Filmaker George Hickenlooper, cousin of Denver"s mayor found
Posted: Sun Oct 31, 2010 5:45 pm
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_16480853
Filmaker George Hickenlooper, cousin of Denver"s mayor found dead
Award-winning director George Hickenlooper, cousin of Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, was found dead Saturday morning in an Uptown Denver apartment where he was staying.
The Los Angeles-based filmmaker was in Denver for the screening of his latest film, scheduled to be shown Thursday at the Starz Denver Film Festival.
Residents of the apartment on East 22nd Avenue tried to wake George Hickenlooper about 8 a.m. but could not, Denver police spokesman Sonny Jackson said.
He was 47 and appeared to have died from natural causes. The body was taken to the coroner and police were investigating the death, Jackson said.
"We don't see anything indicating that foul play was involved. This is a standard death investigation," he said.
George Hickenlooper's latest film "Casino Jack" stars Kevin Spacey.
In an online statement on deadline.com, Spacey said he was shocked by Hickenlooper's death.
"I can't believe he's gone because George was so alive, bubbling with energy, drive, commitment, an open heart and a brilliant sense of humor," Spacey said. "He was one of a kind."
Mayor Hickenlooper issued a statement about 3 p.m. Saturday.
"Shock and sadness do not begin to describe our emotions. We are devastated," he said. "George had immense creative talents and cinematic gifts, but he was so much more than that to us and all his family.
"His passion for life, zeal for people and unquenchable curiosity enriched everyone who had the fortune to know him. We will miss his sense of humor, his warm character and the avid encouragement he gave anyone around him. Our hearts go out to his wife, Suzanne, and his son, Charles."
The Democratic candidate for governor attended two scheduled campaign events Saturday morning before handing off to running mate Joe Garcia.
Garcia will take over "while John takes time to mourn with his family," campaign spokesman George Merritt said.
George Hickenlooper was born on May 25, 1963, in St. Louis. He graduated from Yale University in 1986. He won an Emmy in 1992 for his documentary "Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse." His other films include "The Mayor of Sunset Strip" in 2003.
When Denver hosted the Democratic National Convention in 2008, the cousins united, with George Hickenlooper following his cousin John around Denver to produce the documentary "Hick Town."
George Hickenlooper is survived by his wife, Suzanne; son, Charles; a younger brother and his parents.
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_16480506?source=pkg
Astute, hard-working director had close ties to Denver film festival
In the cracking political drama "Casino Jack," director George Hickenlooper cast his first cousin John in a brief role as a senator.
Thanks to a bit of motion-picture hocus-pocus, John Hickenlooper sits next to John McCain as the senator from Arizona grills Washington, D.C., lobbyist Jack Abramoff, played by Kevin Spacey.
At age 27, George Hickenlooper made a heady debut at the Cannes Film Festival with the documentary "Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse," co-directed with Fax Bahr. Using footage shot by Francis Ford Coppola's wife, Eleanor, the film recounts Coppola's Herculean struggle to make "Apocalypse Now." It remains among the best works on the madness of moviemaking.
Versatile, hard-working, astute, he was better known for his documentaries. But "Casino Jack," due in theaters in December, shows cheeky narrative and a particular gift with performers.
"Casino Jack" is one of two films set to christen the Denver Film Society's new theaters Thursday for the Starz Denver Film Festival.
Whether that red-carpet event at the newly minted Denver FilmCenter/Colfax will go on is not certain, said festival director Britta Erickson Saturday afternoon. What is certain, she said, "is that we will find a way to honor George, who was a friend and colleague of the festival."
The festival began its association with George Hickenlooper, who died Saturday at age 47, when it showed "Hearts of Darkness" and "Picture This: The Times of Peter Bogdanovich in Archer City, Texas" in 1991.
Hickenlooper was drawn to bold, complex personalities. His 2003 documentary, "Mayor of the Sunset Strip," told the story of Rodney Bingenheimer, a rock-music impresario in 1970s Los Angeles. "Factory Girl" (2006) features an intriguing turn by Sienna Miller as Andy Warhol muse Edie Sedgwick.
During the 2008 Democratic National Convention, Hickenlooper trained the camera on his mayoral cousin for the multi-part documentary, "Hick Town."
He hoped the reality-TV style work about a city mayor would earn a cable TV slot.
It didn't, which is too bad. The film is a revelatory look — in serious and humorous ways — at a mayor and his staff as they face the logistical and political challenges of the convention.
"Without knowing what was going to happen, I knew he would never put Denver in a negative light," Mayor Hickenlooper told The Denver Post last fall when "Hick Town" was screened at the Starz Denver Film Festival. "I knew there would be large parts I find excruciating, but as a whole I knew it would be grounded," the mayor said.
