Roger Steinmann ([ʁɔ.ʒe ʃtaɪ̯nman]; born November 6, 1961, in Zurich, Switzerland) is a creative in film and theater and an entrepreneur.
Most notable is his biopic Illusion Infinity (aka Paradise, 2004), starring Dee Wallace, Mickey Rooney, Timothy Bottoms, Barbara Carrera, Martin Kove, Theresa Saldana, and Lilyan Chauvin.
In autumn 2018, the shooting of the international feature film, the farce-comedy PhonY, was interrupted due to the unexpected death of lead actor Burt Reynolds. Since then, the fate of the already to 70% shot farce-comedy became uncertain.
In spring of 2020, Steinmann turned to the theater and created the two-character farce Win=Win. Subsequently, he directed and produced the play; the premiere was held in Zurich on October 7, 2022. On stage were Bodo Krumwiede and Florine Elena Deplazes; off-roles were voiced by Christa Rigozzi, Gilles Tschudi, René Rindlisbacher, Heidi Maria Glössner and Bella Neri.
In 2023, Steinmann has written two new stageplays: The one-lady drama Teufelskreis and its English adaption Ruthless what is based on the 'survival' of Ruth Madoff; and an Agatha Christie-like crime-comedy titled Wenn der Drilling mit der Zwilling.
Early life
At the age of 12, Steinman shot his first short film with a Super-8 camera. In the next five years, another 30 films followed. Four of them received awards.
One of the early award-winning films was Die Maschinentiere (The Machine Animals), a 1977-documentary on large-scale animal husbandry in contrast to classic farming.
In Die Flutkatastrophe (The Flood Disaster) Steinmann showed the consequences of a broken dam of a nearby reservoir and the flooding of his hometown Zurich. Along an interview, it was aired on Swiss TV in November 1978, the month Steinmann turned 17.
Career
Progressing Film Ambitions
Still in his teens, Steinmann aimed to execute larger scale feature-projects based on his original screenplays. In 1978/79, he developed the conception Krebs! (Cancer!) about the life-threatening virus in a woman's organism, visualized by a simultaneous life-threat of the organism of an entire city by a Godzilla-like monster-crab. In German language the title "Krebs!" bears the double meaning of Cancer and Crab.
Early Theater activities
Steinmann turned to theater as well; notable are:
1982: Beschti Referenze (aka Buchhalter Noetzli / Bookkeeper Noetzli), Steinmann in his function as producer and director was the first to bring this play by Hans Schubert to the Swiss stage. Four years later, the same play served the popular Swiss folk actor Walter Roderer as was his probably greatest success, on stage as well as in film.
1986: Achtung-Fertig-Los! (aka Nume Theater mit em Sunntigsbsuech / Ready-Steady-Go!), Steinmann producing and writing this unique farce-comedy concepting disguised actors among the real audience. His friend Markus Imthurn was directing, becoming Steinmann's closest artistic collaborator to date.
1988: Schelmereie (Sweet Cheating) at the theater in Oberentfelden, Switzerland: Steinmann directing.
Hollywood
From 1991, Steinmann lived alternatively in Los Angeles. There, he wrote several screenplays on spec, alone but mostly in association, e.g. Bum and the Kid' with Scott Steindorff, outlines, e.g. ‘Love of my Life’ with Don Mankiewicz, rewrites, e.g. ‘Project: Metalbeast’.
Feature Film Illusion Infinity (aka Paradise, 2004) Among Steinmann´s several projects, Illusion Infinity (aka Paradise, 2004) caught the eye of casting director Gerald I. Wolff. He was able to engage seven well known Hollywood actors: Dee Wallace, Mickey Rooney, Timothy Bottoms, Barbara Carrera, Martin Kove, Theresa Saldana, and Lilyan Chauvin.Illusion Infinity was labeled as a biopic; however, it was an original screenplay by Steinmann about the supposed real Las Vegas singer Patricia Paradise (played by Dee Wallace) and her life-long search for a genuine soul-mate, and a home she calls ‘Shangri-La’.
Feature Film Projects ‘The PartyKillers’ and ‘Ladies First’
In 2014, Thai film star Mike Angelo became interested to star in ‘The PartyKillers’, a screwball-comedy about a humble inventor of a magical teddy-bear crashing the engagement party of a toy manufacturer. This screenplay Steinmann wrote back in 1995/98 in collaboration with Rodney Heeringa.