Best New Artist in a Video" at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards
1998 MTV Video Music Awards
The 1998 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on September 10, 1998, honoring the best music videos from the previous year. The show was hosted by Ben Stiller at Gibson Amphitheatre in Los Angeles....
. The same year he directed "Fuck Dying" and "Pushin' Weight
Pushin' Weight
"Pushin' Weight" is a single by Ice Cube from his album War & Peace Vol. 1 . It features Mr. Short Khop. A music video was released and directed by Gregory Dark....
" for Ice Cube
Ice Cube
O'Shea Jackson , better known by his stage name Ice Cube, is an American rapper and actor. He began his career as a member of the hip-hop group C.I.A. and later joined the rap group N.W.A. After leaving N.W.A in December 1989, he built a successful solo career in music, and also as a writer,...
. Dark's 1998 video "What U See Is What U Get
What U See Is What U Get
"What U See Is What U Get" is the first single from Xzibit's second album, 40 Dayz & 40 Nightz. In its first week the song reached #50 on the Billboard Hot 100. It remains Xzibit's highest charting single as it peaked at #3 on Hot Rap Singles. This song was considered to be his biggest hit by fans,...
" for Xzibit
Xzibit
Alvin Nathaniel Joiner , better known by his stage name Xzibit , is an American rapper, actor, and television host. He is known as the host of the MTV show Pimp My Ride, which brought him mainstream success...
remained at the top of the Charts on BET for almost a year and won a Source Award
Source (magazine)
Source magazine is a free bi-monthly magazine published by the John Brown Group on behalf of Greenbee, John Lewis, and Waitrose, all three of which are owned by the John Lewis Partnership, with articles covering interior design, beauty, the arts, travel, finance, and lifestyle...
. On November 22 and 23, 1999, he directed the video for "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart
From the Bottom of My Broken Heart
"From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears, taken from her debut studio album, ...Baby One More Time . It was released on December 15, 1999, by Jive Records as the fifth and final single from the album...
" by Britney Spears. In 2000, Vitamin C's "Graduation (Friends Forever)
Graduation (Friends Forever)
"Graduation " is a single by American pop singer Vitamin C released in 2000 through Elektra Entertainment. It was the third single from her debut album Vitamin C. The song is considered, to date, the biggest hit of Vitamin C. The song is well known for being played at high school graduations and at...
" and Linkin Park's "One Step Closer
One Step Closer (Linkin Park song)
"One Step Closer" is a song by the American rock band Linkin Park. It was released as the first single and second track of their debut album, Hybrid Theory. This song is also featured in the game Rock Band 2....
" video, which was shot in Los Angeles, 63 feet underground in an abandoned subway tunnel. In 2002 he directed the video for the A*Teens cover of "Can't Help Falling in Love
Can't Help Falling in Love
"Can't Help Falling in Love" is a pop song originally recorded by American singer Elvis Presley and published by Gladys Music, Elvis Presley's publishing company. It was written by Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore, and George David Weiss. The melody was based on "Plaisir d'Amour" but with a different...
" for the Disney feature Lilo & Stitch
Lilo & Stitch
This article is about the movie. For the television series, see Lilo & Stitch: The Series.Lilo & Stitch is a 2002 American animated feature produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released on June 21, 2002...
. In mid 2002 he also directed the video for the Breaking Benjamin
Breaking Benjamin
Breaking Benjamin is an American rock band from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, currently consisting of Benjamin Burnley and Chad Szeliga. The band has released four studio albums to date and a greatest hits album that was released on August 16, 2011. The group initially went on indefinite hiatus due...
single Polyamorous
Polyamorous (Breaking Benjamin song)
-Music videos:Two music videos were produced for "Polyamorous." The original version deals with a voyeuristic couple whom, with the use of a joystick and various monitors for hidden cameras, are spying on other couples. The band is seen performing in the same chambers as these couples are as well...
.
Dark directed the music video for "Undercover Funk" by Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school...
featuring Bootsy Collins
Bootsy Collins
William Earl "Bootsy" Collins is an American funk bassist, singer, and songwriter.Rising to prominence with James Brown in the late 1960s, and with Parliament-Funkadelic in the '70s, Collins's driving bass guitar and humorous vocals established him as one of the leading names in funk...
for the film Undercover Brother
Undercover Brother
Undercover Brother is a 2002 American comedy film starring Eddie Griffin and directed by Malcolm D. Lee. The screenplay is by Michael McCullers and co-executive producer John Ridley, who created the original internet animation characters. It spoofs blaxploitation films of the 1970s as well as a...
