David Hess, a Corte Madera songwriter and actor who portrayed horror movie villains, died of a heart attack Oct. 7 while returning to his car from a concert in Tiburon. He was 75.
Mr. Hess wrote songs for singers, including Elvis Presley and Pat Boone, and as an actor he played villains in films such as Wes Craven's debut, "The Last House on the Left." After moving to Marin in 1993, he became friends with the staff of the San Rafael-based California Film Institute, the group behind the Mill Valley Film Festival, and recently volunteered to teach children's acting classes for the institute.
"He played scary roles, but he was a cream puff in real life," John Morrison, educational program manager for the institute, said of Mr. Hess.
Mr. Hess was born on Sept. 19, 1936, in New York City. As a professional songwriter, he wrote the 1962 Pat Boone hit "Speedy Gonzalez." As an actor, his credits included "House on the Edge of the Park" and "Swamp Thing."
He also used his Italian and German language skills to dub films in Europe.
A well-known figure within the slasher film genre, Mr. Hess attended a number of horror film conventions over the past 12 years.
In a collaboration with Morrison, Mr. Hess recorded television segments about horror films for the Community Media Center of Marin.
Mark Fishkin, the film institute's executive director who first met Mr. Hess in 1995, said Mr. Hess was a frequent visitor to the institute's
former offices in Mill Valley.
"It was always very fun to be around him," Fishkin said.
Mr. Hess is survived by his wife, Regina Mardek; a brother, Jeremy; sisters Judith and Deborah; a daughter, Sara, and sons Steve Morris and Jesse and Sasha Hess.
Contact Will Jason via email at wjason@marinij.com
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