| Josef Eszterhas | |
|---|---|
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| Born | November 23, 1944 Csákánydoroszló, Hungary |
| Occupation | Screenwriter, author |
| Nationality | American |
| Writing period | 1974-present |
Josef Eszterhas (born November 23, 1944) is a Hungarian-American writer, known for his screenplays for the films Basic Instinct and Showgirls. Events 800 - Charlemagne arrives at Rome to investigate the alleged crimes of Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Hungary (Magyarország 'mɔɟɔrorsaːg) officially in English the Republic of Hungary ( Magyar Köztársaság, literally Magyar (Hungarian Republic Employment is a Contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. Nationality is a relationship between a Person and their State of Origin, Culture, association Affiliation and/or Loyalty Events 800 - Charlemagne arrives at Rome to investigate the alleged crimes of Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Hungary (Magyarország 'mɔɟɔrorsaːg) officially in English the Republic of Hungary ( Magyar Köztársaság, literally Magyar (Hungarian Republic The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A writer is anyone who creates a written work although the word usually designates those who write creatively or professionally as well as those who have written in many different forms Basic Instinct is an American thriller / Neo-noir film directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Joe Eszterhas Showgirls is a 1995 film directed by Paul Verhoeven, starring former teen actress Elizabeth Berkley as a drifter who He has also written an autobiography called Hollywood Animal.
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Life
Eszterhas was born in Csákánydoroszló, Hungary, and raised as a young child in a refugee camp in Austria. Csákánydoroszló is a village in Vas county Hungary. Hungary (Magyarország 'mɔɟɔrorsaːg) officially in English the Republic of Hungary ( Magyar Köztársaság, literally Magyar (Hungarian Republic Eventually his parents moved to New York City, and then to poor immigrant neighborhoods in Cleveland, where he spent most of his childhood. The City of New York Cleveland is a City in the US state of Ohio and the County seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state
His mother had a mental illness which estranged her from the family while he was entering adolescence. His father, Istvan Eszterhas, was a Roman Catholic newspaper editor and author, and was later revealed to have worked for the pro-Nazi Hungarian government by writing anti-Semitic literature. He did not face deportation, however.
Eszterhas attended Ohio University, but did not graduate. Ohio University is a public university located in Athens Ohio that is situated on a 1800 acre (7 He became a National Book Award nominee for his nonfiction work Charlie Simpson's Apocalypse in 1974.
In the late 1990s, Eszterhas gave up the Hollywood lifestyle, and moved back to Bainbridge (small suburb of Cleveland) with his wife and four children (two other children with a previous wife were grown).
He is currently recovering from throat cancer after having been a heavy smoker. Esophageal cancer is malignancy of the Esophagus. There are various subtypes Four-fifths of his esophagus was removed, and he has trouble talking and swallowing. The esophagus or oesophagus (see American and British English spelling differences) sometimes known as the gullet, is an organ in He has since become an outspoken campaigner against smoking in films. The New Jersey anti-tobacco youth group REBEL awarded him the Fight the Good Fight award in 2004.
He is an avid Cleveland Indians fan. The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio, United States.
Early forays into journalism
Prior to his involvement with screenwriting, he was a reporter with the Cleveland Plain Dealer and, later, a writer for Rolling Stone. The Plain Dealer is the major daily Newspaper of Cleveland Ohio. Rolling Stone is a United States -based Magazine devoted to Music, Politics, and Popular culture that is published
During his stay at the Plain Dealer, he gained his first touch of notoriety due to his handling of color photos of Vietnam's My Lai Massacre, which depicted American soldiers murdering Vietnamese civilians. Vietnam (ˌviːɛtˈnɑːm Việt Nam) officially The My Lai Massacre ( approximately) (thảm sát Mỹ Lai was the Mass murder of 347 to 504 unarmed citizens of the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam almost Although he was annoyed at his newspaper’s apparent lack of belief in the authenticity of the photos, the paper permitted Eszterhas to try and sell them for $125,000. Some media outlets, however, used the photos without permission, causing the photos to decline in value. He ended up receiving only $20,000 from Life magazine.
Another touch of notoriety concerned a "Cleveland Plain Dealer" editor who singlehandedly sailed a small sail boat from the United States to England. The "Plain Dealer" would not sponsor the editor's trip. However, as the gentleman neared the culmination of his trip, the "Plain Dealer" chartered an airplane fly low and drop "Cleveland Plain Dealer" sweat shirts to the editor. According to the account Eszterhas wrote, the editor retrieved the sweat shirts and when he saw what they were, tossed them overboard. Eszterhas was subsequently relieved of his duties at the newspaper
He became a screenwriter when Rolling Stone moved its offices from San Francisco to New York City, because he did not want to leave California. The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean.
