Bob Rafelson

Though most often identified as being a chief collaborator with actor Jack Nicholson, producer-director Bob Rafelson made his name and fortune as one of the creators of "The Monkees" (NBC, 1966-68), a popular sitcom that exploded into a cultural phenomenon. Prior to that success, Rafelson worked as a lower-level producer on a few anthology series before partnering with producer Bert Schneider to form Raybert Productions, which later became BBS Productions. After he directed the Monkees' cult hit "Head" (1968), the pair entered the age of New Hollywood by executive producing the counterculture classic, "Easy Rider" (1969), while Rafelson turned Nicholson into a viable leading man with "Five Easy Pieces" (1970), easily the director's best film. He went on to turn TV star Sally Field into a major film actress with "Stay Hungry" (1975) and helped pull Jessica Lange out of the doldrums with "The Postman Always Rings Twice" (1981). After waiting six years to direct "Black Widow" (1987), he made his most personal film, "Mountains of the Moon" (1990). Rafelson remained an influential filmmaker whose best work with Nicholson helped usher in a new era of Hollywood moviemaking.