Alan Jay Pakula (April 7, 1928 – November 19, 1998) was an
AmericaThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
n film director, writer and producer noted for his contributions to the conspiracy thriller genre.
Pakula started his Hollywood career as an assistant in the
cartoonThe word cartoon has various meanings, based on several very different forms of visual art and illustration. The term has evolved over time....
department at Warner Brothers. In 1957, he undertook his first production role for
Paramount PicturesParamount Pictures Corporation is a Worldwide American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood, California. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is the world's oldest existing American film studio; it is also the last...
. In 1962, he produced
To Kill a MockingbirdTo Kill a Mockingbird is a 1962 American drama film based on the novel of the same name by Harper Lee. It was directed by Robert Mulligan and stars Mary Badham in the role of Scout and Gregory Peck in the role of Atticus Finch....
, for which he was nominated for a Best Picture Academy Award.
Alan Jay Pakula (April 7, 1928 – November 19, 1998) was an
AmericaThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
n film director, writer and producer noted for his contributions to the conspiracy thriller genre.
Career
Pakula started his Hollywood career as an assistant in the
cartoonThe word cartoon has various meanings, based on several very different forms of visual art and illustration. The term has evolved over time....
department at Warner Brothers. In 1957, he undertook his first production role for
Paramount PicturesParamount Pictures Corporation is a Worldwide American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood, California. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is the world's oldest existing American film studio; it is also the last...
. In 1962, he produced
To Kill a MockingbirdTo Kill a Mockingbird is a 1962 American drama film based on the novel of the same name by Harper Lee. It was directed by Robert Mulligan and stars Mary Badham in the role of Scout and Gregory Peck in the role of Atticus Finch....
, for which he was nominated for a Best Picture Academy Award. In 1969, he directed his first feature,
The Sterile CuckooThe Sterile Cuckoo released in the UK as Pookie, is a theatrical release feature film released by Paramount Pictures. It tells the story of an eccentric young couple whose relationship deepens despite their differences and inadequacies, and stars Liza Minnelli, Wendell Burton, and Tim...
, starring
Liza MinnelliLiza May Minnelli is an American singer and actress of film, stage and television. She is the daughter of entertainer Judy Garland and film director Vincente Minnelli....
.
In 1971, Pakula released the first installment of what would informally come to be known as his "
paranoiaParanoia is a thought process heavily influenced by excessive anxiety or fear, often to the point of irrationality and delusion. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs concerning a perceived threat towards oneself. In the original Greek, παράνοια simply means madness...
trilogy".
KluteKlute is a 1971 film which tells the story of a prostitute who assists a detective in solving a mystery. It stars Jane Fonda, Donald Sutherland, Charles Cioffi, Dorothy Tristan, Vivian Nathan, and Roy Scheider. The movie was written by Andy Lewis and Dave Lewis and directed by Alan J...
, the story of a private eye's relationship with a call girl (played by
Jane FondaJane Fonda is an American actress, writer, political activist, former fashion model and fitness guru. She rose to fame in the 1960s with films such as Barbarella and Cat Ballou and, excluding a 15 year hiatus, has appeared in films ever since. She has won two Academy Awards and received several...
, who won an
OscarThe Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are presented annually by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers. The formal ceremony at which the awards are presented is...
for her performance), was a commercial and critical success. This was followed in 1974 by
The Parallax ViewThe Parallax View is a 1974 American thriller film directed by Alan J. Pakula and starring Warren Beatty, who was also a producer. The film was adapted by David Giler, Lorenzo Semple Jr and an uncredited Robert Towne from the 1970 novel by Loren Singer...
starring
Warren BeattyHenry Warren Beatty is an American actor, producer, screenwriter and director.-Early life and education:Beatty was born Henry Warren Beaty in Richmond, Virginia's, Bellevue neighborhood...
, a labyrinthine post-
WatergateThe Watergate scandal was a political scandal in the United States in the 1970s. Named for the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C., effects of the scandal ultimately led to the resignation of Richard Nixon, President of the United States, on August 9, 1974...
thriller involving political assassinations. The film has been noted for its experimental use of hypnotic imagery in a celebrated film-within-a-film sequence in which the protagonist is inducted into the Parallax Corporation, whose main, albeit non-ostensible, enterprise is domestic terrorism.
Finally, in 1976, Pakula rounded out the "trilogy" with
All the President's MenAll the President's Men is a 1976 film based on the 1974 non-fiction book of the same name by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, the two journalists investigating the Watergate scandal for the Washington Post...
, based on the bestselling account of the Watergate scandal written by
Bob WoodwardRobert Upshur "Bob" Woodward is regarded as one of America's preeminent investigative reporters and non-fiction authors. He has worked for The Washington Post since 1971 as a reporter, and is currently an associate editor of the Post...
and
Carl BernsteinCarl Bernstein is an American journalist who, as a reporter for The Washington Post along with Bob Woodward, broke the story of the Watergate break-in and consequently helped bring about the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon...
, who were played in the movie by Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman. It was another commercial hit, considered by many critics and fans to be one of the best thrillers of the 1970s.
Pakula scored another hit in 1982 with
Sophie's ChoiceSophie's Choice is a 1982 American drama film that tells the story of a Polish immigrant, Sophie, and her tempestuous lover who share a boarding house with a young writer in Brooklyn. It stars Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, and Peter MacNicol. Alan J...
, starring
Meryl StreepMary Louise "Meryl" Streep is an American actress who has worked in theatre, television, and film. She is widely regarded as one of the most talented and respected movie actors of the modern era....
