Sam Irvin (born June 14, 1956) is an American film and television director, producer, screenwriter, actor, author and film teacher.
Irvin's directing credits include Guilty as Charged, Oblivion, Elvira's Haunted Hills, and all the episodes of two television series: Dante's Cove and From Here on OUT. His other credits include co-executive producer of Bill Condon's Academy Award-winner Gods and Monsters; associate producer of Brian De Palma's Home Movies; and historical consultant on the Tony Award-winner Liza's at the Palace. Irvin authored the acclaimed biography Kay Thompson: From Funny Face to Eloise (Simon & Schuster), the children's book parody Sam's Toilet Paper Caper! (Knuckle Samwitch Books), and the novel ORBGASM: An Erotic Pulp Sci-Fi Satyricon (Knuckle Samwitch Books). Irvin has won two Rondo Awards for Best Article of the Year ("The Epic Saga Behind Frankenstein: The True Story" published in Little Shoppe of Horrors magazine #38) and Best Interview of the Year ("Elvira Exposed!" published in Screem magazine #36). Between projects, Irvin taught graduate courses on directing at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts.
Career Samuel Lowe Irvin, Jr. was born June 14, 1956, in Asheville, North Carolina. His grandfather, Warren Irvin, was the district manager for Wilby-Kincey Theaters, a chain of cinemas throughout the southeastern United States. His father, Sam Irvin Sr., co-owned Irvin-Fuller Theaters, a competing chain with cinemas in both North and South Carolina. Irvin worked in these theaters in his youth. Later, during his college years, he worked for Irvin-Fuller Theaters as its Advertising and Publicity Manager.
As a teenager, Irvin edited and published two issues of the fanzine Pit (69-70), and four annual issues of Bizarre (1972–1975), a fanzine on fantasy, horror and science fiction films, for which he twice traveled to England to conduct in-person interviews, including Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Vincent Price, Diana Rigg, Jane Seymour, Joan Collins, Terence Fisher, Freddie Francis, Sir James Carreras, Michael Carreras, etc.Bizarre. Richard Klemensen's Little Shoppe of Horrors, issue number 27, October 2011.
In 1978, Irvin graduated from the University of South Carolina with a Bachelor of Arts in Media Arts. While attending the university, he was the film critic for The Gamecock, the campus newspaper, and won a student film award for his thesis short film. He was also chairman of the University of South Carolina Film Committee that ran a year-round cinema program at the campus theater.
During his summer break in 1977, Irvin interned at the Chicago shooting location for Brian De Palma’s The Fury. He worked on the feature as a production assistant, an extra, and also wrote a journal on the making of the movie that was published in Cinefantastique magazine, Vol. 7, No. 2, 1978. Irvin also conducted an exclusive interview with Amy Irving in which, for the first time anywhere, she discussed her relationship with Steven Spielberg; it was published in Cinefantastique, Vol 6, No. 4 / Vol. 7, No. 1, 1978.
In 2013, Irvin was extensively interviewed on camera by filmmaker Robert Fischer about his experiences on the set of The Fury for The Fury: A Location Journal, a 50-minute bonus feature that is included on the 2013 Blu-ray DVD release of The Fury distributed by Arrow Films in the U.K. and Ireland and by Carlotta Films in France. In its October 26, 2013 issue, Telegraph Magazine (the weekly supplement to London's popular daily newspaper The Telegraph) ran a full-page story and photo of Irvin reminiscing about his time on the set of The Fury.
After graduating from the University of South Carolina in May 1978, Irvin worked as the Associate Producer and Production Manager on Brian De Palma's Home Movies. Then, Irvin worked as De Palma's assistant on Dressed to Kill starring Michael Caine, Angie Dickinson, Nancy Allen and Keith Gordon. He also worked with De Palma on several projects in development, including Blow Out.
Irvin wrote a comprehensive, 13,000-word chronicle on the making of Dressed to Kill for Boobs and Blood magazine (fundraising for the Keep a Breast Foundation), issue number 4, published in December 2020. The entire issue was devoted to Irvin's article.
