Dito Montiel
Dito Montiel | |
---|---|
Montiel at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival | |
Born |
Orlandito Montiel July 26, 1965 New York City, U.S. |
Occupation | Film director, screenwriter, author, musician |
Years active | 1989–present |
Orlandito Montiel (born July 26, 1965), better known as Dito Montiel, is an American author, screenwriter, film director and musician.
Career
Born in New York City, he came into the public eye after the breakup of his hardcore punk band Major Conflict. Later, Montiel would gain notoriety in 1989 when Geffen Records signed his newly formed outfit Gutterboy to a $1 million record deal – an unheard-of sum at the time. The band was dropped after its debut and was dubbed one of the most "successful" unsuccessful bands in rock history.[1]
In 2003, Montiel published A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, a memoir[2] detailing his life growing up in Astoria, Queens in the early 1980s during the rise of the hardcore punk scene. The book describes his time spent touring with his band Gutterboy and his brief modeling career with Versace along with other personal anecdotes.
After adapting his best-selling book into a screenplay, Montiel made his directorial debut with the film version of A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, with Robert Downey Jr. (as the older Montiel), Dianne Wiest, Channing Tatum and Shia LaBeouf (as the young Montiel). The film was executive produced by Trudie Styler.
Montiel released the self-titled album Dito Montiel in 2006 through Rhino Records. His second novel, Eddie Krumble Is the Clapper, was published in April 2007.
Montiel also directed a film, Fighting, about a young street hawker in New York City who is introduced to the world of underground street fighting. The film is his second collaboration with Tatum and also stars Terrence Howard and Luis Guzmán.
In 2011, Montiel's police drama The Son of No One, again starring Tatum, as well as Ray Liotta, Al Pacino, Tracy Morgan and Katie Holmes, played at the Sundance Film Festival. The film was picked up for distribution by Anchor Bay Entertainment.[3]
After finishing up directing Empire State starring Liam Hemsworth and Dwayne Johnson, Montiel most recently directed Boulevard, starring Robin Williams, Kathy Bakerband Roberto Aguire.[4]
Filmography
- A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints (2006)
- Fighting (2009)
- The Son of No One (2011)
- Empire State (2013)
- Boulevard (2014)
- Man Down (2015)
- The Clapper
Bibliography
- A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints (2003)
- Eddie Krumble Is the Clapper (2007)
Discography
- Dito Montiel (2006)
References
- ↑ "Going Home to a City That No Longer Exists by Meghan Keane, 9/29/2006". The NY Sun. 2006-09-29. Retrieved 2013-05-10.
- ↑ "The Independent: Dito Montiel: The story of my life- 02/17/2007". Arts.independent.co.uk. 2011-04-28. Retrieved 2013-05-10.
- ↑ Steven Zeitchik (1 February 2011). "Sundance 2011: 'Son of No One' finds a daddy". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 3 February 2011.
- ↑ Patten, Dominic. "Robin Williams Joins Dito Montiel's 'Boulevard'". Deadline.com. Retrieved 2013-05-10.
External links
- Dito Montiel at the Internet Movie Database
- Montiel in AMG.
- Interview with Montiel on www.indiewire.com - 1/29/2006
- MySpace page