Unconventional filmmaker, Mark Moyle, made a remarkable transition from independent cinema to the Hollywood mainstream. His unexpected success with "Pump Up the Volume" (1990),a sleeper hit exploring teen angst, starring Christian Slater, catapulted him to the status of a sought-after writer-director.
However, this success was preceded by a decade-long hiatus from directing, following the critically panned "Times Square" (1980),a film about the adventures of two runaway teenage girls in New York City. This studio-directed project was such an unpleasant experience for Moyle that he suffered a stress-related disorder, resulting in the loss of all his hair.
Prior to his directorial debut, Moyle began his career as an actor and screenwriter, collaborating with Frank Vitale, a Canada-based independent filmmaker. Their 1974 film, "Montreal Main", was a loosely structured quasi-documentary exploring gay life in Montreal. Moyle's directorial debut was "The Rubber Gun" (1977),an examination of the city's drug culture.
In addition to acting in his own films, Moyle appeared in notable roles, including David Cronenberg's "Rabid" (1977) and Richard Benner's cult favorite, "Outrageous!" (1977). After the failure of "Times Square", Moyle left the industry for a ten-year period, during which he wrote a novel and several screenplays. It wasn't until the success of "Pump Up the Volume" that he restored his commercial credibility.
