Gary Sherman was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1945. He studied design and photography at the Illinois Institute of Technology. Sherman started out as a filmmaker by making music clips and short movies in the mid 60s which where early precursors to MTV music videos. While still a teenager Sherman worked as a session musician for the legendary Chess Records label singing back-up and harmony (Sherman sings with Eric Clapton on the hit song "Shapes of Things"). He was highly active in the 60s Civil Rights movement as well (Sherman's uncle served in the Army Photographic Corps). Sherman also directed numerous TV commercials and made his feature debut as a director with the little seen documentary "The Legend of Bo Diddley" (1966). Sherman's best movies are distinguished by their dark, edgy and upsetting subject matter; they also tend to be well acted, briskly paced, fiercely confrontational and highly entertaining. Sherman received plenty of well-deserved accolades for his second picture "Death Line" (1972), a scary and potent horror knockout which delivered a surprising amount of heart-wrenching pathos along with the expected gore and chills. It took nine years for Sherman to direct a subsequent movie, but he came through with another winner with the offbeat, excellent and original zombie shocker "Dead & Buried" (1981). The gritty crime thriller "Vice Squad" (1982) and the exciting Rutger Hauer action vehicle "Wanted: Dead or Alive" (1987) were two supremely tough and stirring affairs which further confirmed Sherman's exceptional skill and aptitude for crafting solid and satisfying films. "Poltergeist III" (1988) was regrettably terrible and "Lisa" (1989) was a strictly so-so stalker offering, but more recently Sherman has bounced back with the chilling, intense and disturbing low-budget serial killer item "39: A Movie by Carroll McKane" (2006). Sherman has also directed episodes of the TV shows "Wind on Water," "Poltergeist: The Legacy," and "Sable." He created the TV series "Missing Persons" in the mid 90s. In addition to his directing credits, Sherman has both written and produced several made-for-TV movies and television show episodes.
