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Ted Demme
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<h2 id="early-life">Early life</h2> <p>Demme was born in New York City, the son of Gail (née Kern) and Frederick Rogers Demme.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a> He grew up in Rockville Centre, New York on Long Island and attended <a href="/facts/South_Side_High_School_(Rockville_Centre%2c_New_York)/fEu3YGgn">South Side Senior High School</a>. He graduated from SUNY-Cortland in 1985. He was the nephew of film producer and director <a href="/facts/Jonathan_Demme/xv9azd0G">Jonathan Demme</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="career">Career</h2> <p>Demme's media career may have begun with a radio show at <a href="/facts/WSUC-FM/cuXTrfU6">WSUC-FM</a> (SUNY-Cortland), a mix of comedy and talk radio with the usual sidekick, as well as some music and was widely listened to on and off campus. His career had modest beginnings—starting as a production assistant at MTV, he later became a producer in the On-Air Promotions Department and created the cable network's hip-hop show <i><a href="/facts/Yo!_MTV_Raps/0IvpVkMT">Yo! MTV Raps</a></i> (with Peter Dougherty), and directed other projects for them, including the black-and-white rants starring then-unknown <a href="/facts/Chain_smoking/yptX3r0Y">chain-smoking</a> comedian <a href="/facts/Denis_Leary/HoCIp4BU">Denis Leary</a>. </p><p>Over the course of his career, he established a group of actors that he chose to work with on more than one occasion. The most frequently used of these was Leary, whom he directed as a lead or star in Leary's stand-up specials <i><a href="/facts/No_Cure_for_Cancer/t37zsMIf">No Cure for Cancer</a></i> and <i>Lock n' Load</i>, as well as the films <i><a href="/facts/Who%2527s_the_Man%253F/jEoJUTDG">Who's the Man?</a></i>, <i><a href="/facts/The_Ref/5YVlpVn5">The Ref</a></i>, and <i><a href="/facts/Monument_Ave._(film)/WEBh18rz">Monument Ave.</a></i> <a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a> Leary produced the 2001 crime drama film <i><a href="/facts/Blow_(film)/nt9oSqSv">Blow</a></i>, which starred <a href="/facts/Johnny_Depp/xCrqfBXu">Johnny Depp</a> as George Jung and was directed by Demme.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="personal-life">Personal life</h2> <p>Demme was married to <a href="/facts/Amanda_Demme/nak8dE49">Amanda Scheer</a>, with whom he had two children.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a> Scheer later opened several popular Los Angeles bars, including Teddy's at the <a href="/facts/Roosevelt_Hotel_(Hollywood)/l1a8v8vM">Roosevelt Hotel</a>, named in honor of her late husband.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9"><sup>9</sup></a> He was a fan of the <a href="/facts/Green_Bay_Packers/XyqYSaTY">Green Bay Packers</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10"><sup>10</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="death">Death</h2> <p>On January 14, 2002, while playing a celebrity basketball game, Demme collapsed and died of a heart attack which may have been related to <a href="/facts/Cocaine/rdQP4zwF">cocaine</a> later found in his system during an autopsy.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11"><sup>11</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:12" href="#fn:12"><sup>12</sup></a> Demme was cremated and his ashes were given to his family.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:13" href="#fn:13"><sup>13</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="tributes">Tributes</h2> <p>Much of one edition of the <a href="/facts/Independent_Film_Channel/0kmP0tYr">IFC</a> program <i><a href="/facts/Dinner_for_Five/Eh7LDCBU">Dinner for Five</a></i> was given over to a description of Demme's last night and fond reminiscences about his life, mostly by <a href="/facts/Denis_Leary/HoCIp4BU">Denis Leary</a> and the show's host <a href="/facts/Jon_Favreau/bG4KB5xK">Jon Favreau</a>. This touched on Demme's being a fan of the <a href="/facts/Green_Bay_Packers/XyqYSaTY">Green Bay Packers</a> and his fondness for playing practical jokes. </p><p>At the <a href="/facts/2002_Golden_Globes/PWf3rl1q">2002 Golden Globe</a> awards show, one week following Demme's death, <a href="/facts/Kevin_Spacey/uCIJmxIM">Kevin Spacey</a> wore a picture of Demme on his suit jacket.