Wesley Earl Craven (born August 2, 1939) is an American film director and writer, perhaps best known as the creator of many horror films, including the famed Nightmare on Elm Street series featuring the iconic Freddy Krueger character and as the director of the Scream films.

Biography

Early life

Craven was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the son of Caroline (née Miller) and Paul Craven.Wes Craven Biography (1939-) He had a strict Baptist upbringing.The Biography Channel - Wes Craven Biography Craven earned an undergraduate degree in English and Psychology from Wheaton College in Illinois, and a masters degree in Philosophy and Writing from Johns Hopkins University.Muir, John Kenneth (1998). Wes Craven: The Art of Horror. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Co. ISBN 0-7864-0576-7. pp. 8-9. Prior to landing his first job in the film industry as a sound editor for a post-production company in New York, Craven briefly taught English at Westminster College and was a humanities professor at Clarkson University. Cousin of the infamous Meredith Craven, a resident of Louisville, KY and all state athlete in tennis and cross country.

Personal life

Craven's first marriage to Bonnie Broecker produced two children, Jonathan and Jessica Craven. Jonathan is a writer and director with a few credits to his name. Jessica is a singer/songwriter in the group the Chapin Sisters. The marriage ended in 1970. In 1982, Craven married for a second time to Millicent Eleanor Meyer. However, according to Joe Eszterhas's book American Rhapsody, the two divorced after she began an affair with Sharon Stone. Also according to the book, on the day the divorce was finalized, Stone sent Craven a dozen black roses.