George Armitage, ‘Grosse Pointe Blank’ and ‘Miami Blues’ Director, Dies at 83

George Armitage, who directed, wrote and produced films including “Grosse Pointe Blank” and “Miami Blues,” died Saturday in Playa del Rey, his son Brent confirmed. He was 83.

Raised in Hartford, Conn., Armitage started out in the 20th Century Fox mailroom before becoming associate producer on the long-running series “Peyton Place” in the 1960s. He met Roger Corman on the Fox lot and moved into feature films, writing the Corman-produced 1970 comedy “Gas! – Or – It Became Necessary to Destroy the World in Order to Save It.”

He continued making films for Corman and his brother Gene Corman, moving into directing with “Private Duty Nurses.” The 1972 Blaxploitation film “Hit Man,” which he directed and co-wrote, starred Pam Grier and Bernie Casey. Next up was “Vigilante Force,” with Kris Kristofferson and Jan-Michael Vincent, and the TV movie “Hot Rod.”

“Kaplan, Demme, Dante, Arkush and me… We were making little 45 RPM rock ’n’ roll movies. Same subject matter as early rock songs and same lack of respect until… This is what made us different even from Roger, who was half a generation ahead, a liberal but no rocker,” he told Film Comment in 2015.

Armitage’s next film as director, the 1990 comedic thriller “Miami Blues,” was based on a Charles Willeford novel. Starring Alec Baldwin and Fred Ward, it garnered attention for Jennifer Jason-Leigh’s performance. Also in 1990, Armitage co-wrote cop actioner “Last of the Finest.”

He was Emmy-nominated for co-writing the 1996 TV movie “The Late Shift,” the story of the rivalry between David Letterman and Jay Leno over who would succeed Johnny Carson.

Armitage next directed the well-received comedy “Grosse Pointe Blank,” starring Dan Aykroyd, John Cusack and Minnie Driver in the story of a professional assassin who is sent to the suburb where his high school reunion is taking place.

“With ‘Grosse Pointe Blank’ I shot three movies simultaneously. We shot the script as written, we shot a mildly understated version, and we shot a completely over-the-top version, which usually was what was used. We cast that movie—and I’ve cast most movies—by having the actors come in and read, then throwing the script out and saying: “Okay, let’s improvise.” That’s what I was comfortable with. I say to the actors: “You are creating the character. This is written, these are the parameters, this is the outline. Now you take this, make it your own, and bring me, bring me, bring me,” Armitage told Film Comment.

His final credit was the 2004 crime pic “The Big Bounce,” starring Owen Wilson and Morgan Freeman in a story co-written by Elmore Leonard.

He was a longtime member of the WGA, DGA and the Academy.

He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Sharon, son Brent, a writer-producer, and grandchildren Caroline and Nick.