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{{short description|American filmmaker (born 1966)}}
[[File:Rich Wilkes in Airheads.jpg|thumb|Rich Wilkes as the "Corduroy Rocker" in [[Airheads]]]]
'''Richard "Rich" Wilkes''' (born 1966) is an American [[filmmaker]] and musician. His work is noted for its rooting in contemporary music and youth culture.

==Works==
=== As Screenwriter ===
Wilkes' major-studio debut was as screenwriter of the 1994 film ''[[Airheads]]''. The story revolves around a group of loser musicians called The Lone Rangers who take a radio station hostage to get their song played on the radio. ''Airheads'' was directed by [[Michael Lehmann]] and distributed by [[20th Century Fox]].

This was followed by a co-writer credit (alongside director [[James Melkonian]]) for the 1994 comedy ''[[The Stoned Age]]'', set in the [[Stoner (drug user)|stoner]] subculture of Southern California during the 1970s.

The same writing and directing team then collaborated with [[The Jerky Boys]] to create the 1995 production ''[[The Jerky Boys: The Movie]]'', featuring the eponymous comedians (self-described as "low-lifes from Queens") as New York City youths who get into trouble with the Mafia when one of their prank calls leads them into a money laundering business.

Wilkes is credited as the sole screenwriter for the 2002 action-adventure film ''[[XXX (2002 film)|XXX]]'' and a "based on characters created by" credit as being as the creator of the [[XXX (film series)|''XXX'' franchise]].

Wilkes co-wrote the [[Mötley Crüe]] biopic ''[[The Dirt (film)|The Dirt]]'', based on the New York Times bestselling book by [[Neil Strauss]] and Mötley Crüe. The film took 17 years to get made. [[David Fincher]] was initially attached to direct in 2004, followed by [[Larry Charles]] in 2008.

=== As Writer/Director ===
In 1995, Wilkes debuted as a director with ''[[Glory Daze (film)|Glory Daze]]'', a semi-autobiographical tale based on his experiences as a student at the [[University of California, Santa Cruz]].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.modamag.com/garrettwanginterview.htm | title = ''Interview with actor Garret Wang:'' "Glory Daze ''was his homage to his college days at Santa Cruz."'' | accessdate = 2008-07-19 | url-status = dead | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20080509081946/http://www.modamag.com/garrettwanginterview.htm | archivedate = 2008-05-09 }}</ref>

=== Other Film Work ===
Wilkes has also appeared as an actor in the majority of his productions, primarily in minor roles. He has also appeared as himself in several documentaries, including the 1998 production ''Independent's Day'', 2003's ''The Blockbuster Imperative'' and 2006's ''Punk Like Me''.

=== As Musician ===
Wilkes was the lead singer of the "world's original punk rock mariachi band" Carne Asada. The band was put together as a prank to get on the [[Warped Tour|Vans Warped Tour]]. The story of Carne Asada was told in the award winning music documentary ''Punk Like Me''.
[[File:PunkLikeMe Poster-5000x7100-RGB.jpg|thumb|Poster for the music documentary Punk Like Me (2006)]]

==Personal life==
Wilkes was born in [[Princeton, New Jersey]]. He attended [[El Camino High School (Oceanside, California)|El Camino High School]] in [[Oceanside, California]]. He obtained a BA from the [[University of California, Santa Cruz]], then studied screenwriting at the [[American Film Institute]].

==Filmography==
===Films===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes
|-
|2020
|''[[Bulletproof (1996 film)#Bulletproof 2|Bulletproof 2]]''
|
|Co-Writer and Story by
|-
|2019
|''[[The Dirt (film)|The Dirt]]''
|
|Co-Writer
|-
| 2017 ||''[[XXX: Return of Xander Cage]]''|| || Writer (characters)
|-
| 2013 || ''XXX'' (short) || || Writer (characters)
|-
| 2008 || ''Art House, Vol. 1: Basic Shapes and Animals'' || || Executive Producer
|-
| 2006 || ''Punk Like Me'' || Self, Rico Suave|| Actor, Writer, Executive Producer
|-
| 2005 || ''[[XXX: State of the Union]]'' || || Writer (characters)
|-
| 2003 || ''Men of Action'' (short) || The Director || Actor
|-
| 2002 || ''[[XXX (2002 film)|XXX]]'' || Tall Guy || Creator, Writer, Actor
|-
| rowspan="2"|1995 || ''[[Glory Daze (film)|Glory Daze]]'' || || Writer, Director
|-
| ''[[The Jerky Boys: The Movie]]'' || ||Co-Writer
|-
| rowspan="2"|1994 || ''[[The Stöned Age]]'' ||
|Co-Writer, Actor
|-
| ''[[Airheads]]'' || Corduroy Rocker
|Writer, Actor
|-
|}

===Television===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes
|-
| 2003 || ''Vegas Dick'' (pilot) || || Writer, Executive Producer
|-
| 2001 || ''Beer Money'' (movie) || Nick the Hollywood Snake || Writer, Actor, Executive Producer
|-
| 1999 || ''Fear of a Punk Planet'' (series) || || Director (pilot)
|-
|}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb name|0929186|Rich Wilkes}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilkes, Rich}}
[[Category:1966 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American male screenwriters]]
[[Category:People from Princeton, New Jersey]]
[[Category:People from Oceanside, California]]
[[Category:Screenwriters from California]]
[[Xxx from New Jersey]]

Rich Wilkes - Revision history

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