Irvin gave up his position as De Palma's assistant to produce The First Time, a coming-of-age comedy co-written by William Finley, for which De Palma served as a credited Creative Consultant. Released by New Line Cinema, the film starred Tim Choate, Wendie Jo Sperber, Wallace Shawn, Cathryn Damon and Jane Badler.
During the 1980s, Irvin served as Vice President of Marketing for three film distributors: United Artists Classics, Spectrafilm, and Vestron. During this period, Irvin won The Hollywood Reporter Key Art Awards for designing the movie posters for François Truffaut’s Confidentially Yours and Paul Verhoeven’s The Fourth Man. He also helped spearhead the record-breaking year-long run of Jean-Jacques Beineix's Diva in New York City.
Irvin's first directorial effort, which he also wrote and produced, was the 1985 dark comedy short Double Negative, which starred Bill Randolph, Justin Henry, Wayne Knight, Dori Legg, and William Finley. It premiered as an official selection at the Sundance Film Festival and subsequently played theatrically in New York and Los Angeles as a warm-up for various feature films. It was nominated for a Gold Hugo Award for Best Short Film at the 1985 Chicago International Film Festival. Janet Maslin of The New York Times wrote that it was "an exceptionally promising first effort." Double Negative is included as an extra bonus feature on the 2013 Blu-ray DVD release of Brian DePalma's The Fury distributed by Arrow Films in the U.K. and Ireland and by Carlotta Films in France.
Irvin went on to direct many feature films, including:
Guilty as Charged starring Rod Steiger, Lauren Hutton, Heather Graham, and Isaac Hayes. (The film won the Gold Special Jury Award for Best Independent Feature at Houston Worldfest.) Out There a Showtime Original Movie starring Billy Campbell, Billy Bob Thornton, Rod Steiger, Jill St. John, Paul Dooley, Robert Picardo, David Rasche, Bill Cobbs, and Julie Brown. Acting on Impulse a Showtime Original Movie starring C. Thomas Howell, Linda Fiorentino, Nancy Allen, Paul Bartel, Mary Woronov, Isaac Hayes, and Cassandra Peterson. Fat Rose and Squeaky a Showtime Original Movie starring Louise Fletcher, Cicely Tyson, Julie Brown and Lea DeLaria. A Very Cool Christmas starring George Hamilton and Donna Mills. Deadly Skies starring Antonio Sabato Jr., Rae Dawn Chong and Michael Moriarty. Elvira's Haunted Hills starring Cassandra Peterson as Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, and Richard O'Brien. (The film won the Audience Award at the 2002 Provincetown International Film Festival.) My Santa starring Samaire Armstrong, Matthew Lawrence, Julie Brown, Jim O'Heir, Channing Chase, Ben Gavin, and Paul Dooley. Fatal Acquittal a Lifetime original movie starring Joely Fisher, Denise Richards, Patrick Muldoon, Debra Wilson, and Jim O'Heir. Naughty and Nice starring Haylie Duff, Tilky Jones, Maureen McCormick, Jim O'Heir, Eric Peterson, Tyler Jacob Moore, C.J. Hoff. (On November 6, 2014, critic Neil Genzlinger wrote in The New York Times that Naughty & Nice was "the best" of the season's new Christmas movies.) Mothers of the Bride starring Gail O'Grady, Betsy Brandt, Julie Brown, Debra Wilson, Daniela Bobadilla, Carolyn Hennesy, Scott Atkinson. Irvin also wrote the lyrics and co-wrote the music (with Al Sgro) for a song featured in the movie called "Partay at the Soirée", sung by Debra Wilson. The Nurse starring Willa Ford, Brigid Brannagh, John Heard, Costas Mandylor, Jack Noseworthy, David Millbern, T.J. Hoban. I'm Not Ready for Christmas starring Alicia Witt, George Stults, Brigid Brannagh, Maxwell Caulfield, and Dan Lauria. A Hallmark Channel premiere movie. Christmas Land starring Nikki DeLoach, Luke Macfarlane, Jason-Shane