James Carroll Pickett(1949-1994)

James Carroll Pickett III was born on December 17, 1949 near Louisville, Kentucky. He first gained local fame after playing Daniel Boone in a Louisville pageant and worked behind the scenes at the Actors Theatre while in his early twenties. Pickett acted in three entertaining 1970's low-budget drive-in exploitation movies for director William Girdler: After making his film debut with a small part in L'antre de l'horreur (1972) (James also did some of the gruesome make-up f/x for this particular picture), he essayed more substantial roles as the troubled Billy Townsend in L'abattoir humain (1972) and deranged vengeful psycho Mac in Quand la ville tremble... (1974). He moved to Los Angeles, California in the mid-1970's. James soon established himself as a noted poet, playwright, and community activist in the Los Angeles area. Pickett was the writer in residence at the Beverly Hills Playhouse; his stage plays were performed all over the world and won awards from both "The LA Weekly" and Drama Logue. His acclaimed and groundbreaking gay play "Dream Man" was adapted into a film in 1991. He started the Gay Men's Writer series at A Different Light Bookstore, was both co-founder of and the executive director for Artists Confronting AIDS, and both founded and produced the STAGE benefits for AIDS Project Los Angeles. James Carroll Pickett III died at the tragically young age of 44 from AIDS-related complications on July 4, 1994 in Los Angeles, California.