MAZURSKY, Paul 1930–
(Carlotta Gerson)

PERSONAL

Original name, Irwin Mazursky; born April 25, 1930, in Brooklyn, NY; son of David (a laborer) and Jean (a piano player for dance classes; maiden name, Gerson) Mazursky; married Betsy Purdy (an actress), March 12, 1953; children: Meg, Jill (a screenwriter). Education: Brooklyn College, B.A., 1951; studied acting with Paul Mann, Curt Conway, and Lee Strasberg.

Addresses: Agent— International Creative Management, 8942 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90211. Manager— Nine Yards Entertainment, 8530 Wilshire Blvd., 6th Floor, Beverly Hills, CA 90211.

Career: Actor, director, producer, and writer. Comedian in cabarets and nightclubs, U.S. cities, 1954–60; performer with Herb Hartig in the comedic duo Igor and H; performer with Second City Improvisational Theatres, Chicago, IL, and Los Angeles, CA; Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences, member of board of governors.

Member: Writers Guild of America, Screen Actors Guild, Directors Guild of America.

Awards, Honors: Emmy Award nomination, outstanding writing for a comedy or variety program (with Larry Tucker), 1965, for The Danny Kaye Show; Writers Guild of America Award Screen Award nominations, best written American comedy and best written American original screenplay (with Tucker), 1969, both for I Love You, Alice B. Toklas; National Society of Film Critics Award, best screenplay, Writers Guild of America Screen Award, best comedy written directly for the screen, Academy Award nomination, best screenplay, 1970, and British Academy of Film and Television Arts Film Award nomination, best screenplay, 1971, all for Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (all with Tucker); Writers Guild of America Screen Award nomination, best comedy written directly for the screen, 1974, for Blume in Love; Academy Award nominations, best original screenplay (with Josh Greenfeld) and best picture, and Writers Guild of America Screen Award nomination, best drama written directly for the screen (with Greenfeld), 1975, all for Harry and Tonto; Golden Palm Award nomination, Cannes Film Festival, 1976, and Writers Guild of America Screen Award nomination, best comedy written directly for the screen, 1977, both for Next Stop, Greenwich Village; Golden Palm Award nomination, Cannes Film Festival, National Society of Film Critics Award, Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award, and New York Film Critics Award, all best screenplay, 1978, Directors Guild of America Award nomination, outstanding directorial achievement in motion pictures, Bodil Film Festival Award, best American film, Academy Award nominations, best picture (with Anthony Ray), best screenplay written directly for the screen, and best director, Golden Globe Award nominations, best director—motion picture and best screenplay—motion picture, and Writers Guild of America Screen Award nomination, best drama written directly for the screen, 1979, all for An Unmarried Woman; People's Choice Award, Toronto International Film Festival, 1982, for Tempest; Writers Guild of America Screen Award nomination, best screenplay based on material from another medium (with Leon Capetanos), 1987, for Down and Out in Beverly Hills; New York Film Critics Award, best director, 1989, and Academy Award nomination, best screenplay based on material from another medium (with Roger L. Simon), 1990, both for Enemies: A Love Story; Golden Berlin Bear Award nomination, Berlin International Film Festival, 1996, for Faithful; Certificate of Merit, San Francisco International Film Festival, best television drama feature, 1999, for Winchell; Distinguished Director Award, Costume Design Guild, 1999; President Award, director of distinction, Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival, 2001.

CREDITS

Film Work:

Director, Last Year at Malibu, 1962.

Executive producer (with Larry Tucker), I Love You, Alice B. Toklas (also known as I Love My Butterfly ), Warner Bros., 1968.

Director, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, Columbia, 1969.

Director, Alex in Wonderland, Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer, 1970.

Director and producer, Blume in Love, Warner Bros., 1973.

Director and producer, Harry and Tonto, Warner Bros., 1974.

Director and producer, Next Stop, Greenwich Village, Twentieth Century–Fox, 1976.

Producer (with Anthony Ray) and director, An Unmarried Woman, Twentieth Century–Fox, 1978.

Director and producer, Willie and Phil, Twentieth Century–Fox, 1980.

Director and producer, Tempest, Columbia, 1982.

Director and producer, Moscow on the Hudson, Columbia, 1984.

Director and producer, Down and Out in Beverly Hills, Buena Vista, 1985.

Producer (with Pato Guzman and Geoffrey Taylor) and director, Moon over Parador, Universal, 1988.

Producer (with Guzman and Irby Smith) and director, Enemies: A Love Story, Twentieth Century–Fox, 1989.

Executive producer, Taking Care of Business (also known as Filofax ), Buena Vista, 1990.

