Filmmaker Marc Rocco dies at 46 --wrote The Jacket, directed Dream a Lit

Variety
Posted: Mon., May 25, 2009


Filmmaker Marc Rocco dies at 46
Film include 'Murder in the First,' 'Day Takes You'



Marc Rocco, a film director who also produced and wrote screenplays, died in his sleep in Los Angeles on May 1. He was 46.
His death had earlier been reported on several Web sites and was recently confirmed by his wife, Lisa.

Rocco was writer-director-producer of films including "Murder in the First" and "Where the Day Takes You."

"Murder in the First," a 1995 Warners release, won a Broadcast Film Critics Association award and a SAG award nomination for Kevin Bacon.

The 1992 ensemble "Where the Day Takes You," with a cast including Will Smith, Christian Slater, Lara Flynn Boyle, James Le Gros, Kyle MacLachlan and Dermot Mulroney, was shown at several international film festivals.

His first feature was "Scenes from the Goldmine," and he also wrote, produced and directed "Dream a Little Dream" with Corey Feldman and Corey Haim.

Rocco's credits also include executive producing "Take" (2007), and writing and co-producing "The Jacket," as well as serving as executive producer on "Theresa's Tattoo."

In 2007, he directed and produced Eddie Vedder's first solo music video, for the song "Guaranteed," from the soundtrack for "Into the Wild."

In recent years, Rocco was developing "The Winter Hill Gang," and working on biopics including one of the competing biopics on Janis Joplin.

Born in North Hollywood, Rocco started his career at age 15 assisting director Richard Rush during production of "The Stunt Man." Rush, who mentored Rocco throughout his career, said in a statement, "Marc had the astonishing ability to capture a scene on film, take a deep breath and blow life into it, turning the scene into a moment of unique, dramatic truth."

He became the youngest person admitted to the Directors Guild Trainee program, working shows such as "The Dukes of Hazzard" and "The A-Team." He was sponsored for Directors Guild membership by Rush, Martin Scorsese and Oliver Stone.

He is survived by his wife, a brother, a sister and his adoptive father, actor Alex Rocco.

For information about a planned memorial or to make a donation to the memorial fund, e-mail info@marcrocco.com.