Bob Clark Biography
Benjamin "Bob" Clark (1939 – 2007) was an American actor, director, screenwriter and producer. Clark was born in New Orleans in 1939, but grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, and later moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He grew up poor, as his father died during his childhood and his mother was a barmaid. After attending Catawba College majoring in philosophy, Clark won a football scholarship to Hillsdale College in Michigan, where he played quarterback. He eventually studied theater at the University of Miami, turning down offers to play professional football. Known for directing and co-writing the screenplay with Jean Shepherd for the 1983 Christmas film A Christmas Story, Clark's career began with She-Man: A Story of Fixation (1967) presented as a genre double feature. Then he moved on to the horror genre in the early 1970s. His first film, Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things (1972), was a blend of comedy and graphic horror. Although he mainly produced in the United States, from 1973 to 1983 he worked in Canada and was responsible for some of the most successful films in the history of Canadian cinema such as Black Christmas (1974), Murder by Decree (1979), Tribute (1980) , and Porky (1982). It won three Genie Awards (two for Best Director and one for Best Screenplay) with two other nominations. He and his son were killed by a drunk driver in April 2007.
