The Little Shop Of Horrors star Jonathan Haze has died aged 95
Jonathan Haze, who was best known for appearing in the horror comedy film Little Shop Of Horrors, has died aged 95.
The actor, producer and screenwriter frequently worked with director Roger Corman, playing florist’s assistant Seymour Krelboined in the 1960 film.
His daughter, Rebecca Haze, confirmed to Deadline that he died on Saturday November 2 at his home of natural causes.
Born in Pittsburgh in 1929, Haze was discovered while working in a gas station and was given a role in Monster from the Ocean Floor, which Corman produced.
That same year, the director cast Haze in The Fast and the Furious and then in the 1955 western Five Guns West.
They went on to work together on nearly 20 movies, with others including Day the World Ended; Gunslinger, Naked Paradise, Rock All Night and Carnival Rock.
His most notable screen role was in the 1960s horror comedy directed by Roger Corman (Picture: Filmgroup/ Kobal/ Shutterstock)
Haze’s acting career spanned five decades, with 41 roles to his name between 1954 until 2010.
In his most well-known role in Little Shop of Horrors, his character infamously grew a potted plant he names Audrey II, who ended up requiring human blood to thrive.
With her blood-thirsty demands growing, the desires gave the film its iconic catchphrase: ‘Feed me, Seymour.’
Speaking at a fan event in 2001, Haze revealed he was paid $400 for the film and shared some of the difficulties of the job.
His first film credit came in 1955 (Picture: Sunset Prods/ Kobal/ Shutterstock)
‘All the interior scenes in the movie were done in two days, they were like 20-hour days, and then we went out on the streets and did three nights with a second unit, with a totally different crew. It was insane,’ he said.
He also added they shot on the infamous Skid Row in Los Angeles and used real homeless people as extras, paying them ‘10 cents a walk-through’.
During the 1960s, Haze also wrote screenplays for Invasion of the Star Creatures and a Family Skeleton episode of 77 Sunset Strip.
He then also went on to have a long career producing commercials.
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