
Bert I. Gordon
Personal Info
Known for
Directing
Gender
Male
Birthday
1922-09-24
Day of Death
2023-03-08 (100 years old)
Place of Birth
Kenosha, Wisconsin, USA
Bert I. Gordon
Biography
Bert Ira Gordon (born September 24, 1922 in Kenosha, WI) was an American film director most famous for such science fiction and horror B-movies as The Amazing Colossal Man and Village of the Giants.
Most of Gordon's work was in the idiom of giant monster films, for which he used rear-projection to create the special effects. His nickname "Mister B.I.G." was a reference both to his initials and to his preferred technique for making super-sized creatures.
Gordon held a degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He began his career directing television commercials before moving to film in 1954 to produce Serpent Island. In 1957, he began his prolific association with American International Pictures.
In 1960, he wrote, produced and directed The Boy and the Pirates, starring then active and popular child star Charles Herbert alongside Gordon's own daughter, Susan. The trio appeared together in the celebrity lineup at the 2006 Monster Bash in Pittsburgh, as The Walt Disney Company's Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) spiked interest in previous "pirate" films.
Empire of the Ants (1977) featured a pre-Dynasty Joan Collins, who later said of the film that it was her worst acting experience, but by then the loosely-based modernized H. G. Wells tale had been elevated to cult film status.
While none of his films received significant critical attention, his work attained popularity in some circles. Cult TV series Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K) has featured several of his films, which the accompanying episodes are often regarded as some of the show's best.
Gordon passed away on March 8, 2023, at 100 years old.
Description above from the Wikipedia article Bert I. Gordon, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
Acting
(2021)
Hollywood in the Atomic Age: Monsters! Martians! Mad Scientists!
as Self (archive footage)
Crew
(2015)
Secrets of a Psychopath
Writer, Director, Executive Producer
(1989)
Satan's Princess
Director, Producer
(1985)
The Big Bet
Producer, Director, Writer
(1983)
The Witching
Director
(1982)
Let's Do It!
Producer, Writer, Editor, Director
(1981)
Burned at the Stake
Director, Writer, Producer
(1977)
Empire of the Ants
Director, Producer, Screenstory, Visual Effects
(1976)
The Food of the Gods
Screenplay, Director, Visual Effects, Producer
(1973)
The Mad Bomber
Screenplay, Director of Photography, Producer, Director
(1972)
Necromancy
Director, Writer, Producer
(1970)
How to Succeed with Sex
Director, Screenplay
(1966)
Picture Mommy Dead
Director, Producer
(1965)
Village of the Giants
Director, Producer, Screenstory, Visual Effects
(1962)
The Magic Sword
Screenstory, Director, Producer, Visual Effects
(1961)
Famous Ghost Stories
Director, Story, Writer, Producer
(1960)
Tormented
Director, Producer, Visual Effects, Story
(1960)
The Boy and the Pirates
Director, Story, Producer, Visual Effects
(1958)
The Spider
Director, Screenstory, Producer, Special Effects
(1958)
Attack of the Puppet People
Director, Story, Special Effects, Producer
(1958)
War of the Colossal Beast
Director, Producer, Screenstory, Special Effects
(1957)
The Amazing Colossal Man
Director, Screenplay, Producer
(1957)
The Cyclops
Director, Writer, Special Effects, Producer
(1957)
Beginning of the End
Director, Special Effects, Producer
(1955)
King Dinosaur
Story, Director, Producer
(1954)
Serpent Island
Director of Photography, Producer, Supervising Editor, Director, Writer