Bryan Singer

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Bryan Jay Singer (born September 17, 1965) is an American film director, screenwriter and producer. Singer won critical acclaim for his work on The Usual Suspects, and is especially well-known among fans of the science fiction and superhero genres for his work on the X-Men films and Superman Returns. Other notable films he directed include Apt Pupil, Valkyrie and Jack the Giant Slayer.[1] Singer was born in New York City, and was adopted by Grace Sinden, an environmental activist, and Norbert Dave Singer, a corporate executive.[2] He grew up in a Jewish household in West Windsor Township, New Jersey. He attended West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South (formerly just West Windsor-Plainsboro High School), graduating in 1984.[3] For college, Singer studied filmmaking for two years at New York's School of Visual Arts and later transferred to the USC School of Cinematic Arts in Los Angeles.[4] Actor Marc Singer who is best known for his roles in the Beastmaster film series is his cousin. Singer who is openly gay has said that his life experiences of growing up as a minority influenced his movies.[5]

Sexual assault allegation

In 1997, a 14-year-old extra accused Singer of asking him and other minors to film a shower scene in the nude for the film Apt Pupil. A lawsuit was filed but dismissed for insufficient evidence.[6][7]

Michael Egan

In April 2014, Singer was accused in a civil lawsuit of sexual assault of a minor Michael Egan, now 31. According to the suit filed by attorney Jeff Herman "who is noted for his representation of sex abuse victims, having filed suits against the Roman Catholic Church and Kevin Clash, the former voice of Sesame Street character Elmo" [8], Singer is alleged to have drugged and raped Egan in Hawaii and Los Angeles in the late 1990s when Egan was between the ages of 15 and 17. [9] It has been reported that Egan has been working on a film for "Disarming Films" best know for the film Deliver Us From Evil, about sex abuse cases in the Roman Catholic Church. [10] Singer's attorney called the allegations "completely fabricated" and said Singer plans to countersue.[8] In a later interview he stated that, “My client was never with Mr. Egan in Hawaii during the time period alleged or at any other time....that he had credit card receipts, telephone records and production schedules showing that Singer was not in Hawaii -- and was mostly in Toronto working on the first X-Men movie -- when the parties attended by then 17-year old Egan took place."[11]

On May 13 2014, it came to light that in a 2003 deposition for a previous lawsuit, Michael Egan had stated under oath that he had never left the continental U.S and had never been to Hawaii, contradicting his claims that Singer and others had abused him at parties in a seven-bedroom estate in Kailua, outside Honolulu, Hawaii, in 1999. He also claims Singer and others abused him at parties in Encino, California which is also currently unsubstantiated.[12]

July 29, 2014, Jeff Herman withdrew as the attorney for Michael Egan after Egan refused a $100,000 settlement agreement which according to TMZ "is viewed more like a "nuisance" settlement".[13] In a statement released by Mr. Singer's attorney, "As Mr. Egan and his now ex-lawyers know, a legitimate claim in this type of case can run into the millions of dollars, so their willingness to resolve it for such a relatively low figure demonstrates their total lack of confidence in their chances for success. This was their way of trying to save face after an unsuccessful attempted shakedown of Bryan Singer" and that "Mr. Singer and his team will continue to fight to clear his name and intend to pursue charges of malicious prosecution against Egan." [14] [15]

John Doe No. 117

On May 4, 2014, a new lawsuit was filed by attorney Jeff Herman on behalf of an anonymous British man. Singer and producer Gary Goddard (who was also named separately in the first case) were accused of sexually assaulting "John Doe No. 117." According to the lawsuit, Goddard and Singer met the man for sex when he was a minor and engaged in acts of "gender violence" against him while in London for the premiere of Superman Returns.[16]

July 3, 2014, attorneys for Singer filed the motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by "John Doe 117." Singer's lawyers claimed there is "no legal basis" for the lawsuit. "According to a different Variety report from May, Singer claimed he has solid alibis for the dates in question when the alleged sexual abuse took place. "The timing of this action and inclusion of its sordid (and provably false) allegations are nothing more than tools being used to embarrass, harass, and pressure Singer and precipitate a shakedown of a perceived 'deep pocket,' the motion said, according to Variety."[17]

July 25, 2014, the British actor, identified in the court case only as ‘John Doe 117’, voluntarily dismissed his sexual abuse case in a court in LA.[18]

