Biography
Robert Jonathan Demme (February 22, 1944 – April 26, 2017) was an American filmmaker, producer and screenwriter. He was best known for directing The Silence of the Lambs, which won him the Academy Award for Best Director. He also directed the acclaimed films Something Wild (1986), Married to the Mob (1988), Philadelphia (1993), and Rachel Getting Married (2008), as well as the Talking Heads concert film Stop Making Sense (1984), which is widely considered to be one of the greatest concert films ...
Known For
Complete Filmography

The Many Miracles of Household Saints
2024
as Self
In keeping with the intergenerational magic of 'Household Saints', filmmaker Martina Savoca-Guay has crafted a compelling new documentary, 'The Many M...

Jodie Foster, Hollywood Under the Skin
2021
as Self
From her precocious status as a sex symbol to her consecration as a filmmaker, Jodie Foster's story is about a feminist struggle, albeit atypical, fou...

Hannibal Hopkins & Sir Anthony
2021
as Self (archive footage)
Hopkins’ career has spanned several decades, which is why we will also use many interviews that he gave throughout his life, allowing us to put him ba...

Suspiria
2018
In Memory Of
A darkness swirls at the center of a world-renowned dance company, one that will engulf the artistic director, an ambitious young dancer, and a grievi...

Vox Lux
2018
In Memory Of
In 1999, teenage sisters Celeste and Eleanor survive a seismic, violent tragedy. The sisters compose and perform a song about their experience, making...

Phantom Thread
2017
In Memory Of
In 1950s London, a renowned dressmaker's meticulous lifestyle begins drastically changing as his relationship with his young muse intensifies.

The Power of Rock
2017
Director
Oscar-winning producer and director Jonathan Demme's final film is just 12 minutes, but "The Power of Rock" is several lifetimes worth of music.

Protection Not Protest: The People of Standing Rock
2016
Director
One of Jonathan Demme's last works, a 2016 short documentary hosted by Tavis Smiley.

Justin Timberlake + The Tennessee Kids
2016
Director
On the final nights of a world tour, director Jonathan Demme captures what makes the show soar: gifted musicians, deft dancers and a magnetic star.

Richard Linklater: Dream Is Destiny
2016
as Self
Highlighting one of the most innovative American directors, this film reveals the path traveled by the auteur from his small-town Texas roots to his w...

Ricki and the Flash
2015
Director
Meryl Streep stars as Ricki Rendazzo, a guitar heroine who made a world of mistakes as she followed her dreams of rock-and-roll stardom. Returning hom...

Another Telepathic Thing
2015
Director
A live performance film documenting Big Dance Theater's production Another Telepathic Thing, a piece partially inspired by Mark Twain's "The Mysteriou...

I Thought I Told You To Shut Up!!
2015
as Narrator (voice)
This documentary short tells the story of cartoonist David Boswell and his greatest creation: Reid Fleming, World's Toughest Milkman. In the late '70...
Deep Time
2015
Executive Producer
Ancient oceans teeming with life, Norwegian settlers, Native Americans and multinational oil corporations find intimacy in deep time. Following up his...
The Center
2015
Executive Producer
Ryan is not unlike millions of people – fresh out of college, a dead-end job, and an endless search for meaning in his life. Offered a new start via a...

What's Motivating Hayes
2015
Director
After Tyrone Hayes said that a chemical was harmful, its maker pursued him.

A Master Builder
2014
Director
A successful, ego-maniacal architect who has spent a lifetime bullying his wife, employees and mistresses wants to make peace as his life approaches i...

Song One
2014
Producer
Estranged from her family, Franny returns home when an accident leaves her brother comatose. Retracing his life as an aspiring musician, she tracks do...

Enzo Avitabile Music Life
2013
Producer, Director
Jonathan Demme helms this musical documentary that shines a light on the eclectic sounds of songwriter-musician Enzo Avitabile.

Pablo
2012
as Self
Pablo blends documentary and animation elements to tell the saga of "famous unknown" Pablo Ferro, a man with a personal journey that spans from Havana...

Gimme the Loot
2012
Presenter
When their latest work is buffed by a rival crew, two determined graffiti writers embark on an elaborate plan to bomb the ultimate location: the New Y...

Neil Young Journeys
2012
Director, Producer
In May of 2011, Neil Young drove a 1956 Crown Victoria from his idyllic hometown of Omemee, Ontario to downtown Toronto's iconic Massey Hall where he ...

