George Arthur "Rusty" Cundieff(born December 13, 1960) is an American film and television director, actor, and writer known for his work onFear of a Black Hat(1993),Tales from the Hood(1995), andChappelle's Show(2003–2006).[1]
Rusty Cundieff | |
|---|---|
| Born | George Arthur Cundieff December 13, 1960 Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania,U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, film director, producer, writer |
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Known for | Fear of a Black Hat Tales from the Hood Sprung Chappelle's Show |
Biography
editCundieff was born inPittsburgh, Pennsylvaniato Christina and John A. Cundieff.[2]He studied journalism atLoyola Universityin New Orleans and the philosophy of religion at theUniversity of Southern California.[1]While at USC, Cundieff became a member ofAlpha Phi Alpha,a historically African American fraternity.[3]
He is married to Trina Davis Cundieff, with whom he has two children: Simone Christina and Thelonious Jon Davis.[4]
Film career
editAfter graduating from USC in 1982, Cundieff performed stand-up comedy in Los Angeles while looking for opportunities to act.[1]His first major role was a year-long run as Theo Carver onDays of Our Livesin 1985.[1]In 1988, he played Big Brother Chucky inSpike Lee'sSchool Daze.[5]Cundieff was inspired by his experience working with Lee on the film to pursue writing and directing in addition to acting, and at age 29 he wrote, directed, and starred in the well-received 1993 rap parodyFear of a Black Hat.[6]
He directed and co-wrote the 1995 horror anthologyTales from the Hood.He directed sequels in 2018 and 2020,Tales from the Hood 2andTales from the Hood 3,projects that he said he had been trying to make for 20 years, but that the success ofGet Outhad opened the door for.[7]
Cundieff was also a correspondent onMichael Moore's comic TV magazine showTV Nationin the mid-1990s.[8]
In 2013, along with 12 others he received aRazzie Award for Worst Directorfor directing a segment in the anthology comedy filmMovie 43.
Filmography
editActor
edit| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Welcome to the Fun Zone | Host | TV movie |
| 1986 | 3:15 | M-16's | |
| 1987 | Hollywood Shuffle | Audition Actor / Slave #1 / Zombie Pimp | |
| 1988 | School Daze | Big Brother Chucky | |
| 1992 | Eddie Presley | Guard | |
| 1993 | Fear of a Black Hat | Ice Cold | Also writer and director. |
| 1995 | Tales from the Hood | Richard | Also writer and director. |
| 1997 | Sprung | Montel | Also writer and director. |
| 2003 | The Devon Taylor Show | Ice Cold | TV movie |
| 2018 | Tales from the Hood 2 | Press Conference Reporter | Also writer and director. |
| Year | Show | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Days of Our Lives | Theo Carver | |
| 1985 | What's Happening Now! | J.B. Whitney | 1 episode |
| 1985 | MacGruder and Loud | Perry | 1 episode |
| 1990 | thirtysomething | Student #5 | 1 episode |
| 2003 | Chappelle's Show | Ystur Feidnuc D.D.S. / Richard Pryor | 2 episodes |
Director
edit| Year | Film | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Fear of a Black Hat | |
| 1995 | Tales from the Hood | |
| 1996 | Clueless | 1 episode |
| 1997 | Sprung | |
| 2000 | The New Adventures of Spin and Marty: Suspect Behavior | TV movie |
| 2005 | Bitch House | |
| 2006 | The Bernie Mac Show | 1 episode |
| 2006 | So Notorious | 1 episode |
| 2003-2006 | Chappelle's Show | 25 episodes |
| 2006 | The Brandon T. Jackson Show | TV movie |
| 2006 | Campus Ladies | 1 episode |
| 2007 | Human Giant | 3 episodes |
| 2008 | Somebodies | 4 episodes |
| 2008 | Chocolate News | Segment director, 12 episodes |
| 2009-2010 | The Wanda Sykes Show | Segment director, 21 episodes |
| 2013 | Movie 43 | Segment director, "Victory's Glory" |
| 2013 | Second Generation Wayans | 3 episodes |
| 2013 | The Devon Taylor Show | TV movie |
| 2013 | The Hustle | 2 episodes |
| 2018 | Tales from the Hood 2 | director |
| 2020 | Tales from the Hood 3 | director |
| 2023 | 57 Seconds | director |
References
edit- ^abcdDonalson, Melvin (2010).Black Directors in Hollywood.University of Texas Press. pp.261.ISBN978-0-292-70179-3.
- ^"Rusty Cundieff: Biography".IMDB.Retrieved1 March2015.
- ^Parks, Gregory (2011).Alpha Phi Alpha: A Legacy of Greatness, The Demands of Transcendence.The University Press of Kentucky. p. 364.ISBN978-0813134215.
- ^"Marriages, Births, and Deaths".USC Trojan Family Magazine.University of Southern California. Spring 2004. Archived fromthe originalon 2 April 2015.Retrieved1 March2015.
- ^"Rusty Cundieff: Filmography".IMDB.Retrieved1 March2015.
- ^Levine, Robert (2 June 1994)."Meet the Ice Cold King of Gagsta Rap: Rusty Cundieff's 'Fear of a Black Hat' Was Inspired by 'Spinal Tap'".Los Angeles Times.Retrieved1 March2015.
- ^Kohn, Eric (13 July 2018)."'Tales From the Hood' Director Rusty Cundieff: Why It Took 20 Years to Make a Sequel to His Black Horror Anthology ".IndieWire.Retrieved10 October2020.
- ^"TV Nation Episodes".tvguide.com.Retrieved21 October2018.
