Monte Hellman

Monte Hellman (; born Monte Jay Himmelbaum; July 12, 1929 – April 20, 2021) was an American film director, producer, writer, and editor. Hellman began his career as an editor's apprentice at ABC TV, and made his directorial debut with the horror film Beast from Haunted Cave (1959), produced by Gene Corman, Roger Corman's brother.

He would later gain critical recognition for the Westerns The Shooting and Ride in the Whirlwind (both 1966) starring Jack Nicholson, the road movie Two-Lane Blacktop (1971) starring James Taylor and Dennis Wilson, and the drama film Cockfighter (1974) starring Warren Oates. His later directorial work included the 1989 slasher film Silent Night, Deadly Night 3: Better Watch Out! and the independent thriller Road to Nowhere (2010). Hellman also served as an executive producer on Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs (1992).