Corman's World
2011
as Self - Filmmaker
A chronicle of the long career of American filmmaker Roger Corman, the most tenacious and ingenious low-budget producer and director in the US film in...

I'm Carolyn Parker
2011
Cinematography, Producer, Director
A documentary about a survivor of Hurricane Katrina.

Inside Story - The Silence of the Lambs
2010
as Self
With interviews from cast and crew, including stars Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, and director Jonathan Demme, this feature-length documentary tells ...

Sodankylä Forever
2010
as Self
The Midnight Sun Film Festival is held every June in the Finnish village of Sodankylä beyond the arctic circle — where the sun never sets. Founded by ...

Joe and Linda Flooded Out of Holy Cross
2010
Director of Photography, Producer, Director
A heartbreaking, must-see Jonathan Demme documentary on a proud New Orleans couple coming to terms with their post-Katrina loss.

Burning Down the House: The Story of CBGB
2009
as Self
An East Village performance space fought against the Bowery homeless shelter who threatened to shut them down. Some of the most iconic figures in musi...

Neil Young Trunk Show
2009
Producer, Music, Director
The second of Jonathan Demme's three Neil Young performance docs.
Crude Independence
2009
Executive Producer
Crude Independence is a documentary film about the heartland in the process of transplanting itself, and the new heart is pumping oil. In 2006, the Un...

Rachel Getting Married
2008
Director, Producer
A young woman who has been in and out from rehab for the past 10 years returns home for the weekend for her sister's wedding.

Jimmy Carter: Man from Plains
2007
as Self
A chronicle of the former president's tour recent for his book "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid."

Jimmy Carter: Man from Plains
2007
Writer, Producer, Director
A chronicle of the former president's tour recent for his book "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid."

Breaking the Silence: Picture-in-Picture Commentary
2007
Director
A visual commentary for "The Silence Of The Lambs" with the cast & crew in a "picture in picture" mode.

Neil Young: Heart of Gold
2006
Director, Producer
In March 2005, Neil Young was diagnosed with a brain aneurysm. Four days before he was scheduled for a lifesaving operation, he headed to Nashville, w...

Jonathan Demme & Jodie Foster
2005
as Self
Documentary about the making of "The Silence of the Lambs" (1991). Presented as three short documentaries on the collector's edition DVD (MGM, January...

The Manchurian Candidate
2004
Director, Producer
Years after his squad was ambushed during the Gulf War, Major Ben Marco finds himself having terrible nightmares. He begins to doubt that his fellow s...

People Like Us: Making 'Philadelphia'
2004
as Self
10 years after the release of "Philadelphia," director Jonathan Demme, Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington and others discuss about the making of that film a...

The Agronomist
2004
Producer, Cinematography, Director
Documentary on Jean Dominique, Haitian radio personality and human rights activist.

Beah: A Black Woman Speaks
2004
Producer
Beah: A Black Woman Speaks is a 2003 documentary about the life of Academy Award nominated actress Beah Richards. Directed by Lisa Gay Hamilton, it wo...

Adaptation.
2002
Producer
Charlie Kaufman is a confused L.A. screenwriter overwhelmed by feelings of inadequacy, sexual frustration, self-loathing, and by the screenwriting amb...

The Truth About Charlie
2002
Director, Screenplay, Producer
Regina meets charming Joshua while vacationing in Martinique, as she contemplates ending her whirlwind marriage to enigmatic Charlie. Upon her return ...

Inside the Labyrinth: The Making of 'The Silence of the Lambs'
2001
as Self
A behind-the-scenes look at the making of this Oscar winning thriller, prepared for its tenth anniversary. Includes interviews with star Anthony Hopki...

Silence of the Lambs: The Beginning
2001
as Self
"The Beginning" is one of three Johnathan Demme & Jodie Foster documentary features included in the physical release of Silence of the Lambs.This part...

Silence of the Lambs: Making Silence of the Lambs
2001
as Self
"Making Silence of the Lambs" is one of three Johnathan Demme & Jodie Foster documentary features included in the physical release of Silence of the L...

Silence of the Lambs: Breaking the Silence
2001
as Self
"Breaking the Silence" is one of three Johnathan Demme & Jodie Foster documentary features included in the physical release of Silence of the Lambs. T...

Bruce Springsteen: The Complete Video Anthology 1978-2000
2001
Director
The video kicks off from a 1978 performance of 'Rosalita' with a 29 year old Bruce wailing away with chicks jumpin' on the stage grabbing him! Lucky g...
Maangamizi: The Ancient One
2001
Executive Producer
An American woman doctor comes to Tanzania to work at a hospital for the mentally disturbed, with her Tanzanian lover. There, she meets a sometimes ca...

