Roger Corman (born 1926), a filmmaker with several hundred films to his credit, has rightly been called the "King of the B Movies." His low-budget films made for Hollywood studios included one of the first "biker" movies, The Wild Angels, as well as numerous horror films based on stories by Edgar Allan Poe. Since 1970 Corman has operated successful independent film production and distribution companies.

Roger Corman's childhood gave few clues that, in later years, he would create hundreds of low-budget films that would make him one of Hollywood's best-known directors. He was born in Detroit, Michigan, on April 5, 1926, the first child of European immigrants William and Ann Corman; his brother Gene (who also became a producer) was born 18 months later. As a child Corman was more interested in sports and building model airplanes than in film. William Corman, an engineer, was forced to take a huge pay cut during...