Wes Craven

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Wes Craven

American director and screenwriter

Also known as: Wesley Earl Craven

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Dec 12, 2024 • Article History

Quick Facts

In full:: Wesley Earl Craven

Born:: August 2, 1939, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.

Died:: August 30, 2015, Los Angeles, California (aged 76)

Notable Works:: “A Nightmare on Elm Street”; “Music of the Heart”; “My Soul to Take”; “Red Eye”; “Scream 3”; “Scream 4”; “Scream”; “Swamp Thing”; “The Hills Have Eyes”; “The Last House on the Left”

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Wes Craven (born August 2, 1939, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.—died August 30, 2015, Los Angeles, California) was an American director and screenwriter who was known for his horror films, several of which are classics of the genre. Craven earned an undergraduate degree from Wheaton College (Wheaton, Illinois) in 1963 and went on to earn an M.A. in writing and philosophy from Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, Maryland) in 1964. He taught at Westminster College (New Wilmington, Pennsylvania) and then at Clarkson College (Potsdam, New York). He also spent a year teaching high school before taking his first film-industry job as a messenger ...(100 of 428 words)

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