“I’m very fortunate, but this business is about being talented. You can’t ride anyone’s coattails.” —Demme*

Gone too soon at the age of 38 (October 1963 – January 2002), Santa Monica-born Ted Demme has made quite a mark during his relatively short time in the industry. The latest and, perhaps, most memorable among his many directing credits is “Blow” (2001), the true story of a man (Johnny Depp) who established and controlled 85% of the American cocaine market in the 70s. Although critically acclaimed, the overall success of “Blow” likely suffered because of its near-simultaneous release with another drug-themed film, “Traffic,” which was directed by Steven Soderbergh and swept the Oscars of 2001.

Demme’s work on the short-lived sitcom “Action” (1999; 13 episodes), a satirical look at Hollywood starring Jay Mohr and Illeana Douglas, is among my personal favorites, along with the similarly spirited Christmas-themed black comedy “The Ref” (1995), starring Dennis Leary as a cat burglar who is forced to take a married couple hostage (Judy Davis, Kevin Spacey). The director’s other notable big screen projects include: “Life” (1999) starring Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence as two friends serving a life prison sentence; “Beautiful Girls” (1996) which depicts a high-school reunion and sports a strong ensemble cast (notably Natalie Portman); and “Who’s the Man?” (1993, Demme’s feature directorial debut), a comedy about two inept barbers turned policemen (Ed Lover and Doctor Dre). In addition to directing, Demme also produced several well-known films, such as “Rounders” and “Tumbleweeds” (1998, 1999).

MTV gave Demme his start as a production assistant in the mid-80s; however, he quickly progressed to directing music videos — for artists ranging from Salt-N-Pepa to House of Pain and Bruce Springsteen — as well as creating the critically acclaimed “Yo! MTV Raps” and other advertising spots, including the same network’s now-famous black-and-white series starring then-unknown Denis Leary. In both film and television, the association between Demme and Leary seems to have been continuous. Demme directed both of the comic’s major stand-up TV specials, “No Cure for Cancer” (1992) and “Lock ‘N’ Load” (1997). Leary also appeared in quite a few of Demme’s films: He was Sgt. Cooper in “Who’s the Man?,” Gus, the lead role of “The Ref,” Bobby O’Grady in “Snitch” (1998), and even had a small part in television’s critically acclaimed film “Subway Stories: Tales from the Underground” (where Demme directed a segment called “Manhattan Miracle” starring Anne Heche and Gregory Hines, and Leary appeared in a segment called “The Red Shoes”). Leary was also among the producers of “Blow.”

Ted Demme’s final contribution to the industry is the upcoming “A Decade Under the Influence” (2003), a documentary which looks at the importance of the 70s in the history of American cinema.