Biography
Though he was related to Oscar-winning director Jonathan Demme, director Ted Demme eschewed any hint of nepotism to gain success in Hollywood through years of hard work. Starting as a production assistant, Demme worked his way up to producer before creating the seminal show "Yo! MTV Raps" (MTV, 1988-1995), which helped introduce hip-hop to the mainstream masses. From there, he made his debut as a feature director with old friend Denis Leary in …
Latest Tv Credits
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Career Milestones
| After college, bartended at New York Jet Joe Klecko's Long Island restaurant | ||
| Grew up in Rockville Centre, Long Island | ||
| With MTV co-worker Joel Stillerman, formed Spanky Pictures | ||
1986 | Worked as production assistant, then producer and director, at MTV; big break came in 1988 when he created successful hip-hop pilot which became the smash weekly half-hour show "Yo! MTV Raps"; also introduced Denis Leary in 30-second spots as the Crazy Angry Smoking Guy | |
1992 | Directorial debut with short, "The Bet" | |
1993 | Co-directed (with his uncle Jonathan) Bruce Springstein's "Streets of Philadelphia" video | |
1993 | Feature directorial debut, "Who's the Man?" | |
1993 | Helmed the Showtime adaptation of "Denis Leary: No Cure for Cancer" | |
1994 | Helmed the black comedy "The Ref", starring Leary and Judy Davis | |
1996 | Earned praise for the ensemble drama "Beautiful Girls" | |
1997 | Directed "Manhattan Miracle" segment of HBO's "Subway Stories: Tales from the Underground" | |
1997 | Helmed "Denis Leary: Lock 'n' Load" (HBO) | |
1997 | Helmed "The Hole", an episode of the ABC series "Gun"; also played small role | |
1998 | Produced (with Stillerman) "Rounders", directed by John Dahl | |
1998 | Reteamed with Leary for the crime drama"Monument Ave" | |
1999 | Directed the Martin Lawrence-Eddie Murphy prison comedy "Life" | |
1999 | Served as one of the executive producers of the Emmy-winning HBO movie "A Lesson Before Dying" | |
1999 | Was an executive producer of "Tumbleweeds", Gavin O'Connor's feature which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival; O'Connor had acted in Demme's debut feature | |
1999 | Was creative consultant on the Fox series "Action", a behind-the-scenes look at Hollywood; executive produced and directed show's pilot | |
2001 | With Stillerman, produced "Blow", the biopic of cocaine trafficker George Jung; also directed; Leary served as executive producer | |
Awards
1999 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Made For Television Movie in A Lesson Before Dying |
2004 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Nonfiction Special in A Decade Under the Influence |