Donald G. Jackson
{{short description|American film director}}
{{other people|Donald Jackson}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Donald Jackson
| image =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1943|4|24|}}
| birth_place = Tremont, Mississippi, U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2003|10|20|1943|4|24|mf=y}}
| death_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S.
| occupation = Film director, screenwriter, film producer, actor
| spouse = Janet
}}
Donald G. Jackson (April 24, 1943 – October 20, 2003) was an American filmmaker.[https://variety.com/2003/scene/people-news/donald-g-jackson-1117894712/ Variety: Donald G. Jackson Multihyphenate, 'Roller Blade' director][http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/ladailynews/obituary.aspx?n=donald-g-jackson&pid=1567238 Donald G. Jackson Los Angeles Daily News]
Biography
Born in Tremont, Mississippi, Jackson grew up in Adrian, Michigan. As an adult he struggled to become a filmmaker for many years while working at an auto factory. Finally, in the mid-1970s he made his first feature film, a horror film parody, The Demon Lover. This film was soon followed by the wrestling film, I Like to Hurt People.[http://www.scottshaw.com/dgjinterview.html Donald G. Jackson: The Final Interview] These films financed his move to Hollywood, California, where he remained until his death.[http://www.scottshaw.com/donaldgjackson.html Donald G Jackson, Maverick Filmmaker] Jackson is perhaps most well known for creating and directing the cult film, Hell Comes to Frogtown.[http://www.fangoria.com/index.php/moviestv/fango-flashback/7006-fango-flashback-hell-comes-to-frogtown Fango Flashback: “HELL COMES TO FROGTOWN”] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120504191635/http://www.fangoria.com/index.php/moviestv/fango-flashback/7006-fango-flashback-hell-comes-to-frogtown |date=May 4, 2012 }}
Throughout his career Jackson worked with several filmmakers including Roger Corman and James Cameron{{Cite web|last=Armour|first=Adam|date=2019-04-24|title=Legacy of a B-movie artist|url=https://www.djournal.com/itawamba/legacy-of-a-b-movie-artist/article_22b41f6a-b495-11ea-815d-4fe9a7669e79.html|url-status=live|access-date=2021-09-12|website=The Itawamba County Times|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201202030715/https://www.djournal.com/itawamba/legacy-of-a-b-movie-artist/article_22b41f6a-b495-11ea-815d-4fe9a7669e79.html |archive-date=2020-12-02 }} but it was not until he began a long collaboration with American filmmaker Scott Shaw that the team created a method they called zen filmmaking. Zen filmmaking is a distinct style of filmmaking where no scripts are used in the creation of a film.[https://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2014/07/the-best-of-the-bad-the-15-greatest-b-movie-directors.html Paste Magazine: The Best of the Bad: The 15 Greatest B-Movie Directors]{{Cite web|last=Shaw|first=Scott|title=Donald G. Jackson: The Filmmaking and the Filmmaker|url=https://zenfilmmaking.com/thefilmmaker.html|url-status=live|access-date=2021-09-12|website=zenfilmmaking.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190429045123/http://www.zenfilmmaking.com/thefilmmaker.html |archive-date=2019-04-29 }} Actors who frequently starred in Jackson's films included Joe Estevez and Robert Z'Dar.
Death
Jackson died of leukemia on October 20, 2003 and was interred in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles.[http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=jackson&GSfn=donald&GSmn=g.&GSbyrel=all&GSdyrel=all&GSob=n&GRid=8025278& Donald G. Jackson biography] at Find A Grave
Filmography
- The Demon Lover (1976)
- I Like to Hurt People (1985)
- Roller Blade (1986)
- UFO: Secret Video (1986)
- Hell Comes to Frogtown (1987)
- Roller Blade Warriors: Taken by Force (1990)
- The Roller Blade Seven (1991)
- The Legend of the Rollerblade Seven (1992)
- Carjack (1993)
- Return to Frogtown (1993)
- It's Showtime (1993)
- Return of the Roller Blade Seven (1993)
- Pocket Ninjas (1994)
- Queen of Lost Island (1994)
- The Devil's Pet (1994)
- Twisted Fate (1994)
- Kill, Kill Overkill (1994)
- Baby Ghost (1995){{Cite book |last=Davies |first=Clive |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Co5XDwAAQBAJ&q=Baby+Ghost&pg=PT68 |title=Spinegrinder: The Movies Most Critics Won't Write About |date=2015-03-06 |publisher=SCB Distributors |isbn=978-1-909394-06-3 |language=en}}
- Little Lost Sea Serpent (1995)
- Big Sister 2000 (1995)
- Raw Energy (1995)
- Rollergator (1996)[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7Mkrj06CldA RiffTrax preview clip on official YouTube channel][https://www.rifftrax.com/rollergator Rollergator|RiffTrax]
- Toad Warrior (1996)
- Guns of El Chupacabra (1997)
- Armageddon Boulevard (1998)
- Lingerie Kickboxer (1998)
- Guns of El Chupacabra 2: The Unseen (1999)
- Blade Sisters (1999)
- Ride with the Devil (1999)
- Legend of the Dead Boyz (2001)
= Documentary films about Donald G. Jackson =
- Demon Lover Diary (1980)
- Interview: The Documentary (2005)
References
External links
- {{IMDb name|0413459}}
- [https://www.scottshaw.com/donaldgjackson.html Collection of articles about Donald G. Jackson]
- [https://www.scottshaw.com/dgjinterview.html Donald G. Jackson - The Final Interview]
- [https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pKesdLhMTcM RiffTrax treatment of Rollergator on official YouTube channel]
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Donald G.}}
Category:People from Adrian, Michigan
Category:Deaths from leukemia in California
Category:Film directors from Michigan