Robert Tapert
Encyclopedia
Robert Gerard Tapert 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.
. 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.
He has two sisters Dorothy Tapert and Mary Beth Tapert, he also has a younger brother, Jeff Tapert.
, 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 enamoring 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
.
Tapert's most recent television project, Spartacus: Blood and Sand
for Starz, premiered in 2010. He produced, with his friend Sam Raimi
, the Ghost House Pictures project Panic Attack!, who is directed by Uruguayan filmmaker Fede Alvarez. Tapert will produce alongside Sam Raimi
the Ghost House Production project Dibbuk Box.
On July 13, 2011 it was announced that Tapert along with Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell would be producing the upcoming remake of The Evil Dead
through Ghost House Pictures.
since March 28, 1998. They have two sons: Julius Robert Bay Tapert (born October 16, 1999) and Judah Miro Tapert (born May 7, 2002). Tapert is also the stepfather of Lucy's daughter, Daisy Lawless.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
, best known for his co-founding of, and his subsequent work with, the Renaissance Pictures
Renaissance Pictures
Renaissance Pictures is an American film production company. Founded by director Sam Raimi, producer Rob Tapert and actor Bruce Campbell, with help from publicist Irvin Shapiro, on August 10, 1979, to produce their film The Evil Dead, along with its sequels Evil Dead II and Army of...
company.
Biography
Tapert first became involved with filmmaking while attending Michigan State UniversityMichigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
. He intended to study economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
, but was drawn into film courses by his roommate Ivan Raimi
Ivan Raimi
Ivan M. Raimi is an American screenwriter and doctor of osteopathic medicine.-Career:Ivan, the third of five children, was born in Royal Oak, Michigan, the son of Celia Barbara , who owned lingerie shops, and Leonard Ronald Raimi, who owned home furnishing stores. Ivan was raised in Conservative...
's brother Sam
Sam Raimi
Samuel Marshall "Sam" Raimi is an American film director, producer, actor and writer. He is best known for directing cult horror films like the Evil Dead series, Darkman and Drag Me to Hell, as well as the blockbuster Spider-Man films and the producer of the successful TV series Hercules: The...
. Sam Raimi had been making films of his own in his native Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
for many years, usually with his brothers Ivan and Ted
Ted Raimi
Theodore "Ted"/"Half Ted" Raimi is an American actor, perhaps best known for his roles as Lieutenant Tim O'Neill in seaQuest DSV and Joxer the Mighty in Xena: Warrior Princess/Hercules: The Legendary Journeys...
, and Raimi's childhood friend Bruce Campbell
Bruce Campbell
Bruce Lorne Campbell is an American film and television actor. As a cult movie actor, Campbell starred as Ashley J. "Ash" Williams in Sam Raimi's Evil Dead series of films and he has starred in many low-budget cult films such as Crimewave, Maniac Cop, Bubba Ho-tep, Escape From L.A. and Sundown:...
. Ultimately, Sam Raimi and Tapert decided that they should make a film together.
He has two sisters Dorothy Tapert and Mary Beth Tapert, he also has a younger brother, Jeff Tapert.
Producing career
The result of this endeavor 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 cowboyCowboy
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of...
, 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
Horror 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...
titled The Evil Dead
The Evil Dead
The Evil Dead is a 1981 horror film written and directed by Sam Raimi, starring Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, and Betsy Baker. The film is a story of five college students vacationing in an isolated cabin in a wooded area...
, directed by Sam Raimi and starring Bruce Campbell. Thanks to a glowing review from author Stephen King
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
, the film was a wild success with the crowd at the Cannes
Cannes
Cannes is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera, a busy tourist destination and host of the annual Cannes Film Festival. It is a Commune of France in the Alpes-Maritimes department....
Film Festival in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, despite not enamoring other critics. The film was successful enough to spawn two sequels, Evil Dead II
Evil Dead II
Evil Dead II, also known as Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn, is a 1987 horror comedy film directed by Sam Raimi. It is a retcon sequel to the 1981 film The Evil Dead. The film was written by Raimi and Scott Spiegel, produced by Rob Tapert and starring Bruce Campbell as Ash Williams...
and Army Of Darkness
Army of Darkness
Army of Darkness, also known as Evil Dead III: Army of Darkness or simply Evil Dead III, is a 1992 horror comedy fantasy action film directed by Sam Raimi. It is the third and final installment in The Evil Dead trilogy. The film was written by Raimi and his brother Ivan, produced by Robert Tapert,...
.
