Biography
Kevin Jarre was born on August 6, 1954 in Detroit, Michigan, to actress Laura Devon and her second husband, Cleland B. Clark, a photographic illustrator who had combined ranching and fashion photography, and was a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association. After his parents divorced, he lived in Wyoming for a time with his father, whom he referred to as Hemingwayesque. He later went to Los Angeles to live with his mother.
Jarre had gotten small acting parts in the television series "Flipper", which starred Brian Kelly, to whom his mother was married to at that time. She subsequently would divorce Kelly, and later get married to French composer Maurice Jarre, who adopted Kevin.
Initially wanting to become an actor, Jarre was encouraged to try screenwriting. He began writing scripts, his big break came when he was hired to write the story for what would eventually become "Rambo: First Blood Part II" starring Sylvester Stallone. He then worked on "The Tracker", a period Western for HBO starring Kris Kristofferson and directed by John Guillermin. He then wrote the screenplay for the critically acclaimed historical war drama, "Glory" about the 54th Massachusetts regiment, which would go on to win three Oscars. Jarre would get both a Golden Globe nomination for Best Screenplay, and a WGA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
By 1990, two more scripts were written and acquired by producer Larry Gordon: "Judgment Night"(which was later rewritten and released in 1993) and "The Devil's Own"(which was also rewritten and later released in 1997). In early 1991, after his adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula was cancelled, Jarre began work on a script, "Tombstone": his retelling of the O.K. Corral gunfight and the events that followed, it was to have been his directorial debut, however, about a month into production, Jarre had been dismissed from the project and was replaced by George P. Cosmatos. With the exception of the scenes featuring Charlton Heston, and an insert of the food-laden wedding table in the opening scene, most of the footage that Jarre had filmed while he was director was either re-shot, or left on the cutting room floor.
Jarre continued to work, he spent the rest of his career as a uncredited script doctor, working on many films, such as the 1997 film "The Jackal", and earning a few producer credits.
In addition to being a writer and director, Jarre also had a few acting credits, he had appeared in the 1985 short film "A Hero of Our Time", directed by Michael Almereyda and was based on Mikhail Lermontov's novel of the same title, He also appeared in the 1988 thriller film "Gotham", directed by Lloyd Fonvielle, with whom Jarre would later collaborate with on the 1999 remake of "The Mummy". He also played a bit part in "Glory" as a quarrelsome soldier who picks a fight and later, as the 54th regiment heads for battle, yells, "Give 'em hell, 54th!"
He was a mentor and booster to many aspiring writers and directors, including his lovely cousin Abigail, for whom he appeared in her 2009 short film "She Found Them on the Train Tracks".
Jarre died in Santa Monica on April 3, 2011, at the age of 56.