. The video featured acting performances by the film's stars Eddie Griffin
Eddie Griffin
Edward James "Eddie" Griffin, Jr. is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his sitcom, Malcolm & Eddie along with co-star, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, and his role in the 2002 comedy film Undercover Brother as the film’s title character.-Early life:Griffin was born in Kansas City,...
, who morphs into Snoop Dogg at the beginning of the video, and dancing and lip synching performances by Neil Patrick Harris
Neil Patrick Harris
Neil Patrick Harris is an American actor, singer, director, and magician.Prominent roles of his career include the title role in Doogie Howser, M.D., Colonel Carl Jenkins in Starship Troopers, the womanizing Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother, a fictionalized version of himself in the Harold...
and Denise Richards
Denise Richards
Denise Lee Richards is an American actress and former fashion model of Croatian and Welsh descent. She has appeared in films including Starship Troopers, Wild Things, and The World Is Not Enough...
.
Major motion pictures
Dark's first major motion picture, horror filmHorror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
See No Evil
See No Evil (film)
See No Evil is a 2006 horror film directed by Gregory Dark, written by Dan Madigan, produced by Joel Simon, and starring professional wrestler Kane. It is the first major film produced by WWE Films and was released by Lions Gate Entertainment on May 19, 2006.The film went through many different...
, was released nationwide on May 19, 2006, for WWE Films and Lions Gate Entertainment
Lions Gate Entertainment
Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation is a North American entertainment company. The company was formed in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1997, and is headquartered in Santa Monica, California...
. It was directed by Dark, written by Dan Madigan
Dan Madigan
Dan Madigan is an American television producer, author and screenwriter. He is known for his work in the professional wrestling industry, including writing and producing for WWE Smackdown....
, produced by Joel Simon, and starred professional wrestler
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
Kane. See No Evil grossed more than $40 million.
In 2008 Dark directed the independent film
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
Little Fish, Strange Pond, starring Matthew Modine
Matthew Modine
Matthew Avery Modine is an award-winning American actor. His film roles include Private Joker in Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket, the title character in Alan Parker's Birdy, high school wrestler Louden Swain in Vision Quest, football star turned spy Alec McCall in Funky Monkey and the...
, Adam Baldwin
Adam Baldwin
Adam Baldwin is an American actor, known for his roles as Animal Mother in Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket, Ricky Linderman in My Bodyguard, Knowle Rohrer in The X-Files, and Marcus Hamilton in Joss Whedon's Angel...
, Callum Blue
Callum Blue
Daniel James Callum Blue , better known as Callum Blue, is an English film and television actor, best known for his roles on the Showtime series The Tudors and Dead Like Me as well as for his role as Zod in the American television series Smallville and British...
, Zach Galifianakis
Zach Galifianakis
Zachary Knight "Zach" Galifianakis is an American stand-up comedian and actor known for his numerous film and television appearances including his own Comedy Central Presents special...
, Liza Weil
Liza Weil
Liza Rebecca Weil is an American actress. She is known for her role as Paris Geller in the television drama Gilmore Girls and has guest-starred on programs such as The Adventures of Pete & Pete, ER, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Grey's Anatomy, and The West Wing.-Early life:Weil was born in...
, and Paul Adelstein
Paul Adelstein
Paul Adelstein is an American television and film actor, best known for the role of Agent Paul Kellerman in the television series, Prison Break, and his current role as pediatrician Cooper Freedman in the series Private Practice....
, which was retitled to Frenemy for its December 2010 DVD release. During 2009, Dark directed An Evening With Stephen Lynch, a concert film
Concert film
A concert movie, or concert film, is a type of documentary film, the subject of which is an extended live performance or concert by a musician ....
starring comedian and musician Stephen Lynch
Stephen Lynch (musician)
Stephen Andrew Lynch , is an American stand-up comedian, musician and Tony Award-nominated actor who is known for his songs mocking daily life and popular culture. Lynch has released two studio albums and two live albums along with a live DVD...
.
External links
- Gregory Dark at the Music Video Database
- Gregory Dark at LukeIsBack.comLuke FordLuke Ford is an American writer, blogger, and former pornography gossip columnist known for his disclosures and traditionalist Jewish religious views.-Personal:Ford moved to California in 1977...
- "The Devil in Greg Dark", by Tom JunodTom JunodTom Junod is an American journalist. He is the recipient of two National Magazine Awards from the American Society of Magazine Editors.-Background and education:...
, EsquireEsquire (magazine)Esquire is a men's magazine, published in the U.S. by the Hearst Corporation. Founded in 1932, it flourished during the Great Depression under the guidance of founder and editor Arnold Gingrich.-History:...
, February 1, 2001