George Armitage, the filmmaker behind Miami Blues and Grosse Pointe Blank, has died at the age of 83. His son, Brent Armitage, confirmed that he passed away on February 15 in Playa del Rey, California.
Armitage’s career in Hollywood began in the 1960s and spanned decades. He directed and wrote films that combined crime, action, and humor, earning a reputation for his approach to storytelling.
Born in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1942, Armitage moved to Los Angeles in 1957. He studied political science at UCLA while developing an interest in filmmaking. His first industry job was in the mailroom at 20th Century Fox, leading to a role as an associate producer on Peyton Place in 1967.
His transition to feature films came after connecting with producer Roger Corman. Armitage wrote Gas-s-s-s or It Became Necessary to Destroy the World in Order to Save It (1970), a satirical youth comedy. This led to more work with Corman, including writing and directing Private Duty Nurses (1971).
Armitage directed Hit Man (1972), a crime film starring Bernie Casey and Pam Grier, followed by Vigilante Force (1976) with Kris Kristofferson and Jan-Michael Vincent. His work in genre filmmaking placed him among a group of directors who started under Corman’s mentorship, including Jonathan Demme and Joe Dante.
Speaking to Film Comment in 2015, Armitage recalled that period: “Kaplan, Demme, Dante, Arkush and me… We were making little 45 RPM rock ’n’ roll movies. Same subject matter as early rock songs and same lack of respect until… This is what made us different even from Roger, who was half a generation ahead, a liberal but no rocker.”
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Armitage gained wider recognition with Miami Blues (1990), an adaptation of Charles Willeford’s novel. Alec Baldwin played a charismatic criminal who steals a police badge and embarks on a reckless spree. Fred Ward and Jennifer Jason Leigh co-starred in the film, which mixed dark humor with crime elements.
In 1997, Armitage directed Grosse Pointe Blank, a black comedy starring John Cusack as a contract killer attending his high school reunion. The film, which also featured Dan Aykroyd and Minnie Driver, developed a strong following. Armitage described his approach to working with actors: “We shot the script as written, we shot a mildly understated version, and we shot a completely over-the-top version, which usually was what was used.”
His final film, The Big Bounce (2004), adapted from an Elmore Leonard novel, starred Owen Wilson and Morgan Freeman.
Armitage co-wrote The Late Shift (1996), a dramatization of the competition between Jay Leno and David Letterman for The Tonight Show, which earned him an Emmy nomination. He was a member of the Writers Guild of America, Directors Guild of America, and the Academy.
He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Sharon, his son Brent, daughter-in-law Rhonda Sena, and grandchildren Caroline and Nick. His niece, producer Wendy Svehlak-Thorlakson, and nephew, editor Dennis Thorlakson, are also in the industry.
Armitage spoke about his relationship with filmmaking, saying, “I have a very personal relationship to film. I’ve gone to films all the time since I was a kid. I thought I could have some fun trying to make them. I always thought I was pretty close to what people were thinking. Film is a dream, an emotional coda.”