Scott, Richard Karn, Cynthia Gibb, Chonda Pierce and Maureen McCormick. A Hallmark Channel premiere movie which was the Number One most-watched cable television show (all channels) on the night it aired, with 4.244 million viewers, one of the most-watched programs on Hallmark during all of 2015. The Wrong House a Lifetime original movie starring Clare Kramer, Tilky Jones, Allison McAtee, Thomas Calabro, Jim O'Heir, Carolyn Hennesy, Keiko Agena, Ashlyn Jade Lopez, Scott Atkinson and Dori Legg. Aside from directing, Irvin was also one of the writers. Open Marriage a Lifetime original movie starring Tilky Jones, Nikki Leigh, Kelly Dowdle, Jason Tobias and Debra Wilson. The Wrong Neighbor starring Andrea Bogart, Steve Richard Harris, Cristine Prosperi, Ashlynn Yennie, Michael Madsen, Dominic Leeder, James Gaisford and Brian Nolan. My Christmas Prince starring Alexis Knapp, Callum Alexander, Pamela Sue Martin, Parker Stevenson, Marina Sirtis, Jane Carr, Charles Shaughnessy, Catriona Toop, Brad Benedict and Chelsea Gilson. Hidden Family Secrets aka Hidden Family Secrets starring Diora Baird, Blanche Baker and Abbie Gayle. Homecoming Revenge starring April Bowlby, Kim Director and Abbie Gayle. Seduced by My Neighbor starring Andrea Bogart, Trevor St. John, Rocky Myers, Sierra McCormick and Beth Broderick. Pretty Little Stalker starring Ashley Pickards, Nicky Whelan, Jesse Hutch and Sierra McCormick. Christmas Made to Order starring Alexa PenaVega, Jonathan Bennett and Jo Marie Payton. Madam of Purity Falls starring Olivia d'Abo, Kristanna Loken, Trevor Stines and Beth Broderick. Sister of the Bride starring Becca Tobin, Ryan Rottman, Michael Gross, Beth Broderick and Tilky Jones. Check Inn to Christmas starring Rachel Boston, Wes Brown, Richard Karn and Tim Reid. Engaged to a Psycho starring Anna Hutchison, Audrey Landers, Melissa Bolona and Jason-Shane Scott. Mile High Escorts starring Christina Moore, Saxon Sharbino, Gary Weeks, Steve Coulter, Adam Huss, Griffin Freeman and Esteban Benito.
From his own original screenplay, Irvin directed the Showtime Original Movie Kiss of a Stranger starring Mariel Hemingway, Dyan Cannon, Corbin Bernsen and David Carradine.
Irvin directed the cult sci-fi westerns Oblivion and its sequel Backlash: Oblivion 2 starring Julie Newmar, George Takei, Isaac Hayes, Meg Foster and Maxwell Caulfield. (Oblivion won the Gold Award for Best Fantasy / Science Fiction Feature at Houston Worldfest.)
He also directed the Disney Channel time-travel pirate fantasy Magic Island starring Zachery Ty Bryan and French Stewart.
For television, Irvin directed several episodes of Comedy Central's Strip Mall starring Julie Brown, Cindy Williams, Jim O'Heir, Carolyn Hennesy, Maxwell Caulfield, and Stella Stevens.
Irvin directed all the episodes of the hit television series Dante's Cove starring Tracy Scoggins, Charlie David, Jenny Shimizu, Thea Gill, Stephen Amell, Booboo Stewart, and Reichen Lehmkuhl. (Irvin also wrote the lyrics and co-composed the music for the series' international hit theme song, "Dying to Be with You").
Irvin was the sole director and co-producer of the comedy series From Here on OUT starring Terry Ray, T. J. Hoban, Juliet Mills, Suzanne Whang, and Julie Brown. Additionally, Irvin wrote the lyrics and co-composed the music for the series' theme song "From Here on OUT".
Irvin was also the first season director and co-producer of the television series My Sister Is So Gay starring Terry Ray, Wendy Michaels, Tilky Jones, Debra Wilson, and Loni Anderson.
Also for television, Irvin directed the opening of The 100th Anniversary of the World Series (October 18, 2003) for the Fox Network (a "through the ages" montage featuring the music of and starring Sheila E).