Tapert has also produced numerous other films, typically involving Sam Raimi and/or Bruce Campbell in some capacity, such as Crimewave
Crimewave
Crimewave is a 1985 comedy film directed by Sam Raimi, an unusual slapstick mix of film noir, black comedy and several eras, starring Reed Birney, Paul L. Smith, Louise Lasser, Brion James, Bruce Campbell, and Sheree J. Wilson. It was Raimi's first studio film following the success of The Evil Dead...
, Easy Wheels
Easy Wheels
Easy Wheels was written by Ivan Raimi and his brother Sam Raimi, and directed by David O'Malley. It was produced in between Evil Dead 2 and Darkman, and released in 1989....
, Lunatics: A Love Story
Lunatics: A Love Story
Lunatics: A Love Story is a 1991 comedy romance film with neo-noir connections written and directed by Josh Becker, starring Ted Raimi, Deborah Foreman and Bruce Campbell...
, Darkman
Darkman
Darkman is a 1990 superhero action film directed by Sam Raimi. It is based on a short story Raimi wrote that paid homage to Universal's horror films of the 1930s...
, Timecop
Timecop
Timecop is a 1994 science-fiction thriller film directed by Peter Hyams and co-written by Mike Richardson and Mark Verheiden. Richardson was also executive producer...
, The Gift, The Grudge
The Grudge
The Grudge is the 2004 American remake of the Japanese film Ju-on: The Grudge, and the first horror film in the Ju-on series, Ju-on 1. The film is the first installment in the American horror film series The Grudge...
(and its sequel, The Grudge 2
The Grudge 2
The Grudge 2 is the 2006 sequel to the 2004 American horror film remake The Grudge. The Grudge 2 is the second film in Sony's The Grudge series and is directed by Takashi Shimizu and written by Stephen Susco. The film is produced by Sam Raimi and stars Sarah Michelle Gellar, Amber Tamblyn, Arielle...
) and 30 Days of Night
30 Days of Night
30 Days of Night is a three-issue horror comic book mini-series written by Steve Niles, illustrated by Ben Templesmith, and published by IDW Publishing in 2002. All three parties co-own the property....
.
During the 1990s, Tapert produced several television series, most notably Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys is a television series, filmed in New Zealand and the United States. It was produced from 1995, and was very loosely based on the tales of the classical Greek culture hero Heracles...
and Xena: Warrior Princess
Xena: Warrior Princess
Xena: Warrior Princess is an American–New Zealand supernatural fantasy adventure series that aired in syndication from September 4, 1995 until June 18, 2001....
.
Tapert's most recent television project, Spartacus: Blood and Sand
Spartacus: Blood and Sand
Spartacus: Blood and Sand is a Starz television series that premiered on January 22, 2010. The series is inspired by the historical figure of Spartacus , a Thracian gladiator who from 73 to 71 BC led a major slave uprising against the Roman Republic. Executive producers Steven S...
for Starz, premiered in 2010. He produced, with his friend Sam Raimi
Sam Raimi
Samuel Marshall "Sam" Raimi is an American film director, producer, actor and writer. He is best known for directing cult horror films like the Evil Dead series, Darkman and Drag Me to Hell, as well as the blockbuster Spider-Man films and the producer of the successful TV series Hercules: The...
, the Ghost House Pictures project Panic Attack!, who is directed by Uruguayan filmmaker Fede Alvarez. Tapert will produce alongside Sam Raimi
Sam Raimi
Samuel Marshall "Sam" Raimi is an American film director, producer, actor and writer. He is best known for directing cult horror films like the Evil Dead series, Darkman and Drag Me to Hell, as well as the blockbuster Spider-Man films and the producer of the successful TV series Hercules: The...
the Ghost House Production project Dibbuk Box.
On July 13, 2011 it was announced that Tapert along with Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell would be producing the upcoming remake of The Evil Dead
The Evil Dead
The Evil Dead is a 1981 horror film written and directed by Sam Raimi, starring Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, and Betsy Baker. The film is a story of five college students vacationing in an isolated cabin in a wooded area...
through Ghost House Pictures.
Personal life
Tapert was in a 12 year relationship with screenwriter Jane Goe, before leaving her for his leading lady Lucy Lawless. He has been married to Xena star Lucy LawlessLucy Lawless
Lucy Lawless, MNZM is a New Zealander actress and singer best known for playing the title character of the internationally successful television series Xena: Warrior Princess....
since March 28, 1998. They have two sons: Julius Robert Bay Tapert (born October 16, 1999) and Judah Miro Tapert (born May 7, 2002). Tapert is also the stepfather of Lucy's daughter, Daisy Lawless.