George Arthur "Rusty" Cundieff (born December 13, 1960) is an American film and television director, actor, and writer known for his work on Fear of a Black Hat (1993), Tales from the Hood (1995), and Chappelle's Show (2003–2006).[1]
Rusty Cundieff | |
|---|---|
| Born | George Arthur Cundieff December 13, 1960 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, film director, producer, writer |
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Known for | Fear of a Black Hat Tales from the Hood Sprung Chappelle's Show |
Biography
editCundieff was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Christina and John A. Cundieff.[2] He studied journalism at Loyola University in New Orleans and the philosophy of religion at the University of Southern California.[1] While at USC, Cundieff became a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, a historically African American fraternity.[3]
He is married to Trina Davis Cundieff, with whom he has two children: Simone Christina and Thelonious Jon Davis.[4]
Film career
editAfter graduating from USC in 1982, Cundieff performed stand-up comedy in Los Angeles while looking for opportunities to act.[1] His first major role was a year-long run as Theo Carver on Days of Our Lives in 1985.[1] In 1988, he played Big Brother Chucky in Spike Lee's School Daze.[5] Cundieff was inspired by his experience working with Lee on the film to pursue writing and directing in addition to acting, and at age 29 he wrote, directed, and starred in the well-received 1993 rap parody Fear of a Black Hat.[6]
He directed and co-wrote the 1995 horror anthology Tales from the Hood. He directed sequels in 2018 and 2020, Tales from the Hood 2 and Tales from the Hood 3, projects that he said he had been trying to make for 20 years, but that the success of Get Out had opened the door for.[7]
Cundieff was also a correspondent on Michael Moore's comic TV magazine show TV Nation in the mid-1990s.[8]
In 2013, along with 12 others he received a Razzie Award for Worst Director for directing a segment in the anthology comedy film Movie 43.
Filmography
editActor
edit| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Welcome to the Fun Zone | Host | TV movie |
| 1986 | 3:15 | M-16's | |
| 1987 | Hollywood Shuffle | Audition Actor / Slave #1 / Zombie Pimp | |
| 1988 | School Daze | Big Brother Chucky | |
| 1992 | Eddie Presley | Guard | |
| 1993 | Fear of a Black Hat | Ice Cold | Also writer and director. |
| 1995 | Tales from the Hood | Richard | Also writer and director. |
| 1997 | Sprung | Montel | Also writer and director. |
| 2003 | The Devon Taylor Show | Ice Cold | TV movie |
| 2018 | Tales from the Hood 2 | Press Conference Reporter | Also writer and director. |
| Year | Show | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Days of Our Lives | Theo Carver | |
| 1985 | What's Happening Now! | J.B. Whitney | 1 episode |
| 1985 | MacGruder and Loud | Perry | 1 episode |
| 1990 | thirtysomething | Student #5 | 1 episode |
| 2003 | Chappelle's Show | Ystur Feidnuc D.D.S. / Richard Pryor | 2 episodes |
Director
edit| Year | Film | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Fear of a Black Hat | |
| 1995 | Tales from the Hood | |
| 1996 | Clueless | 1 episode |
| 1997 | Sprung | |
| 2000 | The New Adventures of Spin and Marty: Suspect Behavior | TV movie |
| 2005 | Bitch House | |
| 2006 | The Bernie Mac Show | 1 episode |
| 2006 | So Notorious | 1 episode |
| 2003-2006 | Chappelle's Show | 25 episodes |
| 2006 | The Brandon T. Jackson Show | TV movie |
| 2006 | Campus Ladies | 1 episode |
| 2007 | Human Giant | 3 episodes |
| 2008 | Somebodies | 4 episodes |
| 2008 | Chocolate News | Segment director, 12 episodes |
| 2009-2010 | The Wanda Sykes Show | Segment director, 21 episodes |
| 2013 | Movie 43 | Segment director, "Victory's Glory" |
| 2013 | Second Generation Wayans | 3 episodes |
| 2013 | The Devon Taylor Show | TV movie |
| 2013 | The Hustle | 2 episodes |
| 2018 | Tales from the Hood 2 | director |
| 2020 | Tales from the Hood 3 | director |
| 2023 | 57 Seconds | director |
References
edit- ^ a b c d Donalson, Melvin (2010). Black Directors in Hollywood. University of Texas Press. pp. 261. ISBN 978-0-292-70179-3.
- ^ "Rusty Cundieff: Biography". IMDB. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
- ^ Parks, Gregory (2011). Alpha Phi Alpha: A Legacy of Greatness, The Demands of Transcendence. The University Press of Kentucky. p. 364. ISBN 978-0813134215.
- ^ "Marriages, Births, and Deaths". USC Trojan Family Magazine. University of Southern California. Spring 2004. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
- ^ "Rusty Cundieff: Filmography". IMDB. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
- ^ Levine, Robert (2 June 1994). "Meet the Ice Cold King of Gagsta Rap : Rusty Cundieff's 'Fear of a Black Hat' Was Inspired by 'Spinal Tap'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
- ^ Kohn, Eric (13 July 2018). "'Tales From the Hood' Director Rusty Cundieff: Why It Took 20 Years to Make a Sequel to His Black Horror Anthology". IndieWire. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
- ^ "TV Nation Episodes". tvguide.com. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
