Gaylen Ross

{{Infobox person

| name = Gaylen Ross

| image = GaylenRoss.jpg

| caption = Gaylen Ross

| birth_place = Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.

| education = Monterey Peninsula College
The New School

| citizenship = {{hlist|American|Israeli}}

| occupation = {{hlist|Director| producer}}

| website = {{URL|grfilmsinc.com}}

}}

Gaylen Ross (born August 15, 1950){{cite web|work=AllMovie|url=https://www.allmovie.com/artist/gaylen-ross-p61614|title=Gaylen Ross|access-date=February 16, 2021}} is an American director, writer, producer and actress, best known for playing Francine Parker in the 1978 horror film Dawn of the Dead and also noted for directing the 2008 documentary Killing Kasztner.

Background

Ross was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana, where she graduated from Broad Ripple High School in 1967.{{cite web|work=The Indianapolis Star|title=Jewish Film Festival: Q&A with Indianapolis native Gaylen Ross|date=April 17, 2015|url-status=live|author=Shearer, Joe|url=https://www.indystar.com/story/entertainment/2015/04/17/jewish-film-festival-qa-indianapolis-native-gaylen-ross/25832741/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210216011854/https://www.indystar.com/story/entertainment/2015/04/17/jewish-film-festival-qa-indianapolis-native-gaylen-ross/25832741/|archive-date=February 16, 2021}} She studied at Monterey Peninsula College in California, and later received her BA from The New School for Social Research in Literature.{{cite web|url=https://twomovies.tv/|title=TwoMovies - Watch movies online|website=Twomovies.tv|access-date=9 February 2019}} She was managing editor of the literary journal Antaeus and Ecco Press from 1975 to 1977.

Ross holds citizenship in the United States and Israel.{{cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/why-young-hollywood-is-more-721353|title=Why Young Hollywood Is More Willing to Question Israel's Policies|newspaper=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=9 February 2019}} In 2015, she was named to the Indianapolis Public School Education Foundation’s Hall of Fame.{{cite web|url=http://ipsef.org/hall-fame-class-2015/|title=Hall of Fame Class of 2015|date=4 April 2016|website=Ipsef.org|access-date=9 February 2019}}

Career

File:NW Film Forum, June 2012 (8123458695).jpg

Ross's documentary films include 2008's Killing Kasztner and Dealers Among Dealers, a documentary of New York’s 47th Street diamond trade. Ross's company, GR Films, has produced Listen To Her Heart: The Life and Music of Laurie Beechman; Not Just Las Vegas, about the rise of nationwide gambling in the USA; To Russia For Love, about the Russian Mail-order bride business; Selling The Dream: Stock Hype and Fraud; Dealers Among Dealers and the Emmy Award-winning Blood Money: Switzerland's Nazi Gold. Ross, along with John Connolly co-authored Married To A Stranger, about the Russian mail order bride business, published by Berkeley Publishing Group.

In 2009, Ross released Killing Kasztner{{cite web|url=http://www.killingkasztner.com/|title=Killing Kasztner - the Movie|website=Killingkasztner.com|access-date=9 February 2019}} on the life and assassination of Rezso Kasztner. Ross' other films include Dealers Among Dealers (1995){{cite web|url=https://jfi.org/watch-online/jfi-on-demand/dealers-among-dealers|title=Dealers Among Dealers|website=Jfi.org|access-date=9 February 2019}} Ross wrote Blood Money: Switzerland’s Nazi Gold (1997), co-produced with Stephen Crisman;{{cite web|url=http://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/investigative-reports/episode-910756/194492/|title=Investigative Reports |website=TVGuide.com|access-date=9 February 2019}} After Solidarity: Three Polish Families in America and Caris' Peace,{{Cite web|url=https://www.brainline.org/video/caris-peace|title=Caris' Peace|date=January 29, 2013|website=BrainLine.org|access-date=November 23, 2021}} which documents film and stage actress Caris Corfman. Other films and television projects have focused on bank fraud, gambling in America, and Russian mail-order brides. She has directed productions for “The Jewish Foundation for the Righteous" and the "UJA Federations of North America."

Ross starred as "Francine" in George A. Romero's 1978 horror film Dawn of the Dead, followed by her portrayal of "Betsy" in the 1981 slasher film Madman then as Leslie Nielsen's adulterous wife "Becky Vickers" in George Romero and Stephen King's 1982 film Creepshow.{{Cite news|url=https://www.indystar.com/story/entertainment/2015/04/17/jewish-film-festival-qa-indianapolis-native-gaylen-ross/25832741/|title=Jewish Film Festival: Q&A with Indianapolis native Gaylen Ross|first=Joe|last=Shearer|newspaper=The Indianapolis Star|access-date=November 23, 2021}}

Current projects include professional boxing documentary TitleShot.{{Cite web|url=http://balltribe.com/hot-seat/exciting-boxing-documentary-in-the-works-on-kickstarter/|title=Exciting Boxing Documentary in the Works on Kickstarter|website=Balltribe.com|date=August 21, 2015|access-date=November 23, 2021}} With co-director Andy Cohen, projects in post-production include films on the Village Gate, and human rights activists. Ross is collaborating with Cohen on Beijing Spring, a documentary about artistic freedom and the democracy movement between 1978 and 1982 in China.{{Cite web|url=https://www.beijingspringfilm.com/|title=HOME|website=Beijingspringfilm.com|access-date=November 23, 2021}}

Ross and Cohen directed the 2019 documentary Ximei,{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2019-10-25/ximei-review-documentary-china-aids|title=Review: 'Ximei' chronicles a Chinese woman's fight for AIDS victims|date=October 25, 2019|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|access-date=November 23, 2021}} produced by Ai Weiwei. The film premiered at the International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights in Geneva.{{Cite web|url=https://www.euronews.com/culture/2019/03/19/ximei-documentary-premieres-at-geneva-human-rights-film-festival|title=Ximei documentary premieres at Geneva Human Rights Film Festival|date=March 19, 2019|website=Euronews.com|access-date=November 23, 2021}}