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IMDbPro

Eli Roth

  • Producer
  • Actor
  • Writer
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,000406
Eli Roth
Official Trailer
Play trailer2:23
Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story (2022)
31 Videos
99+ Photos
Eli Raphael Roth was born in Newton, Massachusetts, to Cora (Bialis), a painter, and Sheldon H. Roth, a psychoanalyst, psychiatrist, and clinical professor. His family is Jewish (from Austria, Hungary, Russia, and Poland). He began shooting Super 8 films at the age of eight; after watching Ridley Scott's Alien (1979) and vomiting, and deciding he wanted to be a producer/director. With his brothers and friends, ketchup for blood, and his father's power tools, he made over 50 short films before attending film school at NYU, where he won a student Academy Award and graduated summa cum laude in 1994.

Eli worked in film and theater production in New York City for many years, doing every job from production assistant to assistant editor to assistant to the director. At the age of 20, Roth was development head for producer Fred Zollo, a position he soon left to write full time. To earn a living, Roth did budgets and schedules for the films A Price Above Rubies (1998) and Illuminata (1998), and often worked as a stand-in, where he could watch directors work with the actors. In 1995, Roth co-wrote the script that would eventually become Cabin Fever (2002) with friend Randy Pearlstein, and the two spent many years unsuccessfully trying to get the film financed. Roth left New York in 1999 to live in Los Angeles, and within four months got funding for his animation series Chowdaheads (1999). Roth and friend Noah Belson (Cabin Fever (2002)'s Guitar Man) wrote and voiced the episodes, which Roth produced, directed, and designed. The episodes were due to run on WCW's #1 rated series WCW Monday Nitro (1995) but the CEO was fired a day before they were scheduled to air, and the episodes never ran. Roth used the episodes to set up a stop motion series called The Rotten Fruit (2003) which he produced, directed, and animated, as well as co-wrote and voiced with friend Belson. Between the two animated series, Roth worked closely with director David Lynch, producing content for the website davidlynch.com.

In 2001, Roth filmed Cabin Fever (2002) on a shoestring budget of $1.5 million, with private equity he and his producers raised from friends and their family. The film was the subject of a bidding war at the 2002 Toronto Film Festival, eventually won by Lion's Gate, instantly doubling their investors' money. It went on to not only be the highest-grossing film for Lion's Gate in 2003, but the most profitable horror film released that year, garnering critical acclaim from The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Empire Magazine, and such filmmakers as Peter Jackson, Quentin Tarantino, and Tobe Hooper. Roth used the film's success to launch a slew of projects, including The Box (2009), a horror thriller he co-wrote with Richard Kelly. In May 2003, Roth joined forces with filmmakers Boaz Yakin, Scott Spiegel, and Greenestreet Films in New York to form Raw Nerve, LLC, a horror film production company.

In 2014, Eli married Chilean model and actress Lorenza Izzo.
BornApril 18, 1972
  • More at IMDbPro
    • Contact info
    • Agent info
    • Resume
BornApril 18, 1972
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,000406
  • View contact info at IMDbPro
  • Awards
    • 18 wins & 13 nominations

Photos278

Eli Roth in The Idol (2023)
Eli Roth in The Idol (2023)
Eli Roth in Sequels That Don't Suck (2021)
Eli Roth in Eli Roth's History of Horror (2018)
Stephen King and Eli Roth in Eli Roth's History of Horror (2018)
Greg Nicotero, Eli Roth, and Rob Zombie in Eli Roth's History of Horror (2018)
Scott Derrickson, Eli Roth, and Rob Zombie in Houses of Hell (2020)
Eli Roth in Cabin Fever (2002)
Eli Roth in 2001 Maniacs (2005)
Greg Nicotero, Eli Roth, and Rob Zombie in Eli Roth's History of Horror (2018)
Eli Roth in Death Wish (2018)
Bruce Willis, Vincent D'Onofrio, Eli Roth, and Camila Morrone in Death Wish (2018)

Known for:

Cabin Fever (2002)
Cabin Fever
5.6
  • Producer
  • 2002
Brad Pitt, Til Schweiger, Mélanie Laurent, Eli Roth, Christoph Waltz, and Diane Kruger in Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Inglourious Basterds
8.3
  • Sgt. Donny Donowitz
  • 2009
Rose McGowan in Grindhouse (2007)
Grindhouse
7.5
  • Producer(fake trailer segment)
  • 2007
Hostel (2005)
Hostel
5.9
  • Producer
  • 2005

