
Bert I. Gordon
Biography
Bert Ira Gordon (born September 24, 1922 in Kenosha, WI) was an American film director most famous for such science fiction and horror B-movies as The Amazing Colossal Man and Village of the Giants.
Most of Gordon's work was in the idiom of giant monster films, for which he used rear-projection to create the special effects. His nickname "Mister B.I.G." was a reference both to his initials and to his preferred technique for making super-sized creatures.
Gordon held a degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He began his career directing television commercials before moving to film in 1954 to produce Serpent Island. In 1957, he began his prolific association with American International Pictures.
In 1960, he wrote, produced and directed The Boy and the Pirates, starring then active and popular child star Charles Herbert alongside Gordon's own daughter, Susan. The trio appeared together in the celebrity lineup at the 2006 Monster Bash in Pittsburgh, as The Walt Disney Company's Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) spiked interest in previous "pirate" films.
Empire of the Ants (1977) featured a pre-Dynasty Joan Collins, who later said of the film that it was her worst acting experience, but by then the loosely-based modernized H. G. Wells tale had been elevated to cult film status.
While none of his films received significant critical attention, his work attained popularity in some circles. Cult TV series Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K) has featured several of his films, which the accompanying episodes are often regarded as some of the show's best.
Gordon passed away on March 8, 2023, at 100 years old.
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Directing (25 movies)

The Magic Sword
1962

Tormented
1960

King Dinosaur
1955

Empire of the Ants
1977

The Food of the Gods
1976

Necromancy
1972

Earth vs. the Spider
1958

Village of the Giants
1965

The Amazing Colossal Man
1957

The Cyclops
1957

Attack of the Puppet People
1958

War of the Colossal Beast
1958

Beginning of the End
1957

The Boy and the Pirates
1960

The Mad Bomber
1973

Satan's Princess
1989

Picture Mommy Dead
1966

How to Succeed with Sex
1970

Burned at the Stake
1981

Secrets of a Psychopath
2015

The Witching
1983

Let's Do It!
1982

Famous Ghost Stories
1961

Serpent Island
1954

The Big Bet
1985
