Eli Roth Biography
Eli Roth (born Eli Raphael Roth) is a well-known American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. As a director and producer, he is most closely associated with the horror genre, namely splatter films, having directed the films Cabin Fever (2003) and Hostel (2005). He continued working in the horror genre, directing the films Hostel: Part II (2007) and The Green Inferno (2013). Also, he expanded into other genres, directing the erotic thriller film Knock Knock (2015) and the action film Death Wish (2018), a remake of the 1974 original. In 2018, he directed the fantasy comedy film The House with a Clock in Its Walls, his first PG-rated film and his highest domestic grosser to date.
As an actor, he starred in Quentin Tarantino’s war film Inglourious Basterds (2009) as Donny “The Bear Jew” Donowitz. For this film, he received a Critic’s Choice Movie Award and a SAG Award as part of the ensemble. He has been included in a group of filmmakers dubbed the Splat Pack by many journalists for their explicitly of violent and controversially bloody horror films. In 2013, he received the Visionary Award for his contributions to horror at the Stanley Film Festival.
Eli Roth Education
He received his education at Newton South High School where he graduated. Then he attended The New York University Tisch School of the Arts where he graduated.
Eli Roth Film Career
At NYU film school, he wrote and directed a student film called Restaurant Dogs, a homage to Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs. In 1995, the film was nominated for a Student Academy Award ultimately winning its division (Division III). In 1999, he moved to Los Angeles, where he wrote, directed, edited, produced, animated, and provided voices for a series of animated shorts called Chowdaheads for Mandalay Sports Entertainment. It went on to be shown between WCW Monday Nitro pro wrestling matches, but they were finished but never actually broadcast. With financing from the website Z.com to deliver a five-minute plot, in mid-2000, he wrote, directed, animated, and produced a series of stop-motion shorts called The Rotten Fruit.
Eli Roth Cabin Fever
With his college roommate Randy Pearlsteain, he had co-written Cabin Fever. They based the premise on Roth’s experience of contracting a skin inflection while riding ponies at a family friend’s farm in Iceland in 1991. In 2001, Cabin Fever was produced on a budget of $1.5 million raised from private investors. The film was sold to Lionsgate at the 2002 Toronto International Film Festival for $3.5 million. Cabin Fever made Eli a star in the horror game. Cabin Fever was remade in 2016 and directed by Travis Zariwny.
Eli Roth Hostel
His second feature, Hostel was made for just over $4 million in 2005. In January 2006, it opened at No. 1 at the box office taking in $20 million on its first weekend. It went on to gross $80 million worldwide at the box office and more than $180 million on DVD. Although the story is set in Slovakia, all the exteriors were shot in the Czech Republic.
Eli Roth Thanksgiving
In 2007, he directed and narrated the faux trailer segment Thanksgiving for Grindhouse and appeared in Death Proof, Tarantino’s segment of the film. He and co-writer Jeff Rendell won a 2007 Spike TV Scream Award for best “screenplay” for their work in Grindhouse, sharing the honor with Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, Rob Zombie, and Edgar Wright. It was announced in January 2023, that Eli is developing a feature-length film version of Thanksgiving.
Eli Roth Hostel: Part II
In June 2007, Hostel: Part II opened in sixth place with $8.2 million. It went on to gross $17.6 million in US theaters. Hostel: Part II was nominated for six Spike TV Scream Awards, including best horror film and best director. Also, it was on Entertainment Weekly’s list of the 20 best horror films of the past 20 years.
Eli Roth Endangered Species
While acting in Inglorious Basterds, he said in 2009 that he would begin his next film, Endangered Species. In a 2013 interview with The Guardian, he indicated that he had suspended work on Endangered Species to focus on 2013’s The Green Inferno.
Eli Roth’s The Green Inferno
In 2013, he directed the cannibal horror film The Green Inferno. The film was inspired by his love of Mondo horror films such as the infamous Cannibal Holocaust. However, The Green Inferno was criticized for its portrayal of indigenous people as cannibals and it was described as a “new low in racist filmmaking” by People’s World.
Eli Roth’s Death Wish
His 2018 remake of the film Death Wish opened $13 million at the box office. The film s centered around a trauma surgeon who turns to vigilantism after his family is attacked.
Eli Roth Film
In 2002, he brought a shot-for-shot remake of Raiders of the Lost Ark made by children to the attention of both Harry Knowles and Steven Spielberg. In March 2006, he bought the Dimension Films rights to Cell by Stephen King and would produce a film to be directed by Roth. King finished the screenplay in 2009 and actors John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson joined the project however, Eli did not direct. Through his company, Arcade, with Eric Newman and Strike producer Marc Abraham, he produced the horror film The Last Exorcism which was directed by Daniel Stamm. Completed in December 2009 and retitled in February 2010, The Last Exorcism.
