Paul Mazursky
Encyclopedia
Paul Mazursky is an American
film director
, screenwriter
and actor
.
, New York
, the son of Jean (née
Gerson), a piano player for dance classes, and David Mazursky, a laborer. Mazursky was born to a Jewish family; his grandfather was an immigrant from Ukraine
. He graduated from Brooklyn College
in 1951. Mazursky is an atheist.
's first feature, Fear and Desire
, in which he changed his first name to Paul, and later appeared as a juvenile delinquent in the 1955 film The Blackboard Jungle. He soon became a writer and worked on The Danny Kaye Show
in 1963. In 1965, he collaborated with Larry Tucker in crafting the script of the original pilot of The Monkees
television series, in which they both also appeared in cameos.
His acting career has continued for several decades, starting with television work in episodes of The Twilight Zone
and The Rifleman
. He has played supporting roles in A Star Is Born
(1976), History of the World Part I (1981), Into the Night (1985), Punchline
(1988), Man Trouble
(1992), Carlito's Way
(1993), Love Affair (1994), 2 Days in the Valley
(1996), Miami Rhapsody
(1995), and Crazy in Alabama
(1999). He also performed the voice of the Psychologist in Antz
(1998).
Mazursky's debut as a film screenplay writer was the Peter Sellers
comedy I Love You, Alice B. Toklas
(1968). The following year he directed his first film Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice
(produced by Larry Tucker). His career behind the camera would continue for the next two decades as he would direct an impressive string of quirky, dramatic and critically popular films including Alex in Wonderland
(1970), Blume in Love
(1973), Harry and Tonto
(1974), the autobiographical Next Stop, Greenwich Village
(1976), An Unmarried Woman
(1978), Willie & Phil
(1980), Tempest
(1982), Moscow on the Hudson
(1984), Down and Out in Beverly Hills
(1986), Moon Over Parador
(1988), Enemies, a Love Story
(1989) and Scenes from a Mall
(1991).
Following his filmmaking satire The Pickle
(1993), Mazursky has worked only sporadically as a director on such films as Faithful
(1996), Winchell (1998), Coast to Coast
(2003) and most recently the documentary
Yippee (2006).
In his autobiography "Show Me the Magic" (1999), he recounts his experiences in filmmaking and with several well-known screen personalities including Peter Sellers
.
Mazursky has appeared as himself in a number of documentaries on film, including A Decade Under the Influence
, New York at the Movies and Screenwriters: Words Into Image
. In Moon Over Parador, with the Rio Opera House available for only three days of shooting, Mazursky cast himself as a dictator's mother when Judith Malina
was unavailable, playing the character in drag.
In recent years, Mazursky had a small part as "Sunshine" the poker dealer
in The Sopranos
. He also appeared in five episodes of season 4 of Curb Your Enthusiasm
as Mel Brooks
' associate Norm; he later reprised the role in a season 7 episode.
Mazursky has received five Academy Award nominations, four for his screenplay writing on Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice
(1969), Harry and Tonto
(1974), An Unmarried Woman
(1978) and Enemies, a Love Story
(1989), and once as producer of An Unmarried Woman (nominated for Best Picture
). In 2000, was the recipient of the Austin Film Festival
's Distinguished Screenwriter Award.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
.
Personal life
He was born Irwin Mazursky in BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, the son of Jean (née
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Gerson), a piano player for dance classes, and David Mazursky, a laborer. Mazursky was born to a Jewish family; his grandfather was an immigrant from Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. He graduated from Brooklyn College
Brooklyn College
Brooklyn College is a senior college of the City University of New York, located in Brooklyn, New York, United States.Established in 1930 by the New York City Board of Higher Education, the College had its beginnings as the Downtown Brooklyn branches of Hunter College and the City College of New...
in 1951. Mazursky is an atheist.
Career
Mazursky made his film debut as an actor in Stanley KubrickStanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick was an American film director, writer, producer, and photographer who lived in England during most of the last four decades of his career...
's first feature, Fear and Desire
Fear and Desire
Fear and Desire is a military action/adventure film by Stanley Kubrick. It is Kubrick’s first feature film and is also one of his least-seen productions...
