Blackie Dammett or "Spider" (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. 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.