| Blackie Dammett | |
|---|---|
| Born | John Kiedis December 7, 1939 Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S. |
| Occupation | Film, television actor |
| Years active | 1967-2011 |
| Spouse | Maragaret "Peggy" Idema (1960-1968) (divorced) (1 child) |
| Children | Anthony Kiedis (b. 1962) |
Blackie Dammett or "Spider" [1] (born John Kiedis; /ˈkiːdɪs/ kee-diss; IPA: [ˈkʲɛdɪs]; 7 December 1939) is an American actor and father of Anthony Kiedis, lead singer of Red Hot Chili Peppers.
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He legally changed his name to Blackie Dammett as a tribute to his favorite writer Dashiell Hammett. In Scar Tissue, Anthony describes how his father frequented the Rainbow Bar and Grill where he sold drugs to rock icons such as the members of Led Zeppelin and The Who's Keith Moon. As an actor, he appeared in the films National Lampoon's Class Reunion (1982), Meatballs Part II (1984) and Lethal Weapon (1987), among others. He also made frequent television appearances, on such shows as Starsky and Hutch, Trapper John, M.D. and It's Garry Shandling's Show.
According to Anthony Kiedis' autobiography, Scar Tissue, his grandfather Antanas Kiedis (1878–1949) and grandmother Julija (1883–1948) were Lithuanian immigrants. John was the youngest child in the family and the only American-born. In 2008 it was reported that Anthony Kiedis was developing a television series for HBO titled "Spider and Son", loosely based on Anthony's autobiography Scar Tissue. The show was originally scheduled to premiere in late 2010 but wasn't picked up as a series, despite a pilot script penned by John Sayles.[2] The show has since been picked up by the FX network though it is unknown when production will begin.
Blackie was close friends in the 70s with actor and musician, Sonny Bono who eventually became Anthony's godparent.[3][4] Dammett was acquainted with the late Israeli novelist, Dahn Ben Amotz, whom he met through a mutual friend, Marlon Brando.
Dammett is completing writing his autobiography and has announced he will be releasing it through e-book format by July 2012. Blackie has signed an exclusive publishing deal with Christopher Matthew Spencer's The Spencer Company with a target release date of Independence Day, July 4, 2012.
As of 2007, Dammett lives in Portland, Oregon.
For many years Dammett ran both the website and fanclub for the Red Hot Chili Peppers. To this day he still is in direct contact with many fans of his son's band through his own Facebook and My Space pages.
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Nowhere to Hide | John |
| 1978 | Jokes My Folks Never Told Me | |
| 1979 | Mr. Horn | Small Rustler |
| 1981 | Midnight Lace | Herman Laird |
| 1982 | Kiss My Grits | Bat Paterson |
| National Lampoon's Class Reunion | Walter Baylor | |
| 1983 | The Lost Empire | Prager |
| Doctor Detroit | Eddie Four Eyes | |
| 1984 | Meatballs Part II | Sgt. Paladin |
| 1985 | Nine Deaths of the Ninja | Alby the Cruel |
| The Boys Next Door | Bartender | |
| 1986 | 52 Pick-up | Drug Dealer |
| 1987 | Lethal Weapon | Drug Dealer #3 |
| 1988 | A Night at the Magic Castle | Evil Magician |
| The American Scream | Pastor | |
| 1989 | L.A. Bounty | James Maxwell |
| 1990 | Instant Karma | Ed Polski |