, in which he changed his first name to Paul, and later appeared as a juvenile delinquent in the 1955 film The Blackboard Jungle. He soon became a writer and worked on The Danny Kaye Show
The Danny Kaye Show
The Danny Kaye Show is an American variety show hosted by Danny Kaye that aired on CBS from 1963 to 1967 on Wednesday nights. Directed by Robert Scheerer, the show premiered in black-and-white, but later switched to color broadcasts...
in 1963. In 1965, he collaborated with Larry Tucker in crafting the script of the original pilot of The Monkees
The Monkees
The Monkees are an American pop rock group. Assembled in Los Angeles in 1966 by Robert "Bob" Rafelson and Bert Schneider for the American television series The Monkees, which aired from 1966 to 1968, the musical acting quartet was composed of Americans Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork,...
television series, in which they both also appeared in cameos.
His acting career has continued for several decades, starting with television work in episodes of The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)
The Twilight Zone is an American anthology television series created by Rod Serling, which ran for five seasons on CBS from 1959 to 1964. The series consisted of unrelated episodes depicting paranormal, futuristic, dystopian, or simply disturbing events; each show typically featured a surprising...
and The Rifleman
The Rifleman
The Rifleman is an American Western television program that starred Chuck Connors as homesteader Lucas McCain and Johnny Crawford as his son, Mark McCain. It was set in the 1880s in the town of North Fork, New Mexico Territory. The show, filmed in black-and-white with a half hour running time, ran...
. He has played supporting roles in A Star Is Born
A Star Is Born (1976 film)
A Star Is Born is a 1976 American rock music musical film telling the story of a young woman, played by Barbra Streisand who enters show business, and meets and falls in love with an established male star, played by Kris Kristofferson, only to find her career ascending while his goes into decline...
(1976), History of the World Part I (1981), Into the Night (1985), Punchline
Punchline (film)
Punchline is a 1988 American film written and directed by David Seltzer and stars Tom Hanks as a very talented young comic who helps a housewife, played by Sally Field who wants to break into stand-up comedy.-Synopsis:...
(1988), Man Trouble
Man Trouble (film)
Man Trouble is a 1992 romantic comedy starring Jack Nicholson and Ellen Barkin. It was directed by Bob Rafelson, and written by Carole Eastman, who together had been responsible for 1970's Five Easy Pieces. This film is held in somewhat lower regard and was a high-profile flop upon release.This...
(1992), Carlito's Way
Carlito's Way
Carlito's Way is a 1993 crime film directed by Brian De Palma, based on the novels Carlito's Way and After Hours by Judge Edwin Torres. The film adaptation was scripted by David Koepp. It stars Al Pacino, Sean Penn, Penelope Ann Miller, Luis Guzman, John Leguizamo, Jorge Porcel, Joseph Siravo, and...
(1993), Love Affair (1994), 2 Days in the Valley
2 Days in the Valley
2 Days in the Valley is a 1996 film, directed by John Herzfeld. The film revolves around the events over 48 hours in the lives of a group of people who are drawn together by a murder. Several parallel storylines overlap one another in the film.-Plot:...
(1996), Miami Rhapsody
Miami Rhapsody
Miami Rhapsody is a 1995 American romantic comedy film starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Gil Bellows, Antonio Banderas, Mia Farrow, Paul Mazursky, Kevin Pollak, Barbara Garrick, and Carla Gugino. It was written, produced, and directed by David Frankel, with music composed by Mark Isham.-Plot:Gwyn...
(1995), and Crazy in Alabama
Crazy in Alabama
Crazy in Alabama is a 1999 comedy-drama film directed by Antonio Banderas, written by Mark Childress , and starring Melanie Griffith as an abused wife who heads to California to become a movie star while her nephew back in Alabama has to deal with a racially-motivated murder involving a corrupt...
(1999). He also performed the voice of the Psychologist in Antz
Antz
Antz is a 1998 American computer animated action adventure film produced by DreamWorks Animation. It features the voices of well-known actors such as Woody Allen, Sharon Stone, Jennifer Lopez, Sylvester Stallone, Dan Aykroyd, Anne Bancroft, Gene Hackman, Christopher Walken, and Danny Glover as...
(1998).
Mazursky's debut as a film screenplay writer was the Peter Sellers
Peter Sellers
Richard Henry Sellers, CBE , known as Peter Sellers, was a British comedian and actor. Perhaps best known as Chief Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther film series, he is also notable for playing three different characters in Dr...
comedy I Love You, Alice B. Toklas
I Love You, Alice B. Toklas
I Love You, Alice B. Toklas is a 1968 comedy film starring Peter Sellers, directed by Hy Averback and featuring music by Harpers Bizarre. The film is set in the counterculture of the 1960s. The addition cast includes David Arkin, Jo Van Fleet, Leigh Taylor-Young, in her film debut, and a cameo by...