Producer (with Guzman and Patrick McCormick) and director, Scenes from a Mall, Buena Vista, 1991.

Director and producer, The Pickle, Columbia, 1993.

Director, Faithful, New Line Cinema, 1996.

Film Appearances:

Sidney, Fear and Desire (also known as The Trap ), Joseph Burstyn Productions, 1953.

Emmanuel Stoker, The Blackboard Jungle (also known as Blackboard Jungle ), Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer, 1955.

Maurice, Deathwatch, Beverly, 1966.

Hal Stern, Alex in Wonderland, Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer, 1970.

The Other Side of the Wind, 1972.

Hellman (Blume's partner), Blume in Love, Warner Bros., 1973.

(Uncredited) Gay man, Harry and Tonto, Warner Bros., 1974.

Brian, A Star Is Born, Warner Bros., 1976.

Hal, An Unmarried Woman, Twentieth Century–Fox, 1978.

Norman Barrie, A Man, a Woman and a Bank (also known as A Very Big Withdrawal ), Avco–Embassy, 1979.

An Almost Perfect Affair, Paramount, 1979.

Narrator, Willie and Phil, Twentieth Century–Fox, 1980.

Roman officer, History of the World, Part I (also known as Mel Brooks' History of the World: Part 1 ), Twentieth Century–Fox, 1981.

Terry Bloomfield, Tempest, Columbia, 1982.

Dave, Moscow on the Hudson, Columbia, 1984.

Bud Herman, Into the Night, Universal, 1985.

Sidney Waxman, Down and Out in Beverly Hills, Buena Vista, 1985.

Arnold, Punchline, Columbia, 1988.

(As Carlotta Gerson) Momma, Moon over Parador, Universal, 1988.

Sidney Lipkin, Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills, Cinecom International, 1989.

Leon Tortshiner, Enemies: A Love Story, Twentieth Century–Fox, 1989.

Dr. Hans Clava, Scenes from a Mall, Buena Vista, 1991.

Lee MacGreevy, Man Trouble, Twentieth Century–Fox, 1992.

Butch Levine, The Pickle, Columbia, 1993.

Judge Feinstein, Carlito's Way, Universal, 1993.

Herb Stillman, Love Affair, Warner Bros., 1994.

Vic Marcus, Miami Rhapsody, Buena Vista, 1995.

Dr. Susskind, Faithful, New Line Cinema, 1996.

Teddy Peppers, 2 Days in the Valley (also known as Two Days in the Valley ), Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer, 1996.

Artie, Touch, Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer, 1997.

Morris Levy, Why Do Fools Fall in Love?, Warner Bros., 1998.

(Uncredited) Himself, Bulworth, Twentieth Century–Fox, 1998.

Voice of psychologist, Antz (animated), DreamWorks, 1998.

Walter Schwegmann, Crazy in Alabama, Sony Pictures Entertainment, 1999.

Himself, Fellini, 2001.

Voice of studio executive, The Majestic, Warner Bros., 2001.

Studio boss, Da wan (also known as Big Shot's Funeral, The Funeral of the Famous Star, and Happy Funeral ), Sony Pictures Entertainment, 2001.

Himself, Stanley Kurbick: A Life in Pictures (documentary), Warner Bros., 2001.

Famous movie director, Do It for Uncle Manny, 2002.

Himself, A Decade under the Influence (documentary), IFC Films, 2003.

Television Work; Series:

Story editor (with Larry Tucker), The Monkees, NBC, 1966–1968.

Television Work; Movies:

Director, Winchell, HBO, 1998.

Director, Coast to Coast, Showtime, 2003.

Television Work; Specials:

Supervisor of English version, Intervista (also known as Frederico Fellini's Intervista ), RAI TV, 1987.

Television Appearances; Series:

Phil Brooks, Once and Again, ABC, 1999–2001.

Television Appearances; Movies:

Dr. Jonathan Cummings, Weapons of Mass Destruction, HBO, 1997.

John Brandt, A Slight Case of Murder (also known as A Travesty ), TNT, 1998.

Stanley Tarto, Coast to Coast, Showtime, 2003.

Television Appearances; Specials:

Himself, Oltre New York, 1986.

Street Scenes: New York on Film, AMC, 1992.

Homeward Bound, AMC, 1994.

Himself, Intimate Portrait: Marsha Mason, Lifetime, 1998.

(Uncredited) Himself, Hidden Values: The Movies of the Fifties, TCM, 2001.

Stanley Kurbick: A Life in Pictures, Cinemax, 2001.

Hidden Values: The Movies of the Fifties, TCM, 2001.