In 2014, he produced the American supernatural horror film Clown and had the minor role of “Frowny the Clown”. Eli was announced in 2015 as the director of the adaptation of the best-selling shark novel Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror, eventually called The Meg. However, it was announced that he had left the project due to creative differences. It was announced in 2020 that he would direct an adaptation of the Borderlands games, with Craig Mazin penning the screenplay with Roth.
Eli Roth Acting
In 1998, he began his professional acting career and has been known to play parts in the films he produces. His most notable appearance to date is his role as violent Bostonian soldier Donny “The Bear Jew” Donowitz in the 2009 Quentin Tarantino film Inglourious Basterds. His role in Quentin Tarantino’s segment of the 2007 film Grindhouse, Death Proof came about because Tarantino was impressed by Roth’s brief part as Justin in Cabin Fever. Outside of these films and his own, he has appeared in a cameo role as a contest emcee in Alexandre Aja’s 2010 film Piranha 3D and in the 2012 musical film Rock of Ages, among others. Also, he appeared in several projects that David Lynch directed for his website davidlynch.com.
Eli Roth’s Work in Television
He hosted and executive-produced an episode of Discovery Channel’s TV series Curiosity, titled “How Evil Are You?”. He went on to direct the pilot of Hemlock Grove, a horror/thriller series that premiered on April 19, 2013, on Netflix. Also, he hosts Shark After Dark on Discovery Channel’s Shark Week.
Eli Roth Other Ventures
In 2009, he wrote, directed, and acted in a PSA for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) about the link between violence against animals and violence against people. He is a curator of the Museum of Pop Culture’s exhibit “Can’t Look Away” detailing the history of horror. In September 2012, he opened a haunted house, Eli Roth’s Goretorium in Las Vegas. But in July 2013, Haunted Desert LLC which owns Goretorium filed for bankruptcy protection, and the attraction closed in October. He then directed the music video for Snoop Lion’s lead single “La La La” from his reggae-genre album Reincarnated which was released on April 23, 2013. In 2015, he partnered with Jack Davis to launch Crypt TV, a digital company focused on short-form horror content. In 2021, he invested in Jomboy Media, a digital media company that produces content focused on sports and pop culture.
Eli Roth Age
Eli was born on April 18, 1972, therefore he is 51 years old. Hence he celebrates his birthday on April 18th of every year.
Eli Roth Height
He stands at a height of 6 feet 0 inches (1.83m) tall.
Eli Roth Family
Roth was born in Newton, Massachusetts, U.S.A. to Sheldon Roth (Father, born in 1938) a psychiatrist/psychoanalyst and clinical professor. And Cora Roth (Mother, born on September 15, 1939) a costume designer. He has two brothers. An elder brother by the name of Adam J. Roth (born on May 5, 1970) an actor and director, and a younger brother by the name of Gabriel Roth (born on December 3, 1974) a producer and writer.
Eli Roth Wife
Eli is very private about his personal life therefore it is not known if he is in any relationship. However, he was previously married to Lorenzo Izzo (born in 1989) a Chilean actress and model. They married in November 2014, on the beach of the Chilean town Zapallar, but divorced in August 2019. Roth does not have any kids as of June 2023.
Eli Roth’s Net Worth
Roth has a net worth of $20 million which he has earned through being an actor, film director, screenwriter, and producer.
Eli Roth Salary
The amount he receives as a salary is not mentioned on the Internet. However, we speculate he earns a decent salary.
Eli Roth The Idol
Eli stars in the 2023 HBO drama series, The Idol. In the series, he plays the role of Andrew Finkelstein, a Live Nation representative. The series focuses on Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp), an aspiring pop idol who, after having a nervous breakdown that causes her last tour to be canceled, resolves to reclaim her title as the sexiest pop star in America and begins a complex relationship with Tedros (Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye), a self-help guru and the head of a contemporary cult.
Eli acts alongside fellow actors and actresses such as;
- Abel Tesfaye playing the role of Tedros
- Lily-Rose Depp playing the role of Jocelyn
- Suzanna Son playing the role of Chloe
- Troye Sivan playing the role of Xander
- Jane Adams playing the role of Nikki Katz
- Jennie Ruby Jane playing the role of Dyanne
- Rachel Sennott playing the role of Leia
- Hari Nef playing the role of Talia
- Moses Sumney playing the role of Izaak
- Da’Vine Joy Randolph playing the role of Destiny
- Dan Levy playing the role of Benjamin
- Ramsey playing as herself
- Hank Azaria playing the role of Chaim
- Melanie Liburd playing the role of Jenna