(1968). The following year he directed his first film Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice
Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice
Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice is a 1969 comedy-drama film directed by Paul Mazursky. It stars Natalie Wood, Robert Culp, Elliott Gould and Dyan Cannon....
(produced by Larry Tucker). His career behind the camera would continue for the next two decades as he would direct an impressive string of quirky, dramatic and critically popular films including Alex in Wonderland
Alex in Wonderland
Alex in Wonderland is a 1970 feature-length film directed by Paul Mazursky, written with his partner Larry Tucker and starring Donald Sutherland and Ellen Burstyn. Sutherland plays Alex Morrison, a director who has made one feature and spends his time in Hollywood pondering what his next will be...
(1970), Blume in Love
Blume in Love
Blume in Love is a 1973 film written and directed by Paul Mazursky. It starred George Segal and Susan Anspach. Also in the cast were Kris Kristofferson, Marsha Mason and Shelley Winters.-Plot:...
(1973), Harry and Tonto
Harry and Tonto
Harry and Tonto is a 1974 road movie written by Paul Mazursky and Josh Greenfeld and directed by Mazursky, starring Art Carney.-Synopsis:...
(1974), the autobiographical Next Stop, Greenwich Village
Next Stop, Greenwich Village
Next Stop, Greenwich Village is a 1976 romantic comedy drama film, set in the early 1950s, written and directed by Paul Mazursky, featuring, amongst others, Lenny Baker, Shelley Winters, Ellen Greene, Lois Smith, and Christopher Walken. The film was generally well received by critics...
(1976), An Unmarried Woman
An Unmarried Woman
An Unmarried Woman is a 1978 American comedy-drama film that tells the story of the wealthy New York wife Erica Benton whose “perfect” life is shattered when her stockbroker husband Martin leaves her for a younger woman. The film documents Erica's attempts at being single again, where she suffers...
(1978), Willie & Phil
Willie & Phil
Willie & Phil is a 1980 film directed by Paul Mazursky and starring Margot Kidder and Michael Ontkean.-Plot:The film is set in the 1970s and amidst the counterculture chic of the '70s...
(1980), Tempest
Tempest (1982 film)
Tempest is an American comedy-drama film directed by Paul Mazursky. It is a very loose adaptation of the William Shakespeare play, The Tempest....
(1982), Moscow on the Hudson
Moscow on the Hudson
Moscow on the Hudson is a 1984 comedy-drama film starring Robin Williams, and directed by Paul Mazursky. Williams plays a Soviet circus musician who defects from the Soviet Union while on a visit to the United States...
(1984), Down and Out in Beverly Hills
Down and Out in Beverly Hills
Down and Out in Beverly Hills is a 1986 American comedy film based on the French play Boudu sauvé des eaux, which had previously been adapted on film in 1932 by Jean Renoir. Down and Out in Beverly Hills was directed by Paul Mazursky, and starred Nick Nolte, Bette Midler and Richard Dreyfuss...
(1986), Moon Over Parador
Moon Over Parador
Moon over Parador is a 1988 romantic comedy film, starring Richard Dreyfuss, Raúl Juliá and Sonia Braga. It is a remake of the 1939 film The Magnificent Fraud, based on the unpublished short story entitled Caviar for His Excellency by Charles G...
(1988), Enemies, a Love Story
Enemies, a Love Story (film)
Enemies, a Love Story is a 1989 film directed by Paul Mazursky, based on the novel Enemies, a Love Story by Isaac Bashevis Singer.-Plot:...
(1989) and Scenes from a Mall
Scenes from a Mall
Scenes from a Mall is a 1991 satirical film directed by Paul Mazursky with a screenplay by Roger L. Simon and Mazursky, starring Bette Midler and Woody Allen. Woody Allen's character, Nick, is married to author Deborah, played by Midler. After years of a happy marriage, Nick reveals to her he's had...
(1991).
Following his filmmaking satire The Pickle
The Pickle
The Pickle is a 1993 film produced, written, and directed by Paul Mazursky, telling the story of a formerly powerful film director whose recent string of flops has forced him to make a commercial piece that is artistically uninspired...
(1993), Mazursky has worked only sporadically as a director on such films as Faithful
Faithful (film)
Faithful is a comedy film released in 1996 about a wife, her husband and a hit man. It was directed by Paul Mazursky and produced by Robert De Niro and written by Chazz Palminteri....