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:14" href="#fn:14"><sup>14</sup></a> He was also in the <a href="/facts/74th_Academy_Awards/uYgu6Bvl">74th Academy Awards</a> In Memoriam tribute that was also presented by Kevin Spacey. </p><p><i><a href="/facts/The_Truth_About_Charlie/e3eWhmUg">The Truth About Charlie</a></i>, his uncle <a href="/facts/Jonathan_Demme/xv9azd0G">Jonathan Demme</a>'s remake of <i><a href="/facts/Charade_(1963_film)/4Ystje5G">Charade</a></i>, was dedicated in his memory. </p><p>The 2003 album <i><a href="/facts/Blackberry_Belle/oe6SwcCo">Blackberry Belle</a></i> by <a href="/facts/The_Twilight_Singers/dabYym84">The Twilight Singers</a> led by <a href="/facts/Greg_Dulli/vpL5RhXn">Greg Dulli</a>, was written in tribute to Demme, Dulli's close friend. Dulli had been working on another project, titled <i><a href="/facts/Greg_Dulli%2527s_Amber_Headlights/5S81FmF5">Amber Headlights</a></i> (which would later see the light of day in 2005), but abandoned those sessions due to Demme's death. The recordings which followed, fueled in part by the memory of Demme, resulted in <i>Blackberry Belle</i>. </p><p>The 2002 film <i><a href="/facts/Punch-Drunk_Love/36IoQDEu">Punch-Drunk Love</a></i>, written and directed by <a href="/facts/Paul_Thomas_Anderson/jC5s0czd">Paul Thomas Anderson</a>, is dedicated to Demme. </p> <h2 id="filmography">Filmography</h2> <table><tbody><tr><td><h3>Actor</h3><ul><li><i><a href="/facts/Gun_(TV_series)/Fw0R9vwP">Gun</a></i> (1 episode, 1997)</li><li><i><a href="/facts/Blow_(film)/nt9oSqSv">Blow</a></i> (2001)</li><li><i><a href="/facts/John_Q./aGdwPQ66">John Q.</a></i> (2002) Himself (Cameo) (Posthumously released)</li></ul><h3>Director</h3><ul><li><i><a href="/facts/Yo!_MTV_Raps/0IvpVkMT">Yo! MTV Raps</a></i> (1988, Unknown episodes)</li><li><i>APAB: Oh My God... It's the News!</i> (1991)</li><li><i><a href="/facts/The_Bet_(1992_film)/WjBLdBGM">The Bet</a></i> (1992)</li><li><i><a href="/facts/No_Cure_for_Cancer/t37zsMIf">No Cure for Cancer</a></i> (1992)</li><li><i><a href="/facts/Who%2527s_the_Man%253F/jEoJUTDG">Who's the Man?</a></i> (1993)</li><li><i><a href="/facts/The_Ref/5YVlpVn5">The Ref</a></i> (1994)</li><li><i><a href="/facts/Beautiful_Girls_(film)/rfAmoeXC">Beautiful Girls</a></i> (1996)</li><li><i><a href="/facts/Homicide%3a_Life_on_the_Street/qM0WJxvn">Homicide: Life on the Street</a></i> (2 episodes, 1994–1996)</li><li><i><a href="/facts/Gun_(TV_series)/Fw0R9vwP">Gun</a></i> (1 episode, 1997)</li><li><i><a href="/facts/Subway_Stories/uxhLS77X">Subway Stories</a>: Tales from the Underground</i> (Segment: "Manhattan Miracle," 1997)</li><li><i><a href="/facts/Denis_Leary/HoCIp4BU">Denis Leary</a>: Lock 'n Load</i> (1997)</li><li><i><a href="/facts/Monument_Ave._(film)/WEBh18rz">Monument Ave.</a></i> (1998)</li><li><i><a href="/facts/Life_(1999_film)/mFq9f6l9">Life</a></i> (1999)</li><li><i><a href="/facts/Action_(TV_series)/HRHxT6sn">Action</a></i> (1 episode, 1999)</li><li><i><a href="/facts/Blow_(film)/nt9oSqSv">Blow</a></i> (2001)</li><li><i><a href="/facts/A_Decade_Under_the_Influence_(film)/FJeHFWdk">A Decade Under the Influence</a></i> (Posthumously released, 2003)</li></ul></td><td><h3>Producer</h3><ul><li><i><a href="/facts/Yo!_MTV_Raps/0IvpVkMT">Yo! MTV Raps</a></i> (1988, Unknown episodes)</li><li><i>Hangin' w/MTV</i> (1992, Executive producer)</li><li><i><a href="/facts/Monument_Ave._(film)/WEBh18rz">Monument Ave.