Toback, James 1944–

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Toback, James 1944–

PERSONAL

Born November 23, 1944, in New York, NY; son of Irwin Lionel (a garment manufacturer or stockbroker, depending on the source) and Selma (maiden name, Levy) Toback; married Consuelo Sarah Churchill Vanderbilt Rusell, April 26, 1968 (divorced). Education: Harvard University, A.B., 1966; Columbia University, M.A., 1967.

Addresses: Agent—Jeff Berg, International Creative Management, 8942 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90211-1934.

Career: Writer, director, producer, and actor. City University of New York, worked as instructor in English.

Member: Harvard Club.

Awards, Honors: Critics Award nomination, Deauville Film Festival, 1990, for The Big Bang; Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award, best screenplay, 1991, Writers Guild of America Screen Award nomination, best screenplay written directly for the screen, Golden Globe nomination, best screenplay for a motion picture, and Academy Award nomination, best writing for screenplay written directly for the screen, 1992, all for Bugsy.

CREDITS

Film Director:

Fingers, Brut Productions, 1978.

(And producer) Love and Money, Paramount, 1982.

(And producer) Exposed, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists, 1983.

The Pick-up Artist, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1987.

The Big Bang, Triton Pictures, 1989.

Two Girls and a Guy, Fox Searchlight, 1997.

Black and White, Screen Gems, 1999.

Harvard Man, Lions Gate Films, 2001.

When Will I Be Loved, IFC Films, 2004.

Film Appearances:

Leo Boscovitch, Exposed, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists, 1983.

Interviewer/narrator, The Big Bang, Triton Pictures, 1989.

Professor, Alice, Paramount, 1990.

Gus Greenbaum, Bugsy, TriStar, 1991.

Arnie Tishman, Black and White, Screen Gems, 1999.

Dr. Hubbins, Giving It Up (also known as Casanova Falling), 1999.

Lyor Cohen, Death of a Dynasty, TLA Releasing, 2003.

Professor Hassan Al-Ibrahim Ben Rabinowitz, When Will I Be Loved, IFC Films, 2004.

Himself, The Outsider (documentary), Green Room Films/International Creative Management, 2005.

Television Appearances; Specials:

Host, Bugsy: The Dark Passion of an American Dreamer, 1991.

Robert Downey, Jr.: The E! True Hollywood Story, E! Entertainment Television, 1998.

The Inside Reel: Digital Filmmaking, PBS, 2001.

Jim Brown: All American, HBO, 2002.

Television Director; Specials:

Bugsy: The Dark Passion of an American Dreamer, 1991.

Jim Brown: All American, HBO, 2002.

RECORDINGS

Videos:

Keeping It Real: James Toback in Black and White, 2000.

WRITINGS

Screenplays:

The Gambler, Paramount, 1974.

Fingers, Brut Productions, 1978.

Love and Money, Paramount, 1982.

Exposed, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists, 1983.

The Pick-up Artist, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1987.

The Big Bang, Triton Pictures, 1989.

Bugsy, TriStar, 1991.

Two Girls and a Guy, Fox Searchlight, 1997.

Black and White, Screen Gems, 1999.

Harvard Man, Lions Gate Films, 2001.

When Will I Be Loved, IFC Films, 2004.

Other:

Jim: The Author's Self-Centered Memoir on the Great Jim Brown (biography), Doubleday, 1971.

Sports columnist, Lifestyle; film critic, Dissent. Contributor to periodicals, including Commentary, Esquire, Harper's, and Village Voice. Contributing editor, Sport.

ADAPTATIONS

The film De battre mon coeur s'est arrete (also known as The Beat that My Heart Skipped) released in a subtitled version by Wellspring Media in 2005, was based on Toback's screenplay Fingers.