Frank Zappa
Known For: Acting
Gender: Male
Date of Birth: December 21, 1940
Day of Death: December 4, 1993 (53 years old)
Place of Birth: Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, electronic, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed album covers. Zappa produced almost all of the more than 60 albums he released with the band The Mothers of Invention and as a solo artist. While in his teens, he acquired a taste for percussion-based avant-garde composers such as Edgard Varèse and 1950s rhythm and blues music. He began writing classical music in high school, while at the same time playing drums in rhythm and blues bands; he later switched to electric guitar. He was a self-taught composer and performer, and his diverse musical influences led him to create music that was often impossible to categorize. His 1966 debut album with The Mothers of Invention, Freak Out!, combined songs in conventional rock and roll format with collective improvisations and studio-generated sound collages. His later albums shared this eclectic and experimental approach, irrespective of whether the fundamental format was one of rock, jazz or classical. He wrote the lyrics to all his songs, which—often humorously—reflected his iconoclastic view of established social and political processes, structures and movements. He was a strident critic of mainstream education and organized religion, and a forthright and passionate advocate for freedom of speech, self-education, political participation and the abolition of censorship. Zappa was a highly productive and prolific artist and gained widespread critical acclaim. Many of his albums are considered essential in rock and jazz history. He is regarded as one of the most original guitarists and composers of his time. He also remains a major influence on musicians and composers. He had some commercial success, particularly in Europe, and for most of his career was able to work as an independent artist. Zappa was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 and received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997. Zappa was married to Kathryn J. "Kay" Sherman from 1960 to 1964. In 1967, he married Adelaide Gail Sloatman, with whom he remained until his death from prostate cancer in 1993. They had four children: Moon Unit, Dweezil, Ahmet Emuukha Rodan and Diva Thin Muffin Pigeen. Gail Zappa manages the businesses of her late husband under the name the Zappa Family Trust. Description above from the Wikipedia article Frank Zappa, licensed under CC-BY-SA,full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
2024
2023
2022
2021
Actor Self
Classic Albums: Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention - Freak Out!
Actor Self (archive footage)
Larry Flynt for President
Actor Self (archive footage)
Kalvøyafestivalen - 50 år siden første riff
Actor Self - Subject (archive footage)
The Art of Dissent
Actor Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Velvet Underground
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
Actor Self (archive footage)
Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words
Actor Self
Frank Zappa & the Mothers of Invention - The Lost Broadcast: The Beat Club '68
Actor Self - Subject (archive footage)
Zapped: Frank Zappa par Frank Zappa
Actor Self (archive footage)
Stupor Mundi: Livre 1, Rituel de décapitation du pape
Actor Self (archive footage)
Stupor Mundi: Livre 2, Les Hommes qui mangèrent la montagne
Music
Stupor Mundi: Livre 1, Rituel de décapitation du pape
2015
2014
Actor Himself (archive Footage)
Frank Zappa - Summer '82: When Zappa Came to Sicily
Actor Himself
Cheepnis
Actor Self (archive footage)
Super Duper Alice Cooper
Actor Himself (archive footage)
Made in Japan: The Rise of Deep Purple Mk II
Actor Self (archive footage)
Led Zeppelin Played Here
Music
Frank Zappa - Summer '82: When Zappa Came to Sicily
Director
Cheepnis
Producer
Cheepnis
Editor
Cheepnis
Music
Cheepnis
2013
2012
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2002
2000
1997
1994
1993
1992
1991
1990
1989
1988
1987
Actor Self
The Amazing Mr. Bickford
Actor Self / The Imaginary Director
Uncle Meat
Actor Self
Video From Hell
Writer
The Amazing Mr. Bickford
Director
The Amazing Mr. Bickford
Director
Uncle Meat
Writer
Uncle Meat
Director
Video From Hell
Writer
Video From Hell
Producer
Video From Hell
Music
Video From Hell
Camera Operator
Video From Hell
Producer
Uncle Meat
Music
The Amazing Mr. Bickford
Producer
The Amazing Mr. Bickford
1985
Actor Self
Frank Zappa: Does Humor Belong in Music?
Actor Self
Night Flight with Frank Zappa, Porn Wars
Director
Frank Zappa: Does Humor Belong in Music?
Writer
Frank Zappa: Does Humor Belong in Music?
Producer
Frank Zappa: Does Humor Belong in Music?
Music
Frank Zappa: Does Humor Belong in Music?
Director
Night Flight with Frank Zappa, Porn Wars
Writer
Night Flight with Frank Zappa, Porn Wars
