Fred Olen Ray

After serving in the United States Navy, Ray began working at a local television station in Orlando, Florida.

He first appeared in a small role in the 1975 film Shock Waves, which starred Peter Cushing and John Carradine.

[7] Ray then began directing independent films during his free time using station equipment, starting with The Brain Leeches (1978), produced on a budget of $298.

[8][9] Ray also co-wrote the screenplay with political essayist Brad Linaweaver, and the two later collaborated on additional films.

Lessons learned from The Brain Leeches allowed Ray to keep production cost to a minimum, while using the bulk of the budget to attract a recognized Hollywood name to the project.

Alien Dead was shot featuring an elderly Buster Crabbe, cinema action hero of the 1930s and 1940s, and star of three Flash Gordon serials from 1936 to 1940.

"[6] Ray succeeded in raising money for a low-budget horror film, Scalps (1983), which featured cameos from Carroll Borland and Forrest J. Ackerman.

Ray switched to action films with Armed Response (1986), which starred David Carradine and Lee Van Cleef.

[11] Ray co-directed Scream Queen Hot Tub Party (1991) with Jim Wynorski, shot in one day.

[12] After Attack of the 60 Foot Centerfold (1995), he made Fugitive Rage (1996), Friend of the Family II (1996), Inferno (1997), Hybrid (1997), and The Shooter, which has been referred to as Ray's best film.

It's a working man's world and it doesn't pay to get too idealistic about things like directing low-budget movies if you have a family to think about.

Two-time Academy Award nominee Peter Fonda played Marshal Kane in the 2010 Ray film American Bandits: Frank and Jesse James,[5] while Golden Globe Award winner Christian Slater appeared in Ray's 2012 film Hatfields and McCoys: Bad Blood.