Himself, New York at the Movies, Arts and Entertainment, 2002.

(Uncredited) Himself, Reel Radicals: The Sixties Revolution in Film, AMC, 2002.

Television Appearances; Pilots:

TV interviewer, The Monkees, 1966.

Television Appearances; Episodic:

"Boy in a Cage," Kraft Television Theatre, 1956.

"The Murder of a Sand Flea," Kraft Television Theatre, 1956.

Orderly, "The Purple Testament," The Twilight Zone, CBS, 1960.

(Uncredited) Shorty, "Shotgun Man," The Rifleman, 1960.

Danny, "Dead Man's Walk," The Chevy Mystery Show, 1960.

Reporter, "I Know What I'd Have Done," The Chevy Mystery Show, 1960.

Olin, "The Trouble with Ernie," Michael Shayne, 1961.

Alvin, "Somebody's Waiting," The Dick Powell Show, 1961.

Joseph Kane, "Call to Danger," General Electric Theater (also known as GE Theater ), CBS, 1961.

Officer, "The Gift," The Twilight Zone, CBS, 1962.

Buddy, "The Jagged Edge," The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor, 1962.

Lou Pugliese, "The World's Greatest Robbery: Part 1," The DuPont Show of the Week, 1962.

Lou Pugliese, "America's Fads and Foibles," The DuPont Show of the Week, 1962.

Frank, "He's Alive," The Twilight Zone, CBS, 1963.

Himself, "George Gobel Presents," Alcoa Premiere, 1963.

Sylvester Bulgutch, "Hostages to Fortune," The Rifelman, 1963.

"The Fifty Dollar Misunderstanding," Love on a Rooftop, 1966.

Firstworks, The Movie Channel, 1988.

Himself, "Naked Hollywood," A&E Premieres, Arts and Entertainment, 1991.

Alan King: Inside the Comedy Mind, Comedy Central, 1991.

Voice of Vinnie, "The Last Time I Saw Maris," Frasier, NBC, 1995.

Max, "Mike & Kelly & Max & Kate," Ink, CBS, 1996.

Sunshine, "The Happy Wanderer," The Sopranos, HBO, 2000.

Sunshine, "Amour Fou," The Sopranos, HBO, 2001.

Phil Brooks, "Losing You," Once and Again, ABC, 2002.

Also appeared as Frank, Firstworks; himself, Naked Hollywood; Norm, Curb You Enthusiasm, HBO; and in Alan King: Inside the Comedy Mind.

Stage Work:

Director, Kaleidoscope (revue), Provincetown Playhouse, New York City, 1957.

Also worked as producer and director of He Who Gets Slapped, New York City.

Stage Appearances:

He Who Gets Slapped, New York City, 1950.

Appeared in the off–Broadway productions Death of a Salesman, Hello Out There, Major Barbara, and The Sea Gull.

WRITINGS

Screenplays:

(With Larry Tucker) I Love You, Alice B. Toklas (also known as I Love My Butterfly ), Warner Bros., 1968.

(With Tucker) Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, Columbia, 1969.

(With Tucker) Alex in Wonderland, Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer, 1970.

Blume in Love, Warner Bros., 1973.

(With Josh Greenfeld) Harry and Tonto, Warner Bros., 1974, published by Dutton (New York City), 1974.

Next Stop, Greenwich Village, Twentieth Century–Fox, 1976.

An Unmarried Woman, Twentieth Century–Fox, 1978.

Willie and Phil, Twentieth Century–Fox, 1980.

(With Leon Capetanos) Tempest, Columbia, 1982.

(With Capetanos) Moscow on the Hudson, Columbia, 1984.

Down and Out in Beverly Hills, Buena Vista, 1985.

(With Capetanos) Moon over Parador (based on a story by Charles G. Booth), Universal, 1988.

(With Roger L. Simon) Enemies: A Love Story (based on the novel by Isaac Bashevis Singer), Twentieth Century–Fox, 1989.

(With Simon) Scenes from a Mall, Buena Vista, 1991.

The Pickle, Columbia, 1993.

Television Episodes:

(With Larry Tucker) The Danny Kaye Show, CBS, 1963–1967.

(With others) The Monkees, NBC, 1966–1968.

Also wrote episodes of The Rifleman.

Memoirs:

Show Me the Magic, Simon & Schuster, 1999.

OTHER SOURCES

Books:

Dictionary of Literary Biography, Volume 44: American Screenwriters, Gale, 1986.

International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers, Volume 2: Directors, St. James Press, 1996.

Periodicals:

Library Journal, June 1, 1999, p. 116.

Publishers Weekly, May 31, 1999, p. 76.