Bob Rafelson (1933-2022), creator of the band The Monkees and star of the New Hollywood era, is dead. The Hollywood Reporter reports, citing Rafelson’s wife. The filmmaker was 89 years old.
Rafelson enjoyed early success in the 1960s, including winning an Emmy Award for creating the first artificially televised pop group, The Monkees. The author, director and producer is also considered one of the filmmakers who revolutionized Hollywood. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Rafelson worked with Jack Nicholson (85) on seven feature films, including Five Easy Pieces (1970) and The King of Marvin Gardens (1972).
Rafelson received two Oscar nominations for “Five Easy Pieces” in 1971 – for best picture and best screenplay. Together with Bert Schneider (1933-2011), Rafelson also produced pioneering classics such as Peter Bogdanovich’s “The Last Idea” and Dennis Hopper’s “Easy Rider”. According to media reports, the filmmaker retired 20 years ago into private life.