David Hess

David Alexander Hess (September 19, 1936 – October 7, 2011) was an American actor, singer, songwriter, and director. He came to prominence for his portrayals of murderous rapists, villains and gruff characters in several films in the 1970s and 1980s.

Hess originally worked as a songwriter in the 1950s, co-writing songs recorded by Elvis Presley and Pat Boone, but garnered international attention for his feature film debut portraying Krug Stillo in Wes Craven's exploitation horror film The Last House on the Left (1972). He played several hard-edged roles as criminals and rapists in the Italian films Hitch-Hike (1977) and The House on the Edge of the Park (1980) as well as a supporting role in Craven's Swamp Thing (1982). He made his directorial debut with the slasher film To All a Goodnight (1980).

In his later life, Hess was affiliated with the California Film Institute, where he taught improvisational theater in the institute's youth programs. He died of a heart attack on October 7, 2011, near his home in Tiburon, California after attending a local concert.

Early life Hess was born David Alexander Hess on September 19, 1936, in New York City. The next year the song became a #1 hit single for Elvis Presley.

He began his professional career as a songwriter for Shalimar Music in 1957. He composed "Start Movin' (In My Direction)" for Sal Mineo and "Rockin' Shoes" for the Ames Brothers. In 1959, he recorded a cover version of Cliff Richard's "Living Doll" for Kapp Records, and it became a mild placed charter for him on the U.S. Billboard charts. He wrote songs for Elvis Presley throughout the 1950s and 1960s, which include "I Got Stung", "Come Along", and "Sand Castles". "Your Hand, Your Heart, Your Love" became a 1960s hit when it was performed by Andy Williams. In 1962, Hess wrote and recorded "Speedy Gonzales", (as David Dante) which became a #6 single for Pat Boone in the U.S. and a #2 in the UK, selling more than 8 million copies worldwide. Hess then recorded two solo albums for Kapp Records, again topping the charts, this time with a top 10 folk hit titled "Two Brothers."

In 1969, he became head of A&R at Mercury Records in New York. There he linked with Western classical composer John Corigliano, and together they wrote the rock opera The Naked Carmen, which received a Grammy nomination for Best Album Cover. It became a big hit of the Berlin Ballet Week in 1970. His work with Mercury included And the Children Toll the Passing of the Day, a 1969 album he wrote for Irish actor Malachy McCourt.

1972–2011: Acting and film In 1972, his career split into several new directions with his starring role in the Wes Craven horror classic The Last House on the Left, for which he also composed the soundtrack. In this movie, he was noted to have been a reckless, merciless character. In a 2008 Vanity Fair article, Hess admitted threatening co-star Sandra Peabody, telling writer Jason Zinoman: "I was very mean to the girls, so when it came to the rape scene, [Peabody] didn't have to act. I told her, 'I'm really going to fuck you if you don't behave yourself. They'll just let the camera run. I'm going to devastate you.' I don't think she was too happy about that."

He scored , a children's film based on a collection of Jack London stories. The film won the top prize for film and direction at the Giffoni Film Festival. He also had roles in Hitchhike and The House on the Edge of the Park.

A subsequent job offer from PolyGram's German affiliate gave Hess the opportunity to move to Munich, Germany, and a multilingual career in film dubbing from 1972 to 1976 which in turn led him to writing the English language shooting scripts for German directors such as Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Reinhard Hauff, and Peter Schamoni.

Death On October 7, 2011, Hess suffered a fatal heart attack near his home in Tiburon, California, and died on his way to his car after dinner with friends. He was 75 years old.

Filmography + Film Year Title Role Notes 1970 Cold Sweat Vermont aka Whitey Voice, Uncredited 1972 The Last House on the Left Krug Stillo 1976 The Swiss Conspiracy Sando 1976 Potato Fritz Sleeve 1977 Hitch-Hike Adam Konitz 1977 Goodbye Bruce Lee: His Last Game of Death Voice 1979 Avalanche Express Geiger 1980 The House on the Edge of the Park Alex 1982 Swamp Thing Ferret 1983 Frank 1986 Armed and Dangerous Gunman #4 1986 Body Count Robert Ritchie also known as Camping del Terrore 1986 Let's Get Harry Mercenary 1989 Sindrome veneziana Walter 1991 Buck ai confini del cielo Dan 1992 Omicidio a luci blu Sergeant Flanagan 1994 Jonathan of the Bears Maddock 2001 Nutcracker John Gard / Clyde Fairfax 2004 Zombie Nation Aaron Singer III 2005 Zodiac Killer Mel Navokov 2006 The Absence of Light Whiplash 2006 Fallen Angels Kajal 2007 UsedAldo Modisco 2007 Go Together 2009 Smash Cut Able Whitman 2011 The Steppes Oleg 2012 Debris documentar Himself 2016 The House That Wept Blood Detective Marsh (final film role)

+ Television Year Title Role Notes 1976 21 Hours at Munich Berger Television film 1977 Baretta Bosco Episode: "All That Shatters" 1981 Jacqueline Susann's Valley of the Dolls Robaire Television film 1983 Knight Rider Donny Episode: "Short Notice" 1983 Manimal William Episode: "Illusion" 1985 Sadat Israeli Soldier Television film 1985 The Fall Guy Episode: "Reel Trouble" 1986 The A-Team Episode: "Dishpan Man" 1989 Oceano Kruger Television mini-series 1991 Ibi Television mini-series 1997 Noi siamo angeli Manuel Delgado Episodes: "Due facce da galera", "La fortuna piove dal cielo" 2010 Royal Pains Bob Ambrose Episode: "In Vino Veritas"

+ Crew Year Title Role Notes 1980 To All a Goodnight Director 1996 Niki de Saint Phalle: Wer ist das Monster - du oder ich? Producer Documentary 1999 The Green Monster Producer Television documentary 2004 Zombie Nation Production executive 2010 Steel Drums, No Guns Director, producer Short documentary 2011 Sketchy House Executive Producer

+ Soundtrack/music Year Title Notes 1964 The Ed Sullivan Show Soundtrack writer: "Speedy Gonzalez"; episode: season 17, episode 21; uncredited 1966 Frankie and Johnny Soundtrack writer: "Come Along"; uncredited 1966 Paradise, Hawaiian Style Soundtrack writer: "Sand Castles" 1972 The Last House on the Left Soundtrack writer, performer, lyrics, music composer 1989 Cold Justice Composer 1989 Roger & Me Composer: "Speedy Gonzales" 1993 Lo Kolel Sherut Soundtrack writer; episode: season 3, episode 8 2002 Cabin Fever Soundtrack writer, performer: various 2003 Celluloid Crime of the Century video documentary short 2008 Manhunt Soundtrack writer, performer 2009 Melancholie der EngelComposer 2011 Sketchy House Composer, performer