Jesse Lee Vint | |
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Jesse Lee Vint III[1] is an American actor, film director and screenwriter.[2] He acted in the films Silent Running (1972), Macon County Line (1974),[2] Black Oak Conspiracy (1977) and Forbidden World (1982).[3]
Vint was born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma.[1] He graduated from the Oklahoma Military Academy and later attended the University of Oklahoma where he became a lifetime member of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity.[4]
Vint’s mother, Paula Mae Rhodes Vint, was Scotch, Irish, and English while his father, Jesse Lee Vint Jr., was Austrian, German, Irish and Norman French.
Vint’s uncle, Edward Lee Vint, was a Texas Congressman that represented Austin County in the late 1930s.[5]
Jesse Vint's father, Jesse L. Vint Jr., was the president of Unit Rig & Equipment Co., the second largest company in Tulsa, Oklahoma, working there from 1956 to 1982. Jerry A. Shelton dedicated a book in his honor called The Unit Rig Story.[6]
Vint joined the Actors Studio in Los Angeles with his brother Alan, who co-starred with him in Macon County Line.[7] While at the Actors Studio, Vint was seen by Bruce Dern, who recommended him for his 1972 film Silent Running.[8] Vint has worked with directors Arthur Penn in Little Big Man and Roman Polanski in Chinatown.[9]
Vint worked with David Carradine in three movies. In Carradine's autobiographical book Kill Bill: The Diary, Carradine described Jesse Vint as "an acting buddy of mine who is a very wise and cool dude,"[10] even though they were usually cast as rivals.
In addition to his work in the film industry, Vint won the World Celebrity Chess Championship at The Century Plaza Hotel in 1988.[11]
In 2016, Vint was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Portland Indie Film Awards Ceremony at a sold-out event in Portland, Oregon.[12]
Jesse Vint has been a lifetime voting member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) since 1982 and attends the Oscars frequently.
Jesse Vint was also inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame along with his brother Alan Vint and the actor Ben Johnson in 2022.[13]
Vint is also an author and has written several books: William the Conqueror vs. King Harold, The Brothers Reno, and The Film Actor’s Handbook.[14]
Vint has a son named Jesse Lee Vint IV.[1] He also has a grandson named Jesse Lee Vint V.[15] Vint was married to Stephanie D. Pineo.[16]
