Keith Samples

Keith Samples made his name as a movie exec before turning to directing. As the chief executive at Rysher Entertainment in the mid- to late-1990s, Samples oversaw the productions of Paul Thomas Anderson's debut "Hard Eight," the bowling comedy "Kingpin," and the chef flick "Big Night." But Samples decided to give up his authoritative role in the company to pursue his more personal ambitions as a filmmaker. (It was probably just as well: Rysher folded its cash-bleeding, feature-film wing shortly after Samples's exit.) In 1997, he wrote and directed the romantic comedy "A Smile Like Yours," starring Greg Kinnear and Lauren Holly. But Samples's true calling seemed to be in television, where he racked up an impressive roster of credits, among them episodes of "Homicide: Life on the Street," "Oz," "The Practice," "Judging Amy," "Felicity," and "The O.C.." In 2005, he directed the straight-to-video sequel of the roommate scare pic "Single White Female," "Single White Female 2: The Psycho"; it included a small role for his wife, Meggan Kimberley. He followed it up in 2008 with the crime drama "Love Lies Bleeding."