Films

Feature films
Year Title Credited as Notes
Director Producer Writer
1988 Lion's Den yes yes yes Short film
1993 Public Access yes yes yes
1995 The Usual Suspects yes yes
1998 Apt Pupil yes yes
Burn yes
2000 X-Men yes yes
2003 X2 yes yes
2006 Superman Returns yes yes
Look, Up in the Sky! The Amazing Story of Superman yes Documentary
2007 Color Me Olsen yes Short film
2008 Valkyrie yes yes
2009 Trick 'r Treat yes
2011 X-Men: First Class yes yes [19]
2013 Jack the Giant Slayer yes yes [20]
2014 X-Men: Days of Future Past yes yes [21]

References

  1. ↑ Bryan Singer (Wikipedia)
  2. ↑ Bryan Singer Biography (1965–). Filmreference.com. Retrieved on December 4, 2013.
  3. ↑ Miller, Lynn. "More West Windsor Filmmaking Stars on the Horizon", West Windsor & Plainsboro News, December 15, 2007. Accessed December 15, 2007. "Two West Windsor-Plainsboro High School graduates are following in the footsteps of two other filmmakers from West Windsor, Bryan Singer and Christopher McQuarrie. Singer, Class of 1984, and McQuarrie, Class of 1986, have recently joined together for the filming of "Valkyrie,” a controversial film about Colonel Claus Schenk von Stauffenberg, the German Army officer who tried to do away with Hitler during World War II."
  4. ↑ "FILM; An Unusual Choice for the Role of Studio Superhero", July 9, 2000. Retrieved on November 27, 2007. “As a child, Mr. Singer grew up in Princeton Junction, N.J. His father, Norbert Singer, is a businessman and his mother, Grace, is an environmental activist and former state environmental official.... Mr. Singer attended the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan for two years, and then transferred to the University of Southern California.” 
  5. ↑ Applebaum, Stephen. Interview: Bryan Singer. BBC. Retrieved on October 7, 2006.
  6. ↑ Ascher-Walsh, Rebecca. Three minors who were extras say they were told to disrobe to shoot a shower scene. Entertainment Weekly. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 29 April 2014.
  7. ↑ Satoodeh, Ramin. Bryan Singer Allegations Part of Upcoming Sex Abuse Documentary. Chicago Tribune. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved on 29 April 2014.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Feldman, Dana. 'X Men' director hit by sex abuse lawsuit weeks before premiere. Reuters. Retrieved on April 18, 2014.
  9. ↑ Barnes, Brook. Suit Accuses Director of New ‘X-Men’ Film of Sexual Assault. The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved on 17 April 2014.
  10. ↑ Nathan, Sara. EXCLUSIVE: X-Men director's sex abuse accuser is working with Oscar-nominated filmmaker on bombshell expose of Hollywood's sordid underbelly. The Mail Online. The Daily Mail. Retrieved on 19 April 2014.
  11. ↑ Handel, Jonathan. Bryan Singer's Attorney: Accuser's Witnesses are 'Liars' (Exclusive). The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved on 21 April 2014.
  12. ↑ Man suing Bryan Singer for raping him as a teen 'said he had never been to Hawaii' in earlier lawsuit - but now claims that's where most of the explosive allegations took place. The Mail Online. The Daily Mail. Retrieved on 13 May 2014.
  13. ↑ Bryan Singer, Accuser Settle Sexual Molestation Suit -- Accuser Then Flip FLops (TMZ)
  14. ↑ Fecteau, Jessica. Lawyer Drops Accuser in Bryan Singer Sex Abuse Lawsuit. Time Inc. Retrieved on 1 August 2014.
  15. ↑ Johnson, Ted. Bryan Singer’s Accuser Dropped by Lawyer Amid $100K Settlement Report. Variety. Retrieved on 1 August 2014.
  16. ↑ Paunescu, Delia (May 4, 2014). New Sexual-Abuse Lawsuit Filed Against Singer. Retrieved on May 5, 2014.
  17. ↑ Serrano, Zulai. Bryan Singer Lawsuit Update: Director Files Motion To Dismiss 'John Doe 117' Sexual Abuse Case. Retrieved on July 27, 2014.
  18. ↑ Wyatt, Daisy. Bryan Singer dismissed from teen sex abuse case brought by British actor. Retrieved on July 27, 2014.
  19. ↑ "First Look at January Jones As Emma Frost In 'X-Men: First Class'", MTV, Viacom, September 8, 2010. Retrieved on September 8, 2010. 
  20. ↑ Bryan Singer Tackles Jack the Giant Killer For New Line. /Film (September 23, 2009). Retrieved on October 28, 2009.
  21. ↑ "Bryan Singer Officially Set For X-Men: Days of Future Past", October 30, 2012. 

External links

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