Edward Bunker
Edward Heward Bunker[1] (December 31, 1933 – July 19, 2005) was an American author of crime fiction, a screenwriter, convicted felon and an actor. He wrote numerous books, some of which have been adapted into films. He wrote the scripts for—and acted in—Straight Time (1978) (adapted from his debut novel No Beast So Fierce), Runaway Train (1985) and Animal Factory (2000) (adapted from his sophomore novel of the same name). He also played a minor role in Reservoir Dogs (1992).
For the founder of Bunkerville, Nevada, see Edward Bunker (Mormon).
Edward Bunker
Edward Heward Bunker
December 31, 1933
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
July 19, 2005 (aged 71)
Burbank, California, U.S.
Hollywood Forever, Hollywood, California
- Author
- screenwriter
- actor
He began running away from home when he was five years old, and developed a pattern of criminal behavior, earning his first conviction when he was fourteen, leading to a cycle of incarceration, parole, re-offending and further jail time.[2] He was convicted of bank robbery, drug dealing, extortion, armed robbery, and forgery.[2] Bunker was released from prison for the last time in 1975, after which he focused on his career as a writer and actor. The character Nate, a career criminal who fences stolen goods in the 1995 heist movie Heat, played by Jon Voight, was based on Bunker, who was consultant to director Michael Mann.
Early life[edit]
1930s–1940s[edit]
Bunker was born on December 31, 1933[1][3] into a troubled family in Los Angeles. His mother, Sarah (née Johnston), was a chorus girl from Vancouver, and his father, Edward N. Bunker, a stage hand.[4][5] His first clear memories were of his alcoholic parents screaming at each other, and police arriving to "keep the peace", a cycle that led to divorce.[6][7]
Consistently rebellious and defiant, young Bunker was subjected to a harsh regime of discipline. He attended a military school for a few months, where he began stealing and eventually ran away again, ending up in a hobo camp. While Bunker eventually was apprehended by the authorities, this established a pattern he followed throughout his formative years. By age 11, Bunker was picked up by the police and placed in juvenile hall after he assaulted his father.[9] Some sources cite that this incident, along with extreme experiences such as the severe beating he experienced in a state hospital called Pacific Colony (later called Lanterman Developmental Center), created in Bunker a life-long distrust for authority and institutions.[9]
Bunker spent time in the juvenile detention facility Preston Castle in Ione, California, where he became acquainted with hardened young criminals.[6] Although young and small, he was intelligent (with an IQ of 152), streetwise and extremely literate.[10] A long string of escapes, problems with the law and different institutions—including a mental hospital—followed.[6]
At the age of fourteen, following his first criminal conviction, Bunker was paroled to the care of his aunt. However, two years later he was caught on a parole violation, and was this time sent to adult prison. In Los Angeles County Jail, he claimed[4] that he stabbed convicted murderer Billy Cook, although circumstantial evidence from the National Archives shows that Bunker and Cook did not have overlapping stays there. Some thought he was unhinged, but in his book Mr. Blue: Memoirs of a Renegade he stated this was a ruse designed to make people leave him alone.[6]
Criminal life and early writing[edit]
1950s–1960s[edit]
In 1950, while at the McKinley Home for Boys, Bunker met one of the home's prominent benefactors, Louise Fazenda, a star of the silent screen and wife of the producer Hal B Wallis, who gave him support and encouragement.[11] Through her he met Aldous Huxley, Tennessee Williams and newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, whose guest he was at San Simeon.[12][7] Fazenda sent him a portable typewriter, a dictionary, a thesaurus and a subscription to the Sunday edition of The New York Times, whose Book Review he devoured. He also subscribed to Writer’s Digest and enrolled in a correspondence course in freshman English from the University of California, selling blood to pay for the postage.[11] However, the following year the 17-year-old Bunker had the dubious honor of being the youngest-ever inmate in San Quentin State Prison.[13]
Career[edit]
No Beast So Fierce and early success[edit]
In prison, Bunker continued to write. While still incarcerated, he finally had his first novel No Beast So Fierce published in 1973, to which Dustin Hoffman purchased the film rights.[3] Novelist James Ellroy said it was "quite simply one of the great crime novels of the past 30 years: perhaps the best novel of the LA underworld ever written".[2] Bunker was paroled in 1975, having spent 18 years of his life in various institutions. While he was still tempted by crime, he now found himself earning a living from writing and acting. He felt that his criminal career had been forced by circumstances; now that those circumstances had changed, he could stop being a criminal.[14]
Animal Factory and film work[edit]
He published his second novel, Animal Factory to favorable reviews in 1977. The following year saw the release of Straight Time, a film-adaptation of No Beast So Fierce. While it was not a commercial success, it earned positive reviews and Bunker got his first screenwriting and acting credits.[16][17] Like most of the roles Bunker played, it was a small part, and he went on to appear in numerous movies, such as The Running Man, Tango & Cash and Reservoir Dogs, as well as the film version of Animal Factory, in 2000, for which he also wrote the screenplay. In 1985, he had written the screenplay for Runaway Train, in which he had a small part, as did Danny Trejo thanks to Bunker's help; the two had known each other when they were incarcerated together years before.[18] The film helped launch Trejo's career.[19]
Personal life and death[edit]
In 1977, Bunker married a young real estate agent, Jennifer Steele.[11] In 1993, a son, Brendan, was born. The marriage ended in divorce.
In the early 1990s Bunker opened a successful taxi company in Kingston, Ontario with his longtime friend Dave Whickham. He would later sell his shares of the company to his cousin Matt “Smitty” Smith.
The company now has over 20 taxis in the greater Kingston area.
He is the uncle of Olympic silver medalist Bradley Smith.
Bunker was close friends with Mexican Mafia leader Joe "Pegleg" Morgan, and San Francisco State University professor John Irwin, as well as actor Danny Trejo, who is the godfather of his son. He first met all three men while serving time in Folsom State Prison.[25]
A diabetic, Bunker died on July 19, 2005, at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, California, following surgery to improve the circulation in his legs. He was 71. The news of Bunker's death was broken by his lifelong friend, screenwriter Robert Dellinger. The two had met in 1973 at the federal prison on Terminal Island, where Dellinger taught a creative writing class.[11]