The Opportunists
2000
Executive Producer
Vic is a struggling auto mechanic with a safe-cracking past and a lot of debt. His girlfriend runs a bar and offers to loan him the money she's saved ...

Hitchcock: Shadow of a Genius
1999
as Self
This documentary is a fascinating look at the cinematic genius of Alfred Hitchcock. Briefly covering much of his early British works, the film primari...

Storefront Hitchcock
1998
Director
Live performance by Robyn Hitchcock, in... well, a storefront.

Beloved
1998
Producer, Director
After Paul D. finds his old slave friend Sethe in Ohio and moves in with her and her daughter Denver, a strange girl comes along by the name of "Belov...

Shadrach
1998
Executive Producer
In 1935, 99-year-old former slave Shadrach asks to be buried on the soil where he was born to slavery, and that land is owned by the large Dabney fami...

Subway Stories
1997
Director, Executive Producer
An anthology of 10 stories depicting real-life incidents of subway riders in New York City, which range from compassion and love to violence and loss.

Ulee's Gold
1997
Presenter
Third-generation Florida beekeeper Ulee Jackson may have gotten out of Vietnam alive, but he left a part of himself behind. Now he methodically tends ...

Mandela
1996
Producer
A documentary that chronicles the life of South African leader Nelson Mandela. Mandela is probably best known for his 27 years of imprisonment, and fo...

That Thing You Do!
1996
as Major Motion Picture Director
A Pennsylvania band scores a hit in 1964 and rides the star-making machinery as long as it can, with lots of help from its manager.

That Thing You Do!
1996
Producer
A Pennsylvania band scores a hit in 1964 and rides the star-making machinery as long as it can, with lots of help from its manager.

Devil in a Blue Dress
1995
Executive Producer
In late 1940s Los Angeles, Easy Rawlins is an unemployed black World War II veteran with few job prospects. At a bar, Easy meets DeWitt Albright, a my...

Roy Cohn/Jack Smith
1995
Executive Producer
When Jill Godmilow’s movie Roy Cohn/Jack Smith premiered at the 1994 Toronto International Film Festival, the number of AIDS-related deaths was reachi...

Neil Young and Crazy Horse: The Complex Sessions
1995
Director
This half-hour documentary by acclaimed director Jonathan Demme ("The Silence of the Lambs") captures singer-songwriter Neil Young and his hard-rockin...

One Foot on a Banana Peel, the Other Foot in the Grave: Secrets from the Dolly Madison Room
1994
as Narrator
Secrets from the Dolly Madison Room This thoughts and feelings of gays with AIDS are revealed in this documentary set in a New York West Village clini...

One Foot on a Banana Peel, the Other Foot in the Grave: Secrets from the Dolly Madison Room
1994
Producer
Secrets from the Dolly Madison Room This thoughts and feelings of gays with AIDS are revealed in this documentary set in a New York West Village clini...

Philadelphia
1993
Director, Producer
Two competing lawyers join forces to sue a prestigious law firm for AIDS discrimination. As their unlikely friendship develops their courage overcomes...

Household Saints
1993
Executive Producer
A chronicle of three generations of Italian-American women struggling to get by in post-World War II New York’s Little Italy.

Amos & Andrew
1993
Executive Producer
When Andrew Sterling, a successful black urbanite writer, buys a vacation home on a resort in New England the police mistake him for a burglar. After ...

Cousin Bobby
1992
as Self
Robert Castle is the idealistic pastor of St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Harlem, and also the cousin of filmmaker Jonathan Demme. Demme's affectionate...

Cousin Bobby
1992
Director
Robert Castle is the idealistic pastor of St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Harlem, and also the cousin of filmmaker Jonathan Demme. Demme's affectionate...

The Making of 'The Silence of the Lambs'
1991
as Self
This brief throwback piece focused on interview snippets from Hopkins, Demme, Glenn, Foster, FBI agent John Douglas and another unnamed FBI agent.

Women & Men 2: In Love There Are No Rules
1991
Producer
Three short stories about women & men relationship.

The Silence of the Lambs
1991
Director
Clarice Starling is a top student at the FBI's training academy. Jack Crawford wants Clarice to interview Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant psychiatri...

Red Hot + Blue: A Tribute to Cole Porter
1990
Director
This music special is dedicated to dispelling the prejudices associated with the HIV infection and raising money for AIDS research and relief. Some of...

