DEATH KINELL - DEATH KNELL: Paul Mazursky, was an American film director, screenwriter, and actor. Acclaimed for his dramatic comedies, he was nominated for five Academy Awards: three times for Best Original Screenplay, once for Best Adapted Screenplay, and once for Best Picture for An Unmarried Woman (1978). Other notable films written and directed by Mazursky include Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969), Harry and Tonto (1974), Moscow on the Hudson (1984), and Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986). Mazursky was born Irwin Mazursky in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Jean (née Gerson), a piano player for dance classes, and David Mazursky, a laborer.[3] Mazursky was born to a Jewish family; his grandfather was an immigrant from Ukraine. He graduated from Brooklyn College in 1951. Mazursky was an atheist. Mazursky was married to Betsy (Purdy) Mazursky. Mazursky made his film debut as an actor in Stanley Kubricks 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. His acting career continued for several decades, starting with television work in episodes of The Twilight Zone and The Rifleman. In addition to appearing in most of his own films, he 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), Carlitos 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). 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, a role that he later reprised in a season 7 episode. Soon after starting his acting career, Mazursky 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. Mazurskys 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 and written by Mazursky and Larry Tucker), which proved to be a major critical and commercial success. The film was the fifth highest grossing of the year and earned Mazursky his first Oscar nomination. His career behind the camera continued for the next two decades as he wrote and directed a prolific string of quirky, dramatic and critically popular films. His most successful films were contemporary dramatic comedies and include the Academy Award-winning Harry and Tonto (1974), the Best Picture-nominated An Unmarried Woman (1978), and the popular Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986). In light of his comedies that tackled a number of modern social subjects, the Hollywood Reporter has stated that from the late 60s through the 80s, [he] seemed to channel the zeitgeist... and Variety has stated that his oeuvre smacks of cultural significance. Other films made by Mazursky during this time include Alex in Wonderland (1970), Blume in Love (1973), the autobiographical Next Stop, Greenwich Village (1976), Willie & Phil (1980), Tempest (1982), Moscow on the Hudson (1984), Moon Over Parador (1988), Enemies, a Love Story (1989) and Scenes from a Mall (1991). Legendary film critic Roger Ebert was a particular fan of Mazurskys giving six of his films the optimal four stars in his reviews.[9] In 1986, Ebert stated that Mazursky has a way of making comedies that are more intelligent and relevant than most of the serious films around. Following his filmmaking satire The Pickle (1993), which is his last writing credit to date, 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), Mazursky recounts his experiences in filmmaking and with several well-known screen personalities including Peter Sellers. Mazursky had 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 dictators mother when Judith Malina was unavailable, playing the character in drag. Since 2011, Mazursky had served as a film critic for Vanity Fair. Mazursky had 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, he was the recipient of the Austin Film Festivals Distinguished Screenwriter Award. On December 13, 2013, Mazursky was awarded with the 2,515th star of the Hollywood Walk of Fame, in front of Musso & Frank Grill. On February 1, 2014, at the WGA Awards, Mazursky received the Screen Laurel Award, which is the lifetime achievement award of the Writers Guild of America. Comedian, filmmaker and close friend Mel Brooks presented the award. Mazursky was 84 years of age.
Posted on: Tue, 01 Jul 2014 19:02:44 +0000
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