Penelope Spheeris Biography (1945?-)

Born December 2, 1945 (some sources cite 1946), in New Orleans (some sourcescite Algiers), LA; father, a circus carnival owner and side-show "strong man"; mother, a ticket taker for a traveling circus side show; children: Anna Schoeller. Addresses: Agent: Gersh Agency, Inc., 232 North Canon Dr., Beverly Hills, CA 90210-5302.

Nationality: American
Gender: Female
Occupation: Director, producer, writer
Birth Details: December 2, 1945?; New Orleans, Louisiana, United States

Famous Works

CREDITS
Film Work
Director, Except Where Indicated
I Don't Know, 1971
Producer, Real Life, Paramount, 1979
(And producer, and contributor of photography) The Decline of WesternCivilization (documentary), Spheeris Films, 1981
Suburbia (also known as The Wild Side), New World, 1984
The Boys Next Door (also known as Big Shots), New World, 1985
Hollywood Vice Squad, Cinema Group, 1986
Dudes, Cineworld, 1986
The Decline of Western Civilization II: The Metal Years (documentary), New Line Cinema, 1986
As Nasty As We Want to Be, 1990
Wayne's World, Paramount, 1992
(And producer) The Beverly Hillbillies, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1993
The Little Rascals, Universal, 1994
Black Sheep, Paramount, 1996
Senseless, Miramax/Dimension Films, 1998
The Decline of Western Civilization Part III (documentary), Spheeris Films, 1998
The Thing in Bob's Garage, Act III Productions, 1998
No Use Walking When You Can Stroll, 1998
(And cinematographer) We Sold Our Souls for Rock 'n' Roll(documentary), Divine Pictures, 2001
Posers, 2001

Closers, Dimension Films, 2001
Also made the documentary short film Lifers Group: World Tour.
Film Appearances
Naked Angels, 1969
Calling the Shots, 1988
Nicky's mom, Wedding Band, 1990
Television Work
Specials
(With others) Decade, MTV, 1989
Thunder and Mud, cable television pay-per-view, 1990
Segment director, "New Chicks," in "Prison Stories: Women on the Inside,"HBO Showcase, HBO, 1991
Director, Visitors from the Unknown, CBS, 1991
Pilots
Cocreator and director, Danger Theatre, Fox, 1993
Director, Dear Doughboy, The WB, 2000
Episodic
Story editor, Roseanne, ABC, between and 1990
Producer of short pieces for Saturday Night Live, NBC, in the 1970s
Television Appearances
Specials
Intimate Portrait: Lea Thompson, Lifetime, 1998
Ernest Goes to Hollywood: Jim Varney, the E! True Hollywood Story,E! Entertainment Network, 2001
WRITINGS
Film Scripts
The Decline of Western Civilization (documentary), Spheeris Films,1981
Suburbia (also known as The Wild Side), New World, 1984
(With Bert Dragin) Summer Camp Nightmare (also known as The Butterfly Revolution), Concorde, 1987
The Little Rascals (based on a story by Spheeris), Universal, 1994
Television Episodes
Roseanne, ABC, between and 1990
Danger Theatre, Fox, 1993

Further Reference

OTHER SOURCES

Books

International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers, 1996. Volume 2:Directors, St. James Press,
Newsmakers 1989, 1989. Issue 4, Gale,
Women Filmmakers and Their Films, 1998. St. James Press,

Periodicals

People Weekly, July 4, 1988, pp. 52-54.

User Contributions:

Comment about this article, ask questions, or add new information about this topic:

forum