(1996), Winchell (1998), Coast to Coast
Coast to Coast (TV film)
Coast to Coast is 2003 television movie starring Richard Dreyfuss, Judy Davis, and Selma Blair, and directed by Paul Mazursky. It is based on the novel by Frederic Raphael, who also wrote film's screenplay...
(2003) and most recently the documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
Yippee (2006).
In his autobiography "Show Me the Magic" (1999), he recounts his experiences in filmmaking and with several well-known screen personalities including Peter Sellers
Peter Sellers
Richard Henry Sellers, CBE , known as Peter Sellers, was a British comedian and actor. Perhaps best known as Chief Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther film series, he is also notable for playing three different characters in Dr...
.
Mazursky has appeared as himself in a number of documentaries on film, including A Decade Under the Influence
A Decade Under the Influence
"A Decade Under the Influence" is a maxi single released by American rock band Taking Back Sunday. First single to be released from Where You Want to Be with former members Fred Mascherino and Matthew Rubano . Tracks 2 and 3 of the single were produced by Long Island producer and friend Mike...
, New York at the Movies and Screenwriters: Words Into Image
Screenwriters: Words Into Image
Screenwriters: Words Into Image is a documentary series featuring six 30-minute episodes, each focusing on the work of a single significant screenwriter. The series was directed by Terry Sanders and Freida Lee Mock, and individual episodes featured Carl Foreman, William Goldman, Paul Mazursky,...
. In Moon Over Parador, with the Rio Opera House available for only three days of shooting, Mazursky cast himself as a dictator's mother when Judith Malina
Judith Malina
Judith Malina is an American theater and film actress, writer, and director, who was one of the founders of The Living Theatre.-Early life:...
was unavailable, playing the character in drag.
In recent years, Mazursky had a small part as "Sunshine" the poker dealer
Poker dealer
A poker dealer distributes cards to players and manages the action at a poker table.-Professional dealers:Any casino with a poker room must hire a staff of dealers. Casinos generally pay dealers minimum wage. However, a dealer's primary source of income is not salary, but tips from players*...
in The Sopranos
The Sopranos
The Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...
. He also appeared in five episodes of season 4 of Curb Your Enthusiasm
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Curb Your Enthusiasm is an American comedy television series produced and broadcast by HBO, which premiered on October 15, 2000. As of 2011, it has completed 80 episodes over eight seasons. The series was created by Seinfeld co-creator Larry David, who stars as a fictionalized version of himself...
as Mel Brooks
Mel Brooks
Mel Brooks is an American film director, screenwriter, composer, lyricist, comedian, actor and producer. He is best known as a creator of broad film farces and comic parodies. He began his career as a stand-up comic and as a writer for the early TV variety show Your Show of Shows...
' associate Norm; he later reprised the role in a season 7 episode.
Mazursky has received five Academy Award nominations, four for his screenplay writing on Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice
Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice
Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice is a 1969 comedy-drama film directed by Paul Mazursky. It stars Natalie Wood, Robert Culp, Elliott Gould and Dyan Cannon....
(1969), Harry and Tonto
Harry and Tonto
Harry and Tonto is a 1974 road movie written by Paul Mazursky and Josh Greenfeld and directed by Mazursky, starring Art Carney.-Synopsis:...
(1974), An Unmarried Woman
An Unmarried Woman
An Unmarried Woman is a 1978 American comedy-drama film that tells the story of the wealthy New York wife Erica Benton whose “perfect” life is shattered when her stockbroker husband Martin leaves her for a younger woman. The film documents Erica's attempts at being single again, where she suffers...
(1978) and Enemies, a Love Story
Enemies, a Love Story (film)
Enemies, a Love Story is a 1989 film directed by Paul Mazursky, based on the novel Enemies, a Love Story by Isaac Bashevis Singer.-Plot:...
(1989), and once as producer of An Unmarried Woman (nominated for Best Picture
Academy Award for Best Picture
The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to artists working in the motion picture industry. The Best Picture category is the only category in which every member of the Academy is eligible not only...
). In 2000, was the recipient of the Austin Film Festival
Austin Film Festival
The Austin Film Festival was started in 1994 in Austin, Texas and is claimed to be "the first organization of its kind to focus on the writer’s unique creative contribution to the film and television industries"...
's Distinguished Screenwriter Award.