William Crain
He was one of the first black filmmakers from a major film school to achieve commercial success. Crain was born in Columbus, Ohio. A graduate of UCLA's film school, Crain, unlike many of the "L.A. Rebellion" filmmakers who made films of a deeply personal or political nature, made work consisting almost entirely of mainstream and genre-driven works.
William Crain
- Name
- William Crain
- Born
- June 20, 1949
- Birthplace
- Columbus, Ohio, U.S.
- Occupation
- Film director
- Nationality
- United States
- Education
- University of California, Los Angeles · UCLA School of Theater and Film and Television
- Languages
- English
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He was one of the first black filmmakers from a major film school to achieve commercial success. Crain was born in Columbus, Ohio. A graduate of UCLA's film school, Crain, unlike many of the "L.A. Rebellion" filmmakers who made films of a deeply personal or political nature, made work consisting almost entirely of mainstream and genre-driven works.
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wikidata · Q8007234
In this article
Biography
Biography
Throughout the 1970s, he directed TV shows and movies. In 1972, at the age of 23, he directed Blacula. While largely ignored by critics, the film has become somewhat of a cult favorite and made a name for actor William Marshall, who played the title character. Crain did other films and then returned to TV show installments, which he continues to do today. Many sources confuse him with another Bill/William Crain who produced educational short films in the 1970s and directed Mirage (1990) and Midnight Fear (1991).
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — William Crain • Born — June 20, 1949 • Birthplace — Columbus, Ohio, U.S. • Occupation — Film director • Notable Works — Blacula Dr. Black, Mr. Hyde
Filmography
Filmography
• Brother John (1971) (intern) • Blacula (1972) (director) • Dr. Black, Mr. Hyde (1976) (director) • Nothing as It Seems (2016) (director)
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
1949
William Crain was born on 20 June 1949.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.William Crain. Rotten Tomatoes.
- 2.Ramsey, Mike. 'Blacula' director swoops into Chicago to talk '70s low-budget horror. WBBM NEWSRADIO. Audacy. 2021-10-17.
- 3.Pulliam-Moore, Charles. Blacula Was About the Respectable Monster Haunting Us All. Gizmodo. 2021-08-09.
- 4.Anderson, Lea. Celebrating 50 Years Of BLACULA. Fangoria. 2024-03-16.
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Activity and practice. Recorded as having studied at University of California, Los Angeles and UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 18 August 2026.
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