Ed Wood, Jr.
Edward Davis Wood, Junior (October 10, 1924 - December 10, 1978) was a film maker known for his awful movies and transvestite tendencies. He is probably the most famous lousy film maker in existence. In fact, the very lack of quality of his movies has earned him and his films a considerable cult following.Ed Wood eventually fell to making pornography and died destitute. He was largely forgotten until he was posthumously awarded the Golden Turkey Award for worst director of all time, a move that ironically earned him and his films a healthy cult following.
In spite of the poor quality of his movies and his obvious lack of talent, Ed Wood has been posthumously recognized and is generally respected by film scholars and historians -- not for his talent, but rather for his zeal and honest love for making movies.
The 1994 film Ed Wood, by director Tim Burton, tells the story of Wood and Bela Lugosi and the making of the three films they did together (Glen or Glenda, Bride of the Monster and Plan 9 from Outer Space), from a sympathetic point of view. Wood is played by Johnny Depp, and Martin Landau won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Lugosi. Burton's respect for Wood is also hinted at in his film Edward Scissorhands -- the director has stated that he named the lead character in the film "Edward" because of its similarity to the name "Ed Wood".
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