Miami Blues
1990
Producer
After Junior is released from prison, he plans on starting a new life in Miami. But when he kills a man in the airport, he flees the scene and finds S...

Haiti: Dreams of Democracy
1988
Writer, Producer, Director
This film captures a key moment in the country’s history, as its people celebrate the ousting of the authoritarian Duvalier regime. Music is central t...

Married to the Mob
1988
as Man in Elevator
Angela de Marco is fed up with her gangster husband's line of work and wants no part of the crime world. When her husband is killed for having an affa...

Married to the Mob
1988
Director
Angela de Marco is fed up with her gangster husband's line of work and wants no part of the crime world. When her husband is killed for having an affa...

Swimming to Cambodia
1987
Director
Spalding Gray sits behind a desk throughout the entire film and recounts his exploits and chance encounters while playing a minor role in the film 'Th...
Midnight Sun Film Festival
1987
The greatest film festival (anti)promotional short ever made which explains why Midnight Sun is a unique event for both film buffs in Finland and some...

Something Wild
1986
Director, Producer
A free-spirited woman "kidnaps" a yuppie for a weekend of adventure. But the fun quickly takes a dangerous turn when her ex-con husband shows up.

Trisha Brown's Accumulation with Talking Plus Watermotor
1986
Director
Demme captures the late choreographer Trisha Brown performing a meta-narrative dance work.

Into the Night
1985
as Federal Agent
Ed Okin used to have a boring life. He used to have trouble getting to sleep. Then one night, he met Diana. Now, Ed's having trouble staying alive.

Stop Making Sense
1984
Director, Writer, Sound Supervisor
A concert film documenting Talking Heads at the height of their popularity, on tour for their 1983 album "Speaking in Tongues." The band takes the sta...

Swing Shift
1984
Director
In 1941 America, Kay and her husband are happy enough until he enlists after Pearl Harbor. Against his wishes, she takes a job at the local aircraft p...

Who Am I This Time?
1982
Director
Harry is a shy hardware store employee. But whenever he takes a part in a local amateur theater production, he becomes the part completely--while on s...

Melvin and Howard
1980
Director
The story of hard-luck Melvin Dummar, who claimed to have received a will naming him an heir to the fortune of Howard Hughes.

Last Embrace
1979
as Man on Train (uncredited)
Secret agent Harry Hannan suffers a mental breakdown when a botched mission in Mexico results in the death of his wife. He is sent to a mental asylum,...

Last Embrace
1979
Director
Secret agent Harry Hannan suffers a mental breakdown when a botched mission in Mexico results in the death of his wife. He is sent to a mental asylum,...

Roger Corman: Hollywood's Wild Angel
1978
as Self
Documentary examining the life and career of producer/director Roger Corman. Clips from his films and interviews with actors and crew members who have...

The Incredible Melting Man
1977
as Matt Winters
An astronaut exposed to cosmic rays outside of Saturn's rings returns to Earth and begins to melt away. Escaping from the hospital, he wanders around ...

Citizens Band
1977
Director
The interlaced stories of several characters in a small town united by their use of CB (citizen's band) radio.

Fighting Mad
1976
Director, Writer
An evil corporation tries to pressure a bunch of Arkansas farmers and ranchers to sell their land so they can strip-mine it for coal. The fiercely pro...

Crazy Mama
1975
Director
Melba Stokes, her mother Sheba and daughter Cheryl embark on a crime spree after their California beauty parlor is repossessed. Their destination is A...

Caged Heat
1974
Director, Writer
A young woman is convicted on drug offenses and sent to a women's penitentiary run by a repressed and oppressive female warden. When the prison's sadi...

Fly Me
1973
Second Unit
Stewardesses battle kung fu killers.

Black Mama, White Mama
1973
Story
When two troublemaking female prisoners (one a revolutionary, the other a former harem-girl) can't seem to get along, they are chained together and ex...

The Hot Box
1972
Screenplay, Producer, Second Unit Director
Hot action and lust in the steamy tropical jungle, as heroines break out of a women's prison and start a local revolution.

Angels Hard as They Come
1971
Screenplay, Producer
A group of crazy bikers meet up with a group of drug-addicted hippies in a small town, but the two roving factions are soon at odds with one another a...

Eyewitness
1970
Music Coordinator
A boy who cries wolf witnesses a political assassination on the island of Malta. But will anyone other than his granddad believe him?