With the series “The Monkees” he created one of the most famous rock bands of the 1960s, later he shot several times with the actor Jack Nicholson. / Bob Rafelson is dead
With films like »Five Easy Pieces – A Man Finds Himself«, he was one of the most important representatives of the New Hollywood era of the 1960s and 1970s: The US director and screenwriter Bob Rafelson has now died at the age of 89.
Monkees singer Micky Dolenz tweeted his farewell to the filmmaker: “Unfortunately, Bob passed away last night,” Dolenz wrote. “But I did have the opportunity to text him, telling him how eternally grateful I am that he saw something in me. I thank you from the bottom of my heart, my friend.«
Rafelson became known in the 1960s with the TV series »The Monkees«, which he produced together with Bert Schneider. The series tells the story of a rock group trying to break into the music scene. The members were cast specifically for the series. The band later received several Grammy nominations for songs like “I’m a Believer”. In 1976, Rafelson, along with Schneider, won an Emmy for Best Comedy Series for The Monkees.
Francis Ford Coppola called Rafelson “one of the most important film artists of his time”. He produced Hollywood classics such as Peter Bogdanovich’s The Last Picture Show and Dennis Hopper’s Easy Rider. In his films, Rafelson often worked with actor Jack Nicholson. In 1971, he received two Oscar nominations for Best Picture and Best Screenplay for Five Easy Pieces, starring Nicholson. In 1981 he made his drama film When the Postman Rings Twice with Nicholson.
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