Biography

Many of the cast and crew members of Manos: The Hands of Fate (1966) said he was very difficult to work with. Though he was the first to admit the film was terrible, he was also proud of it and even went so far as to wear the Master's black and red hand robe at Halloween parties (his son Joe now carries on that tradition).

Although he is often referred to as a fertilizer salesman, he was in fact manager of the American Founder's Life Insurance Co. in El Paso, Texas, at the time he made "Manos".

He made Manos: The Hands of Fate (1966) on a bet between himself and screenwriter Stirling Silliphant -- who was in El Paso scouting locations for a film.

Lived the last 18 years in Arizona as a salesman and inventor.

Attempted to pitch another script he had written called Wild Desert Bikers, but with the failure of Manos, no one he approached showed any interest in producing it. Attempts to turn the screenplay into a novel were equally unsuccessful.