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Producer

  • Eli Roth Presents: The Legion of Exorcists
    • executive producer
    • Released
    • TV Series
    • 2023
  • Thanksgiving
    • producer
    • Post-production
    • 2023
  • Endangered Species
    • producer
    • Pre-production
  • The Funhouse 3D
    • producer
    • Pre-production
  • Corpus Christi
    • producer
    • Pre-production
  • Lake Mead
    • executive producer, producer
    • Post-production
  • Eli Roth Presents: The Legion of Exorcists (2023)
    Eli Roth Presents: The Legion of Exorcists
    • executive producer
    • TV Series
    • 2023
  • Eli Roth's Be Mine: A VR Valentine's Slasher (2023)
    Eli Roth's Be Mine: A VR Valentine's Slasher
    • executive producer
    • Short
    • 2023
  • Urban Legend (2022)
    Urban Legend
    • executive producer
    • TV Series
    • 2022
  • Eli Roth Presents: A Ghost Ruined My Life (2021)
    Eli Roth Presents: A Ghost Ruined My Life
    • executive producer
    • TV Series
    • 2021–2022
  • The Haunted Museum (2021)
    The Haunted Museum
    • executive producer
    • TV Series
    • 2021–2022
  • Eli Roth Presents: My Possessed Pet (2022)
    Eli Roth Presents: My Possessed Pet
    • executive producer
    • TV Series
    • 2022
  • Eli Roth's History of Horror (2018)
    Eli Roth's History of Horror
    • executive producer
    • TV Series
    • 2018–2021
  • The Other Woman
    • producer
    • 2021
  • Fin (2021)
    Fin
    • executive producer
    • 2021
  • Paris Jackson: Let Down (2020)
    Paris Jackson: Let Down
    • executive producer
    • Video
    • 2020
  • Damian Maffei, Justin Marxen, Terri Partyka, and Chaney Morrow in Haunt (2019)
    Haunt
    • producer (produced by)
    • 2019
  • Afterlife (2017)
    Afterlife
    • producer
    • TV Series
    • 2017
  • Dwayne Johnson, Alexandra Daddario, Zac Efron, Ilfenesh Hadera, Jon Bass, and Kelly Rohrbach in Baywatch (2017)
    Baywatch
    • co-producer
    • 2017
  • Micah Fitzgerald in Two on the Run (2016)
    Two on the Run
    • executive producer
    • Short
    • 2016
  • #15SecondScare (2015)
    #15SecondScare
    • producer
    • executive producer
    • TV Series
    • 2015–2016

Actor

  • The Idol
    • Released
    • TV Series
    • 2023
  • The Weeknd and Lily-Rose Depp in The Idol (2023)
    The Idol
    • Andrew Finkelstein
    • TV Series
    • 2023
  • Poppy Playtime (2021)
    Poppy Playtime
    • Jimmy Roth
    • Video Game
    • 2021
  • Death Rider in the House of Vampires (2021)
    Death Rider in the House of Vampires
    • Drac Cassidy
    • 2021
  • Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)
    Godzilla: King of the Monsters
    • Fighter Pilot (uncredited)
    • 2019
  • Cate Blanchett, Jack Black, and Owen Vaccaro in The House with a Clock in Its Walls (2018)
    The House with a Clock in Its Walls
    • Comrade Ivan
    • 2018
  • Nadine Crocker and Samuel Davis in Cabin Fever (2016)
    Cabin Fever
    • (uncredited)
    • 2016
  • You're Not My Girlfriend
    • David
    • Video
    • 2015
  • Clown (2014)
    Clown
    • Frowny the Clown
    • 2014
  • Claudia Celedón, Julio Jung, Liliana Ross, Luis Tosar, Nicolás Martínez, Ramón Llao, Paz Bascuñán, Ariel Levy, Ignacia Allamand, Felipe Avello, Elisa Zulueta, Andrea Velasco, Eduardo Domínguez, and Lorenza Izzo in Que Pena Tu Familia (2012)
    Que Pena Tu Familia
    • Elías Robles
    • 2012
  • The Man with the Iron Fists (2012)
    The Man with the Iron Fists
    • Wolf Clan #2
    • 2012
  • Aftershock (2012)
    Aftershock
    • Gringo
    • 2012
  • Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Mary J. Blige, Malin Akerman, Paul Giamatti, Russell Brand, Diego Boneta, and Julianne Hough in Rock of Ages (2012)
    Rock of Ages
    • Stefano
    • 2012
  • The United Monster Talent Agency (2010)
    The United Monster Talent Agency
    • Director #2
    • Short
    • 2010
  • Elisabeth Shue in Piranha 3D (2010)
    Piranha 3D
    • Wet T-Shirt Host
    • 2010
  • Don't Look Up (2009)
    Don't Look Up
    • Béla Olt
    • 2009

