Jonathan Demme

Jonathan Demme was a director, producer and writer best known for his Oscar- and Golden Globe-winning work on the 1991 thriller The Silence of the Lambs.

He also directed the films Married to the Mob, Philadelphia, Rachel Getting Married, the 2004 remake of The Manchurian Candidate and Ricki and the Flash, as well as music documentaries starring Talking Heads, Neil Young, Kenny Chesney and Justin Timberlake. He also served as a producer on Beloved and Adaptation.

Additionally, Demme helmed episodes of the series Columbo, Saturday Night Live, The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Killing, The New Yorker Presents and Shots Fired.

Demme’s interest in a career in entertainment began while he was studying at the University of Florida, where he reviewed movies for the school’s newspaper. After moving to England in 1969, he began his career producing television commercials.

Demme died April 26, 2017, in New York. He was 73.