Darren Smith (actor) explained

Darren Smith
Birth Name:Darren Gordon Smith
Birth Date:20 November 1962
Occupation:Actor, writer, composer, musician, producer
Spouse:Nancy Long

Darren Gordon Smith[1] (born November 20, 1962) is an American musician, composer, and actor. Smith is noted for co-writing and acting in Repo! The Genetic Opera, a rock opera released in 2008.[2]

Early life and education

Smith was born to Gordon Smith, who worked at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and Renee Corey Smith.[3] Smith attended New York University (NYU), where he received a degree in music.[4]

Career

Repo! The Genetic Opera

See main article: Repo! The Genetic Opera. In the late 1990s, Smith met Terrance Zdunich in an acting class.[5] The pair would collaborate on 10-minute operas at rock clubs around Los Angeles, where Smith would play many of the instruments and Zdunich would perform many of the acting roles. The pair would expand one of their 10-minute operas, “The Necromerchant’s Debt", into a full-length version of the show titled Repo! The Genetic Opera.[6] According to Zdunich, the plight of one of Smith's friends, who was then undergoing bankruptcy, helped inspire the 10-minute opera.[7]

In 2002, Smith and Zdunich would meet Darren Lynn Bousman, who would later direct Repo!'s cinematic adaptation.[8] The film version of Repo! was released in 2008,[9] and has since attained a cult following.[10] [11] Smith himself has described the film as "Blade Runner meets Rocky Horror".[12]

The Second Age of Aquarius

In 2022, Smith's collaborative story with Staci Layne Wilson titled 'Phantom/Fandom' was made into a movie called The Second Age of Aquarius.[13] Principal photography for the film began in November 2019.[14] The film debuted at the Zed Fest Film Festival in North Hollywood, Los Angeles.[15]

Other projects

In 2021, Variety highlighted Smith's literary work featured in ‘Rock & Roll Nightmares: Gory Days’, a horror audiobook.[16]

Filmography

Actor

Writer

Movies

Books

Composer

Producer

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Gencarelli. Mike. 2010-05-19. Interview with Darren Gordon Smith. 2022-02-02. MediaMikes. en-US.
  2. Web site: Conniff. Tamara. 2007-12-05. 'Repo!' sews together pop, metal, rap, horror. 2022-02-02. The Hollywood Reporter. en-US.
  3. Web site: Gordon S. Smith. 2022-02-02. www.llnl.gov. en.
  4. Web site: Gencarelli. Mike. 2010-05-19. Interview with Darren Gordon Smith. 2022-02-02. MediaMikes. en-US.
  5. Web site: Meisfjord. Tom. 2020-10-16. The Paris Hilton Horror Musical You Can Watch On Amazon Prime Right Now. 2022-02-02. Looper.com. en-US.
  6. News: Itzkoff. Dave. 2008-11-06. Opera With Heart (Also Spleen, Liver and Entrails). en-US. The New York Times. 2021-12-18. 0362-4331.
  7. Web site: Repo's Graverobber Talks To io9 About Opera, Horror And Porn. 2022-02-02. Gizmodo. en-us.
  8. Web site: 2010-05-18. Repo Men vs. Repo! The Genetic Opera: Behind The Controversy. 2022-02-02. HuffPost. en.
  9. Web site: Year 2008 - Fantasia Festival . February 15, 2022 . June 5, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200605211055/https://fantasiafestival.com/en/archives/2008?id=310 . dead .
  10. Web site: Collins. Mary. 2016-10-27. Repo! The Genetic Opera: A Modern Cult Classic. 2021-12-18. University Express. en-GB.
  11. Web site: 2019-10-02. Repo! The Genetic Opera: The Goriest (& Most Underrated) Musical Ever Made. 2021-12-18. ScreenRant. en-US.
  12. Web site: 2021-02-11. Repo! The Genetic Opera is the Hot Mess America Deserves Right Now. 2021-12-18. Film Cred. en-US.
  13. Web site: 2022-01-18. Sci-Fi Rock 'n' Roll Rom-Com"The Second Age of Aquarius"Coming out on Valentine's Day Weekend! - Action Reloaded. 2022-02-15. en-GB.
  14. Web site: 2019-10-26. Sci-fi comedy The Second Age of Aquarius to begin production in November. 2022-02-15. Flickering Myth. en-US.
  15. Web site: Rabinowitz. Chloe. Zed Fest Film Festival 2021 Announces Opening Night Film Line-Up. 2022-02-02. BroadwayWorld.com. en.
  16. Web site: Chernov. Matthew. 2021-10-05. 12 Horror Audiobooks That Will Chill Your Blood. 2022-02-15. Variety. en-US.
  17. Web site: 2022-02-09. The Second Age of Aquarius. 2022-02-15. Film Authority. en-GB.
  18. Web site: 2015-07-20. Enjoy Some Sex Death Rock N Roll in this New Short Story Anthology. 2022-02-15. Dread Central. en-US.