Writer

  • Thanksgiving
    • written by
    • Post-production
    • 2023
  • Endangered Species
    • written by
    • Pre-production
  • Lake Mead
    • Writer
    • Post-production
  • Borderlands
    • screenplay
    • Post-production
  • Eli Roth's Be Mine: A VR Valentine's Slasher (2023)
    Eli Roth's Be Mine: A VR Valentine's Slasher
    • Writer
    • Short
    • 2023
  • Nadine Crocker and Samuel Davis in Cabin Fever (2016)
    Cabin Fever
    • screenplay by
    • story by
    • 2016
  • Keanu Reeves, Ana de Armas, and Lorenza Izzo in Knock Knock (2015)
    Knock Knock
    • screenplay
    • 2015
  • The Green Inferno (2013)
    The Green Inferno
    • screenplay by
    • story by
    • 2013
  • The Man with the Iron Fists (2012)
    The Man with the Iron Fists
    • screenplay
    • 2012
  • Aftershock (2012)
    Aftershock
    • screenplay by
    • story by
    • 2012
  • Barry Livingston in Hostel: Part III (2011)
    Hostel: Part III
    • characters
    • Video
    • 2011
  • Heather Matarazzo and Bijou Phillips in Hostel: Part II (2007)
    Hostel: Part II
    • characters
    • written by
    • 2007
  • Thanksgiving (2007)
    Thanksgiving
    • Writer
    • Short
    • 2007
  • Rose McGowan in Grindhouse (2007)
    Grindhouse
    • written by (fake trailer segment "Thanksgiving")
    • 2007
  • Hostel (2005)
    Hostel
    • written by
    • 2005
  • 2004 MTV Movie Awards (2004)
    2004 MTV Movie Awards
    • animation sequences
    • TV Special
    • 2004
  • Cabin Fever (2002)
    Cabin Fever: Family Friendly Version
    • Writer
    • Video
    • 2004
  • The Rotten Fruit (2003)
    The Rotten Fruit
    • Writer
    • Video
    • 2003
  • Cabin Fever (2002)
    Cabin Fever
    • story by
    • written by
    • 2002
  • In-development projects at IMDbPro

Videos32

How 'Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood' Connects the TarantinoVerse
Clip 5:09
How 'Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood' Connects the TarantinoVerse
Clip - Jail cell
Clip 1:13
Clip - Jail cell
Piranha 3-D
Clip 2:31
Piranha 3-D
Piranha 3-D
Clip 0:33
Piranha 3-D
Piranha 3-D
Clip 0:31
Piranha 3-D
Piranha 3-D
Clip 0:38
Piranha 3-D
The Shark is Still Working: The Impact and Legacy of JAWS
Clip 0:47
The Shark is Still Working: The Impact and Legacy of JAWS
The Shark is Still Working: Steven Spielberg on the fate of the Orca
Clip 0:51
The Shark is Still Working: Steven Spielberg on the fate of the Orca
Don't Look Up
Interview 3:07
Don't Look Up
Official Teaser Trailer
Trailer 0:30
Official Teaser Trailer
Teaser
Trailer 1:42
Teaser
Theatrical
Trailer 2:24
Theatrical

Personal details

Edit
  • Official sites
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
  • Alternative names
    • David Kaufbird
  • Height
    • 6′ (1.83 m)
  • Born
    • April 18, 1972
    • Boston, Massachusetts, USA
  • Spouse
    • Lorenza IzzoNovember 8, 2014 - August 2019 (divorced)
  • Parents
      Cora Roth
  • Relatives
      Adam J. Roth(Sibling)
  • Other works
    Provided three separate DVD commentaries for Hostel: Part II (2007), a solo commentary, a commentary with the actors, as well as a commentary with executive producer Quentin Tarantino.
  • Publicity listings
    • 2 Biographical Movies
    • 1 Print Biography
    • 2 Portrayals
    • 2 Interviews
    • 5 Articles
    • 1 Pictorial
    • 9 Magazine Cover Photos

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    He filmed The Green Inferno (2013) in an Amazonian village with no electricity or running water, only accessible by motorboat. The village was so remote the natives had never before seen a movie or television. To get permission, Roth's producers brought a generator, television, and DVD player and explained to the entire village what a movie was. The film they showed was Cannibal Holocaust (1980). The natives thought it was a comedy and agreed to let Roth and crew film there. Nearly the entire village signed up after the screening to play cannibals.
  • Quotes
    [interview with Dave Kehr in the New York Times, September 2002] I'll direct any movie starring a monkey or the Olsen Twins. Preferably both.
  • Trademarks
      His classical filmmaking style. Roth photographs, edits, and scores his films like 1970s dramas. He does not use the modern "MTV" style of fast cutting, and prefers the filmmaking techniques not to be noticed and to take a back seat to the story and performances.
  • Nickname
    • Gorilka

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