Screenwriting and fame
His first screenplay to be produced was F.I.S.T., directed by Norman Jewison, and although it was stated by star Sylvester Stallone that he himself rewrote the majority of the film, Eszterhas denies this assertion, and Stallone's lack of screenwriting credits suggests he may have been exaggerating. See also Pre-production Screenwriting A screenplay or script is a written plan authored by a Screenwriter, for a Film or Television FIST is a 1978 movie directed by Norman Jewison and starring Sylvester Stallone. Norman Frederick Jewison CC, BA, LLD (born July 21, 1926) is an Academy Award -winning Canadian Film Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone (born July 6 1946 is an American Actor, director, producer and Screenwriter. He then contributed to the script of 1983's highly successful Flashdance. Flashdance is a musical / Romance film released in April 1983 and was one of the most successful films of the early 1980s Other films he wrote include Jagged Edge, Jade, Betrayed, and Sliver. Jagged Edge is a 1985 film starring Glenn Close, Jeff Bridges, and Peter Coyote. Jade is an erotic Crime film / Thriller film released in 1995. Betrayed is a 1988 Motion picture Drama directed by Costa Gavras, written by Joe Eszterhas and starring Tom Berenger Sliver is a 1993 film based on the Ira Levin novel Sliver about the mysterious occurrences in a privately owned New York
Eszterhas re-entered the limelight in 1992, writing the screenplay for the major hit Basic Instinct. Basic Instinct is an American thriller / Neo-noir film directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Joe Eszterhas The screenplay resulted in his being accused of homophobia and misogyny, although he supported changes made to the film's dialogue requested by gay rights groups. BenPhelpsJPG|thumb|right|Westboro Baptist Church picket signs with Ben Phelps grandson of Fred Phelps Misogyny (mɪˈsɒdʒɪni is hatred (or contemptof women Misogyny is parallel to Misandry — the hatred of men He was paid three million dollars for the screenplay (the highest amount of money paid for a screenplay at the time). In 1995, he wrote Showgirls. Showgirls is a 1995 film directed by Paul Verhoeven, starring former teen actress Elizabeth Berkley as a drifter who His screenplay won that year's Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Screenplay. Eszterhas' own explanation of the failure of that film, according to his recent book[1] was that it was ruined by the sexual affair between its director and its female star.
He turned his eye to producing following Basic Instinct, making two films in 1997, both of which he wrote. The first one, Telling Lies in America, was generally well-regarded by critics and audiences, but was not a great box office success. A box office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for Admission to a venue The second was the flop An Alan Smithee Film Burn Hollywood Burn, which won several Golden Raspberry awards, of which Eszterhas won two: another Worst Screenplay and one for Worst Supporting Actor (a cameo in which a caption described him as a "penile implant"). An Alan Smithee Film Burn Hollywood Burn (the onscreen title is simply Burn Hollywood Burn) was made in 1997 and released in 1998 Afterwards, the Worst Screenplay award was renamed "The Joe Eszterhas Dis-Honorarial Award".
None of Eszterhas's screenplays were produced from 1997 to 2006; his latest project, Children of Glory, was released in 2006 (it was also entered by invitation in the official section of 2007 Berlin Film Festival). Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The Berlin International Film Festival, also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading Film festivals and most reputable media events held in Berlin He currently has an estimated twenty-five unproduced screenplays (that he sold to studios or production companies but were never made into films), which have so far earned him a combined total of over thirty million dollars. He has also written several best-selling books, including American Rhapsody about politics in Hollywood and an autobiography[2] which superimposes his life as a young World War II refugee in America on his life as a powerful Hollywood player. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including A third book, The Devil's Guide to Hollywood, was published in September 2006. [3]
Footnotes
- ^ The Devil's Guide to Hollywood: The Screenwriter as God! St Martin's Press, 2006. ISBN 978-0-312-35987-4. p. 242
- ^ Hollywood Animal; Alfred A. Knopf, 2004. ISBN 0-375-41355-3
- ^ The Devil's Guide to Hollywood: The Screenwriter as God! (U. K. edition) Gerald Duckworth and Company Ltd, 2006. ISBN 978-0715636701.