Gary Kent was born on a wheat ranch at Walla Walla, Washington, the son of Arthur E. and Iola Kent. He graduated from Renton High School, Renton, Washington, and attended the University of Washington, where he studied Journalism, played football and pole-vaulted on the track team. He was a member of Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity. After college, he entered the Naval Air Corps, where he wrote promotion and publicity for the Navy's elite flying team, The Blue Angels. After his stint in the military, Gary began a career in theatre, working in productions throughout the South as writer, director, actor. He is an alumnus of both the Playhouse and Alley Theatres, Houston, Texas. In l959, Kent moved to Hollywood, where he carved out a career in motion pictures. Over a forty year period, he has worked with such luminaries as Jack Nicholson, Penny Marshall, Alan Arkin, James Caan, Bruce Willis and Gary Marshall. He has directed action and supplied special effects for, among others, the noteable directors Peter Bogdanovitch, Bryan DePalma, Richard Rush and Monte Hellman. He was Unit Production Manager on the Academy Award Nominated Phantom of the Paradise. In the late 80s he wrote and directed Rainy Day Friends, which won Best Special Stunt in a Motion Picture at the International Stuntman Awards. In l997, his original screenlay, Where's Bassett's Body?, won 1st Place, Outstanding Script by a Texas Writer, at the Lonestar Screenplay Competition in Dallas. In July of 2000, he was one of two Guests of Honor at the Bicknell International Film Festival, Bicknell, Utah, and is currently listed in Who's Who In Entertainment. He has six children, Greg, a theatre director, Colleen, a writer and photographer, Andrew, an attorney, Chris, a musician, Alex, a para-legal, and Michael, a visual artist. Kent currently lives in Austin, Texas with wife Shirley (Tomi Barrett), four dogs and seven cats.
|
