George Armitage, ‘Grosse Pointe Blank’ and ‘Miami Blues’ Director, Dies at 83

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George Armitage, known for helming, scripting, and producing movies like “Grosse Pointe Blank” and “Miami Blues,” passed away on Saturday in Playa del Rey. His son, Brent, confirmed the news. He was 83 years old.

Born in Hartford, Connecticut, Armitage initially worked in the mailroom at 20th Century Fox. Later, he ascended to the position of associate producer for the extended series “Peyton Place” during the 1960s. While working on the Fox lot, he crossed paths with Roger Corman and transitioned into feature films. He penned the screenplay for the 1970 comedy “Gas! – Or – It Became Necessary to Save the World in Order to Destroy It,” which was produced by Corman.

He carried on producing films for Corman and his sibling Gene Corman, transitioning into directing with “Private Duty Nurses.” In 1972, he helmed and co-scripted the Blaxploitation film “Hit Man,” featuring Pam Grier and Bernie Casey. Following this, he directed “Vigilante Force” starring Kris Kristofferson and Jan-Michael Vincent, as well as the TV movie “Hot Rod.”

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He persisted in making films for Corman and Gene Corman, shifting to directing with “Private Duty Nurses.” In 1972, he took charge of and co-wrote the Blaxploitation film “Hit Man,” starring Pam Grier and Bernie Casey. After this, he directed “Vigilante Force” featuring Kris Kristofferson and Jan-Michael Vincent, along with the TV movie “Hot Rod.

Kaplan, Demme, Dante, Arkush and myself… We were creating small-scale, fast-paced rock ‘n’ roll films. Our themes mirrored those of early rock songs and our attitude was similarly rebellious, albeit without the same level of recognition as Roger, who was slightly older and leaned liberal but wasn’t really into rock music,” he shared with Film Comment in 2015.

“Kaplan, Demme, Dante, Arkush and I… We were producing a series of small rock ‘n’ roll films that echoed the themes of early rock songs and had an edgy, rebellious feel. Although Roger, who was older and liberal but not really into rock music, was slightly ahead of us, we still stood out from him,” he said in 2015 to Film Comment.

Both sentences convey the same idea but are worded differently for variety.

As a movie enthusiast, I can’t help but reminisce about the cinematic journey of director Armitage back in 1990. One of his creations that year was the witty and suspenseful film, “Miami Blues,” which he directed and was adapted from Charles Willeford’s novel. This movie boasted a star-studded cast, with Alec Baldwin and Fred Ward taking center stage. However, it was Jennifer Jason-Leigh’s captivating performance that really turned heads.

In addition to directing “Miami Blues,” Armitage also co-wrote another action-packed cop film titled “Last of the Finest,” which hit the screens in 1990 as well.

He received an Emmy nomination for his collaboration in writing the 1996 television film titled “The Late Shift,” which portrays the competition between David Letterman and Jay Leno to take over from Johnny Carson as the late-night talk show host.

Later on, Armitage took charge of the popular comedy “Grosse Pointe Blank,” featuring Dan Aykroyd, John Cusack, and Minnie Driver. The plot revolves around a seasoned hitman who must attend his high school reunion in the same suburban area where he was once a student, due to an assassination assignment that landed him there.

In ‘Grosse Pointe Blank’, I filmed three movies at once. We followed the script as written, we made a more subdued version, and we created an extremely exaggerated version which was typically used. The actors were cast by coming in to read, then discarding the script and encouraging improvisation. This method suited me. I would tell the actors, ‘You are shaping this character. Here’s the outline, these are the boundaries. Now make it your own and impress me, impress me, impress me,’ as Armitage explained to Film Comment.

In his last movie, he appeared in the 2004 crime film titled “The Big Bounce.” This movie featured Owen Wilson and Morgan Freeman, with a screenplay penned by Elmore Leonard jointly.

He leaves behind his longtime spouse, Sharon, his creative offspring Brent who works as both a writer and producer, as well as their grandkids Caroline and Nick.

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2025-02-22 07:16