David Alexander Hess
David Alexander Hess , also David Hess ; David Dante and David Hill (born September 19, 1936 in New York City , New York - † October 8, 2011 ) was an American musician , composer , film director , film producer and actor .
Career as a musician
Hess began his music career in 1957 under the pseudonym "David Hill" as a songwriter. His first record, All Shook Up , was a hit and was later taken over by Elvis Presley , for whom he wrote other successful songs during the 1960s. These included Come Along and I Got Stung , which was later covered by the Beatles .
Pat Boone ranked sixth on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1963 with his version of the David Hess song Speedy Gonzales . His single sold over 8 million times worldwide. This was followed by two solo albums and a top 10 hit called Two Brothers .
In 1969 David Hess became head of the A&R department at Mercury Records in New York. In 1972 he moved to Polygram Records in Munich.
Acting career
In 1972 Hess played the role of the criminal Krug in Wes Craven's controversial film The Last House on the Left . This was followed by other roles in action and horror films such as The Schlitzer by controversial filmmaker Ruggero Deodato , Cravens The Thing from the Swamp and Zodiac Killer . There were also a number of guest appearances in well-known television series such as Das A-Team or Knight Rider .
Filmography as an actor (selection)
- 1970: Cold sweat (De la part des copains)
- 1972: The Last House on the Left (The Last House on the Left)
- 1975: Potato Fritz
- 1976: On balance murder (The Swiss Conspiracy)
- 1976: The 21 Hours of Munich (21 Hours at Munich) - (Director: William A. Graham)
- 1977: If you die, I'll live! (Autostop rosso sangue)
- 1979: Avalanche Express (Avalanche Express)
- 1980: The Schlitzer (La casa sperduta nel parco)
- 1982: The Swamp Thing
- 1983: White Star
- 1991: The Kaltenbach Papers (two-part television series)
- 1991: Buck's greatest adventure (Buck ai confini del cielo)
- 1993: Revenge of the White Indian (Jonathan degli orsi)
- 1996: Two angels with four fists (Noi siamo angeli)
- 2004: Zombie Nation
- 2005: Ulli Lommel's Zodiac Killer
- 2009: Smash Cut
Filmography as a director
- 1980: To All A Goodnight
Web links
- David Alexander Hess in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- David Hess did this at 75 in the New York Times
Individual evidence
- ↑ Rest in Peace - David Hess
- ↑ Life data in imdb.com (accessed on October 20, 2011.)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Hess, David Alexander |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Hill, David; Dante, David (pseudonym); Hess, David A .; Hess, David (other names) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American musician, film director, film producer, and actor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | September 19, 1936 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | New York City , New York, United States |
| DATE OF DEATH | October 8, 2011 |