United States
•
19 views
Robert Rafelson
New York City, United States
Archival Overview
Maverick New Hollywood director and producer who co-founded BBS Productions, co-created television pop sensation The Monkees, produced Dennis Hopper's counterculture milestone Easy Rider, and directed Jack Nicholson in Five Easy Pieces and The King of Marvin Gardens.
Biographical Record
Robert Rafelson was born into a cultured German-Jewish family in Manhattan and studied philosophy at Dartmouth College. In 1965, he partnered with Bert Schneider to form Raybert Productions (later BBS Productions). Inspired by The Beatles' A Hard Day's Night, they created The Monkees television series (1966–1968), creating an overnight pop music sensation that sold millions of records and won an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series.
Reinvesting their fortune into artistic freedom, Rafelson and Schneider catalyzed the New Hollywood cinema revolution. They financed Dennis Hopper's Easy Rider (1969) and Peter Bogdanovich's The Last Picture Show (1971). Rafelson personally directed Jack Nicholson to superstardom in Five Easy Pieces (1970), earning Academy Award nominations for Best Picture and Best Screenplay (including the famous diner chicken salad scene), and directed Nicholson again in The King of Marvin Gardens (1972) and The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981).
Key Life Milestones
Production of Easy Rider
Financed and co-produced the groundbreaking counterculture road movie that launched the New Hollywood era.
Five Easy Pieces Release
Directed Jack Nicholson in his breakout dramatic masterpiece, receiving four Academy Award nominations.
Memorial Guestbook & Tributes
0 messages recordedLeave a Respectful Tribute
Final Resting Place
Perpetual MemorialAspen, Colorado, United States