"He's family and I trust him."
Filmaker George Hickenlooper, cousin of Denver"s mayor found dead
Award-winning director George Hickenlooper, cousin of Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, was found dead Saturday morning in an Uptown Denver apartment where he was staying.
The Los Angeles-based filmmaker was in Denver for the screening of his latest film, scheduled to be shown Thursday at the Starz Denver Film Festival.
Residents of the apartment on East 22nd Avenue tried to wake George Hickenlooper about 8 a.m. but could not, Denver police spokesman Sonny Jackson said.
He was 47 and appeared to have died from natural causes. The body was taken to the coroner and police were investigating the death, Jackson said.
"We don't see anything indicating that foul play was involved. This is a standard death investigation," he said.
George Hickenlooper's latest film "Casino Jack" stars Kevin Spacey.
In an online statement on deadline.com, Spacey said he was shocked by Hickenlooper's death.
"I can't believe he's gone because George was so alive, bubbling with energy, drive, commitment, an open heart and a brilliant sense of humor," Spacey said. "He was one of a kind."
Mayor Hickenlooper issued a statement about 3 p.m. Saturday.
"Shock and sadness do not begin to describe our emotions. We are devastated," he said. "George had immense creative talents and cinematic gifts, but he was so much more than that to us and all his family.
"His passion for life, zeal for people and unquenchable curiosity enriched everyone who had the fortune to know him. We will miss his sense of humor, his warm character and the avid encouragement he gave anyone around him. Our hearts go out to his wife, Suzanne, and his son, Charles."
The Democratic candidate for governor attended two scheduled campaign events Saturday morning before handing off to running mate Joe Garcia.
Garcia will take over "while John takes time to mourn with his family," campaign spokesman George Merritt said.
George Hickenlooper was born on May 25, 1963, in St. Louis. He graduated from Yale University in 1986. He won an Emmy in 1992 for his documentary "Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse." His other films include "The Mayor of Sunset Strip" in 2003.
When Denver hosted the Democratic National Convention in 2008, the cousins united, with George Hickenlooper following his cousin John around Denver to produce the documentary "Hick Town."
George Hickenlooper is survived by his wife, Suzanne; son, Charles; a younger brother and his parents.
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_16480506?source=pkg
Astute, hard-working director had close ties to Denver film festival
In the cracking political drama "Casino Jack," director George Hickenlooper cast his first cousin John in a brief role as a senator.
Thanks to a bit of motion-picture hocus-pocus, John Hickenlooper sits next to John McCain as the senator from Arizona grills Washington, D.C., lobbyist Jack Abramoff, played by Kevin Spacey.
At age 27, George Hickenlooper made a heady debut at the Cannes Film Festival with the documentary "Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse," co-directed with Fax Bahr. Using footage shot by Francis Ford Coppola's wife, Eleanor, the film recounts Coppola's Herculean struggle to make "Apocalypse Now." It remains among the best works on the madness of moviemaking.
Versatile, hard-working, astute, he was better known for his documentaries. But "Casino Jack," due in theaters in December, shows cheeky narrative and a particular gift with performers.
"Casino Jack" is one of two films set to christen the Denver Film Society's new theaters Thursday for the Starz Denver Film Festival.
Whether that red-carpet event at the newly minted Denver FilmCenter/Colfax will go on is not certain, said festival director Britta Erickson Saturday afternoon. What is certain, she said, "is that we will find a way to honor George, who was a friend and colleague of the festival."
The festival began its association with George Hickenlooper, who died Saturday at age 47, when it showed "Hearts of Darkness" and "Picture This: The Times of Peter Bogdanovich in Archer City, Texas" in 1991.
Hickenlooper was drawn to bold, complex personalities. His 2003 documentary, "Mayor of the Sunset Strip," told the story of Rodney Bingenheimer, a rock-music impresario in 1970s Los Angeles. "Factory Girl" (2006) features an intriguing turn by Sienna Miller as Andy Warhol muse Edie Sedgwick.
During the 2008 Democratic National Convention, Hickenlooper trained the camera on his mayoral cousin for the multi-part documentary, "Hick Town."
He hoped the reality-TV style work about a city mayor would earn a cable TV slot.
It didn't, which is too bad. The film is a revelatory look — in serious and humorous ways — at a mayor and his staff as they face the logistical and political challenges of the convention.
"Without knowing what was going to happen, I knew he would never put Denver in a negative light," Mayor Hickenlooper told The Denver Post last fall when "Hick Town" was screened at the Starz Denver Film Festival. "I knew there would be large parts I find excruciating, but as a whole I knew it would be grounded," the mayor said.
"He's family and I trust him."