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IMDbPro

Robert Clouse(1928-1997)

  • Director
  • Writer
  • Producer
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
A hard-working director throughout his long and varied career, Robert Clouse was best-known for his two most successful films: Enter the Dragon (1973) and Game of Death (1978). Born in 1928, he was a director. After being hired by Warner Bros. and Golden Harvest to direct Enter the Dragon (1973), Clouse was escalated into the realm of profitable directors. But, unlike others in this category, doors in Hollywood were not entirely open to him. In 1974, he was hired to direct Black Belt Jones (1974) for Warner Brothers Pictures. The film proved to be a moderate success.

In 1978, Clouse returned to Hong Kong where he was hired by Golden Harvest's Raymond Man-Wai Chow to direct a comeback movie for Martial Artist Bruce Lee, despite the fact that Lee had died five years earlier. Clouse was given the incomplete footage from Lee's original version of Game of Death, but decided that only a small amount of this footage should be used (mainly because the original film's plot had been re-created countless times in Hong Kong cinema since Lee's death). With the help of Sammo Kam-Bo Hung and Robert Wall, among others, Clouse shot several Bruce Lee lookalikes and stand-ins as well as cutting back to footage from other Lee movies and, of course, the original Game of Death takes. Clouse was never able to match the success of his two Lee films later in his career. He died in 1997, aged 68.
BornMarch 6, 1928
DiedFebruary 4, 1997(68)
BornMarch 6, 1928
DiedFebruary 4, 1997(68)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Add photos, demo reels
  • Nominated for 2 Oscars
    • 3 nominations total

Known for

Bruce Lee, Ahna Capri, Jim Kelly, John Saxon, Shih Kien, and Robert Wall in Enter the Dragon (1973)
Enter the Dragon
7.6
  • Director
  • 1973
Jason Scott Lee in Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (1993)
Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story
7.0
  • Writer
  • 1993
Bruce Lee and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in Game of Death (1978)
Game of Death
5.9
  • Director
  • 1978
The Cadillac
5.7
Short
  • Director
  • 1962

Credits

IMDbPro

Director



  • Bolo Yeung in Ironheart (1992)
    Ironheart
    3.4
    • Director
    • 1992
  • China O'Brien II (1990)
    China O'Brien II
    5.2
    Video
    • Director
    • 1990
  • Cynthia Rothrock in China O'Brien (1990)
    China O'Brien
    5.4
    • Director
    • 1990
  • Kurt Thomas in Gymkata (1985)
    Gymkata
    4.4
    • Director
    • 1985
  • Lee Van Cleef, Shô Kosugi, and Timothy Van Patten in The Master (1984)
    The Master
    4.6
    TV Series
    • Director
    • 1984
  • Deadly Eyes (1982)
    Deadly Eyes
    5.0
    • directed by
    • 1982
  • Force: Five (1981)
    Force: Five
    5.1
    • Director
    • 1981
  • Jackie Chan and Kristine DeBell in Battle Creek Brawl (1980)
    Battle Creek Brawl
    5.7
    • Director
    • 1980
  • Walt Disney in The Magical World of Disney (1954)
    The Magical World of Disney
    8.3
    TV Series
    • Director
    • 1973–1980
  • The Kids Who Knew Too Much (1980)
    The Kids Who Knew Too Much
    6.5
    TV Movie
    • Director
    • 1980
  • The London Connection (1979)
    The London Connection
    5.8
    • Director
    • 1979
  • Bruce Lee and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in Game of Death (1978)
    Game of Death
    5.9
    • Director
    • 1978
  • The Amsterdam Kill (1977)
    The Amsterdam Kill
    5.4
    • Director
    • 1977
  • The Pack (1977)
    The Pack
    5.9
    • Director
    • 1977
  • The Ultimate Warrior (1975)
    The Ultimate Warrior
    5.6
    • Director
    • 1975

Writer



  • Jason Scott Lee in Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (1993)
    Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story
    7.0
    • book "Bruce Lee: The Biography"
    • 1993
  • China O'Brien II (1990)
    China O'Brien II
    5.2
    Video
    • written by
    • 1990
  • Cynthia Rothrock in China O'Brien (1990)
    China O'Brien
    5.4
    • screenplay
    • 1990
  • Force: Five (1981)
    Force: Five
    5.1
    • screenplay
    • 1981
  • Jackie Chan and Kristine DeBell in Battle Creek Brawl (1980)
    Battle Creek Brawl
    5.7
    • screenplay
    • story
    • 1980
  • Bruce Lee and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in Game of Death (1978)
    Game of Death
    5.9
    • written by (as Jan Spears)
    • 1978
  • The Amsterdam Kill (1977)
    The Amsterdam Kill
    5.4
    • Writer
    • 1977
  • The Pack (1977)
    The Pack
    5.9
    • screenplay by
    • 1977
  • The Ultimate Warrior (1975)
    The Ultimate Warrior
    5.6
    • written by
    • 1975
  • Ron Howard in Happy Mother's Day, Love George (1973)
    Happy Mother's Day, Love George
    5.7
    • original screenplay written by
    • 1973
  • Something Evil (1972)
    Something Evil
    5.2
    TV Movie
    • written by
    • 1972
  • Dreams of Glass (1970)
    Dreams of Glass
    5.7
    • Writer
    • 1970
  • The Cadillac
    5.7
    Short
    • Writer
    • 1962

Producer



  • China O'Brien II (1990)
    China O'Brien II
    5.2
    Video
    • producer
    • 1990
  • Cynthia Rothrock in China O'Brien (1990)
    China O'Brien
    5.4
    • producer
    • 1990
  • Dreams of Glass (1970)
    Dreams of Glass
    5.7
    • producer
    • 1970
  • The Legend of Jimmy Blue Eyes (1965)
    The Legend of Jimmy Blue Eyes
    7.2
    Short
    • producer
    • 1965
  • The Cadillac
    5.7
    Short
    • producer
    • 1962

Personal details

  • Alternative name
    • Jan Spears
  • Born
    • March 6, 1928
    • Denison, Iowa, USA
  • Died
    • February 4, 1997
    • Ashland, Oregon, USA(kidney failure)
  • Other works
    Book: "The Making of Enter the Dragon." Burbank, CA: Unique Books, 1987.
  • Publicity listings
    • 1 Portrayal

Did you know

  • Trivia
    Was a still photographer prior to directing films and TV shows.

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