About

Known credits:
114
Birthday:
1927-02-03
Place of birth:
Santa Monica, California, USA
Website:
N/A

Kenneth Anger

Overview

Kenneth Anger (born Kenneth Wilbur Anglemeyer; February 3, 1927 - May 11, 2023) was an American underground experimental filmmaker, actor and author. Working exclusively in short films, he produced almost forty works since 1937, nine of which in particular have been grouped together as the "Magick Lantern Cycle," and form the basis of Anger's reputation as one of the most influential independent filmmakers in cinema history. His films variously merge surrealism with homoeroticism and the occult, and have been described as containing "elements of erotica, documentary, psychodrama, and spectacle." Anger himself has been described as "one of America's first openly gay filmmakers, and certainly the first whose work addressed homosexuality in an undisguised, self-implicating manner," and his "role in rendering gay culture visible within American cinema, commercial or otherwise, is impossible to overestimate." Some of his particularly homoerotic works, such as Fireworks (1947) and Scorpio Rising (1964), were produced prior to the legalisation of homosexuality in the United States. He has also focused upon occult themes in many of his films, being fascinated by the notorious English occultist Aleister Crowley, and is a follower of Crowley's religion, Thelema. This influence is evident from films like Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome (1954), Invocation of My Demon Brother (1969) and Lucifer Rising (1972).

Anger has described filmmakers such as Auguste and Louis Lumière and Georges Méliès as influences, and has been cited as an important influence on later film directors like Martin Scorsese, David Lynch and John Waters.He has also been described as having "a profound impact on the work of many other filmmakers and artists, as well as on music video as an emergent art form using dream sequence, dance, fantasy, and narrative." During the 1960s and 70s he associated and worked with a number of different figures in popular culture and the occult, including Church of Satan founder Anton LaVey, sexologist Alfred Kinsey, artist Jean Cocteau, playwright Tennessee Williams and musicians Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Jimmy Page and Marianne Faithfull. He is also the author of the controversial best seller Hollywood Babylon (1959) and its sequel Hollywood Babylon II (1986), in which he claims to expose many of the rumours and secrets of Hollywood celebrities.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Kenneth Anger, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.​

Known for

Acting
2023 24 Hour Sunset Actor 59
Average
2019 Anton LaVey: Into the Devil's Den Actor Himself 58
Average
2019 Cinemagician: Conversations with Kenneth Anger Actor N/A
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2019 Magick Lantern Cycle Actor Dreamer / Hecate / The Magick / The Magus 59
Average
2018 72 Hours In André Balazs’ Chateau Marmont With Kenneth Anger Actor Self N/A
N/A
2017 Mansfield 66/67 Actor Self 58
Average
2015 The 1000 Eyes of Dr Maddin Actor 59
Average
2010 42 One Dream Rush Actor Lucifer N/A
N/A
2010 42 One Dream Rush Actor Lucifer (segment "Night of Pan") 59
Average
2009 FLicKeR Actor Self 59
Average
2009 Night of Pan Actor Lucifer 59
Average
2007 365 Day Project Actor N/A
N/A
2007 The Films of Kenneth Anger: Volume Two Actor 59
Average
2007 Disinfo.Con Actor Self 59
Average
2007 The Films of Kenneth Anger: Volume One Actor 59
Average
2006 Anger Me Actor Himself 59
Average
2006 Notes on Marie Menken Actor Himself 58
Average
2006 Hedy Lamarr: Secrets of a Hollywood Star Actor N/A
N/A
2003 The Spells of Kenneth Anger Actor himself N/A
N/A
2003 Busby Berkeley: Going Through the Roof Actor Self N/A
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2002 Added Attractions: The Hollywood Shorts Story Actor Self (uncredited) N/A
N/A
2001 Rescued from the Closet Actor Self 58
Average
1997 The Beach Boys and The Satan Actor Self 59
Average
1997 Birth of a Nation Actor Self 58
Average
1995 Darryl F. Zanuck: 20th Century Filmmaker Actor Self 59
Average
1994 Jonas in the Desert Actor Self 59
Average
1991 Kenneth Anger’s Hollywood Babylon Actor Himself N/A
N/A
1986 He Stands in a Desert Counting the Seconds of His Life Actor Self (archive footage) 59
Average
1982 The Rolling Stones - The First 20 Years Actor Self N/A
N/A
1974 Lucifer Rising Actor The Magus (uncredited) 60
Fair
1974 Look Back at Anger Actor Self N/A
N/A
1970 Langlois Actor Self 59
Average
1970 Kenneth Anger: Film as Magical Ritual Actor Himself 59
Average
1969 Invocation of My Demon Brother Actor The Magick (uncredited) 58
Average
1961 Arabesque for Kenneth Anger Actor 58
Average
1960 The Dead Actor 58
Average
1954 The Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome Actor Hecate 59
Average
1947 Fireworks Actor Dreamer (uncredited) 58
Average
1942 Prisoner of Mars Actor N/A
N/A

