L.M. Kit Carson

The unique life of Lewis Minor 'Kit' Carson began in Dallas in 1941. As a young man he travelled back and forth between Dallas and New York, where he learned the craft of documentary filmmaking. This knowledge certainly came into play when he starred in the title role of Jim McBride's first film, "David Holzman's Diaries" (1967), one of the first 'mockumentaries.' Acting was far from his only talent. In 1971 Carson directed the documentary "American Dreamer," which followed Dennis Hopper at the height of his influence. Although his counterculture bona fides were beyond reproach, Carson's career didn't gather steam until the late 1970s and early '80s when he wrote the screenplays for "The Last Word" (1979), the American remake of Godard's "Breathless" (1983), and Wim Wenders' acclaimed "Paris, Texas" (1984). His acting career revived in 1984, with a small role in the film "Chinese Boxes," which he also wrote. In 1988, Carson appeared in his most accessible role, as a radical and violent underground protestor opposite Judd Hirsch and Christine Lahti in the drama "Running on Empty." In 1986, he stepped even further afield when he co-produced and wrote "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2," the sequel to Tobe Hooper's influential horror smash. In the 1990s his focus shifted towards producing, most notably shepherding Wes Anderson's debut film "Bottle Rocket" (1996) from short to feature film. Carson continued to act, write, and produce into the mid-2000s. He died in Dallas on October 20, 2014 of complications from pneumonia.