Marcus LarrySeale, Jr., later known as Larry Buchanan, was born on January 31, 1923, in Dallas, Texas. At a young age, he was orphaned and sent to a Baptist orphanage. After graduating from high school, he rejected a scholarship to Baylor University to pursue a career in filmmaking.
Buchanan began his career in the props department at 20th Century-Fox Studios, where he was renamed Larry Buchanan. He later studied filmmaking in the Army Signal Corps, which sparked his desire to become a director. He played bit parts in films, including The Gunfighter (1950),and directed religious documentaries for evangelist Oral Roberts.
In the early 1950s, Buchanan transitioned to writing and directing, helming his first film, The Cowboy (1951),which received a Peabody Award nomination. However, he soon shifted his focus to low-budget exploitation films, working with American-International Pictures and creating films like Attack of the Eye Creatures (1967),In the Year 2889 (1969),and Creature of Destruction (1968).
Buchanan's films were often criticized for their poor quality, earning him the title of "Worst Director Ever." However, he remained prolific, directing over 30 films throughout his career. His films often addressed taboo topics, such as sex and racial relations, and he was known for his ability to create a "grandeur" despite his low budgets.
Buchanan wrote and directed a series of biopics and docudramas, including The Trial of Lee Harvey Oswald (1964),Pretty Boy Floyd, Jean Harlow, Jimi Hendrix, Howard Hughes, and Jim Morrison. He also published his memoirs, "It Came from Hunger: Tales of a Cinema Schlockmeister," in 1996.
Throughout his career, Buchanan was known for his "guerilla filmmaking" style, which involved writing, directing, producing, and editing his own films on a shoestring budget. He passed away on December 2, 2004, at the age of 81, while completing the editing of his final film, "The Copper Scroll of Mary Magdalene."
