As reported by Deadline, filmmaker Stacy Title—who earned an Oscar nomination for directing the 1993 short film Down On The Waterfront—has died. Title was diagnosed with ALS three years ago, shortly after being involved in a car accident that doctors suggested had somehow triggered the neurodegenerative disease. Title was 56.
Title’s first break into the movie industry was her Oscar-nominated short Down On The Waterfront, which starred Jason Alexander, Ed Asner, and Title’s husband Jonathan Penner—a Survivor contestant and actor who collaborated with Title on a number of her films. She also directed the black comedy The Last Supper in 1995 (a movie about liberal grad students plotting to murder far-right extremists with a cast that include Cameron Diaz, Courtney B. Vance, Bill Paxton, and Ron Perlman) and 1999's Let The Devil Wear Black, a modern-retelling of Hamlet. Title and Penner also developed an attempted Long Ranger reboot for The WB with Chad Michael Murray that wasn’t picked up as a full series.
Title also directed the 2006's horror anthology Snoop Dogg’s Hood Of Horror and 2017's The Bye Bye Man—a film that dramatically over-performed at the box office, despite receiving largely negative reviews. That same year, Title directed her first TV episode (on Hulu’s Freakish), but her accident occurred shortly after that and the disease progressed very rapidly. Within months, she couldn’t talk or swallow, but Deadline says she remained determined to make one final film. That project, titled Walking Time Bomb and starring Jason Alexander, Cary Elwes, and Bob Odenkirk, didn’t end up happening, but Deadline notes that Title still spend her last few years directing ALS PSAs and working as an advocate for people in Hollywood with disabilities.
13 Comments
Jason Alexander is married to her sister.
RIP. 56 is too young to die. Fuck ALS.
I agree with you, especially about ALS. I’ve seen what it does, and it’s a bitch. I really feel for her family right now. It’s a double edged sword for them. She’s gone, but she no longer has to suffer the torture of ALS.
Tragic. My mum died of ALS (MND here in Australia). It’s a horrible, cruel, shitty way to go out. Wouldn’t wish it on anyone.
As a “Survivor” fan, watching her deteriorate through Penner’s eyes over the last few years has been heartbreaking.
She directed The Last Supper and you want to lead with fucking Bye Bye Man?
It’s her most recent film.
When Steven Spielberg dies, you think they’re going to lead with Ready Player One?
No, but will all due respect to Title, her filmography isn’t as large or respected as Spielberg’s. It makes sense when identifying her work here they would list her most recent project – the one that the public would have the best chance of remembering.
The Last Supper is an awesome film. I watch it again every five years or so. Also: Ron Perlman.
The Last Supper is criminally underrated, what a great film. And damn if it wasn’t shockingly prescient.
The Last Supper is brilliant. What a horrible and sad way for her (and others, so many, anyone) to go. She did good work.
“an attempted Long Ranger reboot”Did you mean to write “Lone Ranger”?“Title still spend her last few years directing”I think that should be “spent”.