Wes Craven

Craven in 2009, photo by prphotos

Birth Name: Wesley Earl Craven

Date of Birth: August 2, 1939

Place of Birth: Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.

Date of Death: August 30, 2015

Place of Death: Los Angeles, California, U.S.

Ethnicity: English, German, distant Scottish

Wes Craven was an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and editor. He directed the films The Last House on the Left (1972), The Hills Have Eyes (1977), Deadly Blessing, Swamp Thing (1982), A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), The Hills Have Eyes Part II (1985), Deadly Friend, The Serpent and the Rainbow, Shocker, The People Under the Stairs, Wes Craven’s New Nightmare, Vampire in Brooklyn, Scream (1996), Scream 2, Music of the Heart, Scream 3, Cursed (2005), Red Eye, a segment of Paris, je t’aime; My Soul to Take, and Scream 4; and the made-for-tv movies Stranger in Our House, Invitation to Hell, Wes Craven’s Chiller, and Night Visions, the latter of which he also co-wrote. He also wrote his The Last House on the Left, The Hills Have Eyes, and its sequel; Swamp Thing, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Shocker, The People Under the Stairs, Wes Craven’s New Nightmare, his segment of Paris, je t’aime; and My Soul to Take, and co-wrote Deadly Blessing, as well as two films he did not direct, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors and The Hills Have Eyes 2 (2007). He was also known as Abe Snake, “Guru of Gore,” “Master of Horror,” and “Sultan of Shock.”

Wes was the son of Caroline (Miller) and Paul Eugene Craven. He was raised in a strict Baptist family. Wes was married to producer Iya Labunka, until his death. He had two children, writer and director Jonathan Craven and singer and songwriter Jessica Craven, with his former wife Bonnie Broecker.

Wes’s paternal grandfather was Eugene Elsworth/Ellsworth Craven (the son of Luke Craven and Sarah Hannah Connell). Eugene was born in Burlington, Vermont. Luke was born in Heaton, Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, the son of Jesse Craven and Rebecca Normington.

Wes’s paternal grandmother was Maude Lizzie Magoon (the daughter of Edgar Charles Magoon and Frances Charlotte Haskins). Maude was born in Vermont. Edgar was the son of George W. Magoon and Abigail Lounge/Lougee. Frances was the daughter of Hiram Sereno Haskins and Almina E. Jones.

Wes’s maternal grandfather was John Turner Miller (the son of Ebenezer Miller and Mary Jane Turner). John was English.

Wes’s maternal grandmother was Bertha Maria Zimmer (the daughter of Friedrich/Frederick Albert Zimmer and Carolina Albrecht/Albright). Bertha was born in Ohio, to German parents. Friedrich was born in Neunkirchen, Landkreis Neunkirchen, Saarland, the son of Jacob Zimmer and Elizabeth Fox. Caroline was born in Cussel Rheinphalz.

Sources: Genealogies of Wes Craven – http://www.findagrave.com
https://www.geni.com

Marriage records of Wes’s paternal grandparents, Eugene Elsworth/Ellsworth Craven and Maude Lizzie Magoon – https://www.familysearch.org
https://www.familysearch.org