Editing Jonathan Demme (section)

{{short description|American filmmaker (1944–2017)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2017}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Jonathan Demme
| image              = Jonathan Demme (May 2015 small).JPG
| caption            = Demme in 2015
| birth_name         = Robert Jonathan Demme
| birth_date         = {{Birth date|1944|02|22|mf=y}}
| birth_place        = [[Baldwin (hamlet), New York|Baldwin, New York]], U.S.
| death_date         = {{Death date and age|2017|04|26|1944|02|22|mf=y}}
| death_place        = [[New York City]], U.S.
| education          = [[University of Florida]]
| spouse             = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|Evelyn Purcell|1970|1980|end=div}}
* {{marriage|Joanne Howard|1987}}
}}
| children           = 3
| occupation         = {{hlist|Director|producer|screenwriter}}
| relatives          = {{plainlist|
* [[Robert W. Castle]] (cousin)
* [[Ted Demme]] (nephew)
}}
| works              = [[Jonathan Demme filmography|Full list]]
}}

'''Robert Jonathan Demme''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|d|ɛ|m|i}} {{respell|DEM|ee}};<ref name="Demme"/> February 22, 1944 – April 26, 2017) was an American filmmaker, whose career directing, producing, and screenwriting spanned more than 30 years and 70 feature films, documentaries, and television productions. He was an [[Academy Award]] and a [[Directors Guild of America Award]] winner, and received nominations for a [[BAFTA Award]], a [[Golden Globe Award]], and three [[Independent Spirit Award]]s.

Beginning his career under [[B-movie]] producer [[Roger Corman]], Demme made his directorial debut with the 1974 [[women in prison film|women-in-prison]] film ''[[Caged Heat]]'', before becoming known for his casually humanist films<ref>{{cite web|last1=Seitz|first1=Matt Zoller|author-link1=Matt Zoller Seitz|title=A musical soul: Jonathan Demme, 1944-2017|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/balder-and-dash/a-musical-soul-jonathan-demme-1944-2017|website=[[RogerEbert.com]]|publisher=Ebert Digital LLC|access-date=February 14, 2020|date=April 26, 2017|quote=Demme's laid back brand of optimistic humanism wasn't always a great fit for Hollywood projects, though he applied his talents to them so conscientiously and inventively that he briefly became an A-list director anyhow.|archive-date=April 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200404090001/https://www.rogerebert.com/balder-and-dash/a-musical-soul-jonathan-demme-1944-2017|url-status=live}}</ref> such as ''[[Melvin and Howard]]'' (1980), ''[[Swing Shift (film)|Swing Shift]]'' (1984), ''[[Something Wild (1986 film)|Something Wild]]'' (1986), and ''[[Married to the Mob]]'' (1988). His 1991 psychological horror film ''[[The Silence of the Lambs (film)|The Silence of the Lambs]]'', based on the [[The Silence of the Lambs (novel)|novel of the same title]], won five [[Academy Awards]], including [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]] and [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]].

His subsequent films earned similar acclaim, notably the [[HIV/AIDS]]-themed drama ''[[Philadelphia (film)|Philadelphia]]'' (1993), the supernatural [[Gothic film|Gothic horror]] ''[[Beloved (1998 film)|Beloved]]'' (1998), the conspiracy thriller ''[[The Manchurian Candidate (2004 film)|The Manchurian Candidate]]'' (2004), and the independent drama ''[[Rachel Getting Married]]'' (2008). Demme also directed numerous concert films such as ''[[Stop Making Sense]]'' (1984), ''[[Neil Young: Heart of Gold]]'' (2006), and ''[[Justin Timberlake + The Tennessee Kids]]'' (2016), and worked on several television series as both a producer and director.