</a></i> (1998)</li><li><i><a href="/facts/Rounders_(film)/oQVTkjs6">Rounders</a></i> (1998)</li><li><i><a href="/facts/Tumbleweeds_(1999_film)/m4VQzswN">Tumbleweeds</a></i> (1999, Executive producer)</li><li><i><a href="/facts/A_Lesson_Before_Dying_(film)/A92ubTja">A Lesson Before Dying</a></i> (1999, Executive producer)</li><li><i><a href="/facts/Action_(TV_series)/HRHxT6sn">Action</a></i> (1 episode, Executive producer, 1999)</li><li><i><a href="/facts/Blow_(film)/nt9oSqSv">Blow</a></i> (2001)</li><li><i><a href="/facts/A_Decade_Under_the_Influence_(film)/FJeHFWdk">A Decade Under the Influence</a></i> (Posthumously released, 2003)</li></ul></td></tr></tbody></table> <h2 id="awards-and-nominations">Awards and nominations</h2> <table><tbody><tr><th>Year</th><th>Award</th><th>Result</th><th>Category</th><th>Film</th></tr><tr><td>1996</td><td><a href="/facts/San_Sebasti%25C3%25A1n_International_Film_Festival/5zDTe2KE">San Sebastián International Film Festival</a></td><td>Nominated</td><td><a href="/facts/Golden_Shell/6EPzwRhU">Golden Shell</a></td><td><i>Beautiful Girls</i></td></tr><tr><td>1999</td><td rowspan="2"><a href="/facts/Primetime_Emmy_Award/4eAaPW0F">Emmy Award</a></td><td>Won</td><td><a href="/facts/Primetime_Emmy_Award_for_Outstanding_Made_for_Television_Movie/kfoBvM0B">Outstanding Made for Television Movie</a></td><td><i>A Lesson Before Dying</i> (Shared with Robert Benedetti, Ellen Krass, and Joel Stillerman)</td></tr><tr><td>2001</td><td>Nominated</td><td>Outstanding Nonfiction Special</td><td><i>A Decade Under the Influence</i> (Shared with Alison Palmer Bourke, <a href="/facts/Caroline_Kaplan/qbIfGhNV">Caroline Kaplan</a>, <a href="/facts/Jerry_Kupfer/NwIMF4BE">Jerry Kupfer</a>, Gini Reticker, and Jonathan Sehring)</td></tr><tr><td>2001</td><td><a href="/facts/Karlovy_Vary_International_Film_Festival/QpGE55Td">Karlovy Vary International Film Festival</a></td><td>Nominated</td><td>Crystal Globe</td><td><i>Blow</i></td></tr><tr><td>2003</td><td><a href="/facts/National_Board_of_Review_of_Motion_Pictures/9CdTXwBY">National Board of Review of Motion Pictures</a></td><td>Nominated</td><td>William K. Everson Film History Award</td><td><i>A Decade Under the Influence</i> (Shared with <a href="/facts/Richard_LaGravenese/T6rpTVmt">Richard LaGravenese</a>)</td></tr><tr><td>2003</td><td><a href="/facts/Sundance_Film_Festival/30mSTkES">Sundance Film Festival</a></td><td>Nominated</td><td>Grand Jury Prize</td><td><i>A Decade Under the Influence</i> (Shared with Richard LaGravenese)</td></tr></tbody></table> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> <ul><li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001130/">Ted Demme</a> at <a href="/facts/IMDb_(identifier)/uWrqVYVy">IMDb</a></li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>"Ted Demme". The Independent. London. January 17, 2002. Retrieved November 22, 2008.[dead link] <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/ted-demme-729674.html" target="_blank">https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/ted-demme-729674.html</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>NLS Other Writings, Say How: A, B, C, D – Library of Congress. <a href="https://www.loc.gov/nls/other/sayhow/abcd.html#d" target="_blank">https://www.loc.gov/nls/other/sayhow/abcd.html#d</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>"Ted Demme, 38, Director for TV And for Movies, Including 'Blow'". The New York Times. January 16, 2002. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/16/arts/ted-demme-38-director-for-tv-and-for-movies-including-blow.html" target="_blank">https://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/16/arts/ted-demme-38-director-for-tv-and-for-movies-including-blow.html</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>Familytreemaker.genealogy.com <a href="http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/a/l/l/Bonnie-B-Allen/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-0070.html" target="_blank">http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/a/l/l/Bonnie-B-Allen/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-0070.html</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>Susman, Gary (January 14, 2002). "He Was the Man". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on September 6, 2008. Retrieved November 22, 2008. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080906182759/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,193745,00.html" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20080906182759/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,193745,00.html</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>"Denis Leary Filmography". The Washington Post Entertainment Guide. Retrieved March 30, 2024. <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/filmgrph/denis_leary.htm" target="_blank">https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/filmgrph/denis_leary.htm</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>Turner, Megan (April 1, 2001). "Just Say 'Blow': Director Ted Demme Captures the Glitz and the Agony of a Big-Time Drug Dealer". New York Post. Retrieved January 18, 2020. <a href="https://nypost.com/2001/04/01/just-say-blow-director-ted-demme-captures-the-glitz-and-the-agony-of-a-big-time-drug-dealer-2/" target="_blank">https://nypost.com/2001/04/01/just-say-blow-director-ted-demme-captures-the-glitz-and-the-agony-of-a-big-time-drug-dealer-2/</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:8"><p>"Ted Demme". The Independent. London. January 17, 2002. Retrieved November 22, 2008.[dead link] <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/ted-demme-729674.html" target="_blank">https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/ted-demme-729674.html</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:9"><p>Baltin, Steve (June 23, 2005). "Invitations are being sent". The L.A. Times. Retrieved November 22, 2008. <a href="https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-jun-23-wk-roosevelt23-story.html" target="_blank">https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-jun-23-wk-roosevelt23-story.html</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:10"><p>"Ted Demme Biography, Life, Interesting Facts". Famous Birthdays By SunSigns.Org. January 31, 2019. Retrieved June 26, 2025. <a href="https://www.sunsigns.org/famousbirthdays/profile/ted-demme/" target="_blank">https://www.sunsigns.org/famousbirthdays/profile/ted-demme/</a> <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:11"><p>"Demme took cocaine, says coroner". BBC News. February 3, 2002. Retrieved November 22, 2008. <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/film/1798961.stm" target="_blank">http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/film/1798961.stm</a> <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:12"><p>Andy Taylor-Fabe (January 15, 2002). "Cardiac arrest claims life of Blow director Ted Demme". The Michigan Daily. Retrieved April 11, 2016. <a href="https://www.michigandaily.com/content/cardiac-arrest-claims-life-blow-director-ted-demme" target="_blank">https://www.michigandaily.com/content/cardiac-arrest-claims-life-blow-director-ted-demme</a> <a href="#fnref:12" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:13"><p>"Why Is Ted Demme's Widow Taking His Ashes Around Hollywood?". The Hollywood Reporter. February 7, 2013. Retrieved March 25, 2021. <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/ted-demme-documentary-why-his-418676" target="_blank">https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/ted-demme-documentary-why-his-418676</a> <a href="#fnref:13" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:14"><p>Harris, Beth. "Awards return glitz to Hollywood". Chicago Tribune. <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/bal-artslife-globes-backstage-jan20,0,3056397.story" target="_blank">http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/bal-artslife-globes-backstage-jan20,0,3056397.story</a> <a href="#fnref:14" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>