Directing
2019 Magick Lantern Cycle Directing Director 59
Average
2014 Technicolor Skull Directing Director N/A
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2013 Airships 1, 2, 3 Directing Director N/A
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2010 42 One Dream Rush Directing Director 59
Average
2010 42 One Dream Rush Directing Director N/A
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2010 Missoni Directing Director 59
Average
2009 Brush of Baphomet Directing Director 59
Average
2008 Death Directing Director 59
Average
2008 Ich will! Directing Director 59
Average
2008 Uniform Attraction Directing Director N/A
N/A
2008 Foreplay Directing Director N/A
N/A
2007 The Films of Kenneth Anger: Volume Two Directing Director 59
Average
2007 The Films of Kenneth Anger: Volume One Directing Director 59
Average
2007 I'll Be Watching You Directing Director N/A
N/A
2007 My Surfing Lucifer Directing Director 59
Average
2007 Elliott's Suicide Directing Director N/A
N/A
2004 Mouse Heaven Directing Director 59
Average
2004 Anger Sees Red Directing Director 58
Average
2002 The Man We Want to Hang Directing Director 58
Average
2000 Hollywood Babylon Directing Director N/A
N/A
1999 Don't Smoke That Cigarette Directing Director 59
Average
1979 Rabbit's Moon Directing Director 59
Average
1976 Senators in Bondage Directing Director N/A
N/A
1974 Lucifer Rising Directing Director 60
Fair
1971 Rabbit's Moon Directing Director 59
Average
1969 Invocation of My Demon Brother Directing Director 58
Average
1969 Scorpio Rising Directing Director 60
Fair
1965 Kustom Kar Kommandos Directing Director 59
Average
1954 The Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome Directing Director 59
Average
1953 Eaux d'artifice Directing Director 59
Average
1949 Puce Moment Directing Director 58
Average
1947 Fireworks Directing Director 58
Average
1947 Escape Episode Directing Director N/A
N/A
1943 The Nest Directing Director N/A
N/A
1942 Prisoner of Mars Directing Director N/A
N/A
1942 Tinsel Tree Directing Director N/A
N/A
1941 Who Has Been Rocking My Dreamboat Directing Director N/A
N/A

Writing
2019 Magick Lantern Cycle Writing Writer 59
Average
2007 The Films of Kenneth Anger: Volume Two Writing Writer 59
Average
2007 The Films of Kenneth Anger: Volume One Writing Writer 59
Average
2004 Anger Sees Red Writing Writer 58
Average
1976 Senators in Bondage Writing Writer N/A
N/A
1972 Hollywood Babylon Writing Novel 59
Average
1971 Rabbit's Moon Writing Writer 59
Average
1969 Scorpio Rising Writing Writer 60
Fair
1969 Invocation of My Demon Brother Writing Writer 58
Average
1965 Kustom Kar Kommandos Writing Writer 59
Average
1954 The Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome Writing Writer 59
Average
1949 Puce Moment Writing Writer 58
Average
1947 Fireworks Writing Writer 58
Average
1942 Prisoner of Mars Writing Writer N/A
N/A
1941 Who Has Been Rocking My Dreamboat Writing Writer N/A
N/A

Production
1976 Senators in Bondage Production Producer N/A
N/A
1974 Lucifer Rising Production Producer 60
Fair
1953 Eaux d'artifice Production Producer 59
Average
1949 Puce Moment Production Producer 58
Average

Camera
2019 Magick Lantern Cycle Camera Director of Photography 59
Average
1971 Rabbit's Moon Camera Director of Photography 59
Average
1969 Scorpio Rising Camera Director of Photography 60
Fair
1969 Invocation of My Demon Brother Camera Director of Photography 58
Average
1965 Kustom Kar Kommandos Camera Director of Photography 59
Average
1954 The Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome Camera Director of Photography 59
Average
1953 Eaux d'artifice Camera Director of Photography 59
Average

Crew
2019 Magick Lantern Cycle Crew Cinematography 59
Average

Editing
2019 Magick Lantern Cycle Editing Editor 59
Average
1976 Senators in Bondage Editing Editor N/A
N/A
1974 Lucifer Rising Editing Editor 60
Fair
1971 Rabbit's Moon Editing Editor 59
Average
1969 Invocation of My Demon Brother Editing Editor 58
Average
1969 Scorpio Rising Editing Editor 60
Fair
1965 Kustom Kar Kommandos Editing Editor 59
Average
1954 The Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome Editing Editor 59
Average
1953 Eaux d'artifice Editing Editor 59
Average
1949 Puce Moment Editing Editor 58
Average
1947 Fireworks Editing Editor 58
Average