Bob Rafelson, the writer, director, and producer who helped launch Jack Nicholson’s career while quietly working on some of the most influential films of the ‘60s and ‘70s, has died at the age of 89, his ex-wife Gabrielle Taurek confirmed.Rafelson was best known for writing and directing “Five Easy Pieces” in 1970, which earned him critical acclaim and two Oscar nominations for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay.
He also produced “Easy Rider” and “The Last Picture Show,” directed the “All Night Long” music video for Lionel Richie, and co-created “The Monkees.”Born in New York City in 1933, Rafelson studied at Dartmouth College and was later stationed in Japan while serving in the U.S.
Army.
While there he found work as a translator of Japanese films, a job that led him to fall in love with the works of Yasujiro Ozu.“I’d have to watch an Ozu movie over and over again — say,
Read full article