. His screenplay, based on the novel by
William StyronWilliam Clark Styron, Jr. was an American novelist and essayist who won major literary awards for his work.For much of his career, Styron was best known for his novels, which included...
, was nominated for an Academy Award. Later commercial successes included
Presumed InnocentPresumed Innocent is a 1990 film adaptation of the best-selling novel of the same name by Scott Turow, which tells the story of a prosecutor charged with the murder of his female colleague and mistress.Directed by Alan J...
, based on the bestselling novel by
Scott TurowScott Turow is an American author as well as a practicing lawyer. Turow has written eight fiction and two nonfiction books, which have been translated into over 20 languages and have sold over 25 million copies...
, and another political thriller,
The Pelican BriefThe Pelican Brief is a 1993 legal crime thriller film based on the novel of the same name by John Grisham. Directed by Alan J. Pakula, the film stars Julia Roberts in the role of young law student Darby Shaw and Denzel Washington as Washington Herald reporter Gray Grantham.-Plot:Two Supreme Court...
, an adaptation of
John GrishamJohn Ray Grisham is an American author, best known for his popular legal thrillers. Before becoming a writer, he was a successful lawyer and politician...
's bestseller.
Personal life
Pakula was born in The Bronx, New York to parents of Polish and Jewish descent, Jeanette (
néeA married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage, and in speaking of the many cultures where the practice is traditional for women, the maiden name is the family name that the married name replaces....
Goldstein) and Paul Pakula. He was educated at
Yale UniversityYale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut, and a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States. Yale has produced many notable alumni, including five...
, where he majored in
dramaDrama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a collective...
. From October 19, 1963 until 1971, Pakula was married to actress
Hope LangeHope Elise Ross Lange was an American stage, film, and television actress.-Early life:Lange was born into a theatrical family in Redding, Connecticut...
. He was married to his second wife, Hannah Cohn Boorstin, from 1973 until his death in 1998.
Death
Pakula died on November 19, 1998 in a freak car accident on the Long Island Expressway in
Melville, New YorkMelville is a hamlet and census-designated place in the town of Huntington in Suffolk County on Long Island, New York, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, 14,533 people resided there.-Location:...
. He was 70 years old. A driver in front of him struck a metal pipe, which went through Pakula's windshield, striking him in the head and causing him to swerve off the road and into a fence. He was killed instantly.
Filmography
| Year |
Title |
Notes |
| 1957 |
Fear Strikes Out Fear Strikes Out is a dramatic film depicting the life and career of American baseball player Jimmy Piersall. It is based on Piersall's autobiography Fear Strikes Out: The Jim Piersall Story. The film stars Anthony Perkins as Piersall and Karl Malden as his father, and it was directed by Robert...
|
Producer |
| 1962 |
To Kill a MockingbirdTo Kill a Mockingbird is a 1962 American drama film based on the novel of the same name by Harper Lee. It was directed by Robert Mulligan and stars Mary Badham in the role of Scout and Gregory Peck in the role of Atticus Finch....
|
Producer |
| 1963 |
Love with the Proper StrangerLove with the Proper Stranger is a romantic comedy drama film made by Pakula-Mulligan Productions and Boardwalk Productions and released by Paramount Pictures. It was directed by Robert Mulligan and produced by Alan J. Pakula from a screenplay by Arnold Schulman.The film stars Natalie Wood, Steve...
|
Producer |
| 1965 |
Baby the Rain Must Fall Baby the Rain Must Fall is a 1965 American drama film directed by Robert Mulligan. The screenplay by Horton Foote is based on his play The Travelling Lady.-Plot:...
|
Producer |
| Inside Daisy Clover Inside Daisy Clover is a 1965 drama film based on the 1963 novel by Gavin Lambert. It stars Natalie Wood, Christopher Plummer, Robert Redford, Roddy McDowall and Ruth Gordon in her Academy Award nominated role.- Plot :...
|
Producer |
| 1967 |
Up the Down Staircase Up the Down Staircase is a 1967 drama film about the first, trying assignment for a young, idealistic teacher played by Sandy Dennis. Tad Mosel wrote the screenplay adaptation of the novel of the same name by Bel Kaufman....
|
Producer |
| 1968 |
The Stalking Moon The Stalking Moon is a 1968 western film Technicolor movie starring Gregory Peck and Eva Marie Saint. The movie is based on the novel of the same name by Theodore V. Olsen.-Plot:...
|
Producer |
| 1969 |
The Sterile Cuckoo The Sterile Cuckoo released in the UK as Pookie, is a theatrical release feature film released by Paramount Pictures. It tells the story of an eccentric young couple whose relationship deepens despite their differences and inadequacies, and stars Liza Minnelli, Wendell Burton, and Tim...
|
Director, producer |
| 1971 |
Klute Klute is a 1971 film which tells the story of a prostitute who assists a detective in solving a mystery. It stars Jane Fonda, Donald Sutherland, Charles Cioffi, Dorothy Tristan, Vivian Nathan, and Roy Scheider. The movie was written by Andy Lewis and Dave Lewis and directed by Alan J...
|
Director, producer |
| 1973 |
Love and Pain and the Whole Damn Thing Love and Pain And The Whole Damn Thing is a 1973 American film directed by Alan J. Pakula. It is often categorized as a drama, but contains many comic elements.-Plot:...
|
Director, producer |
| 1974 |
The Parallax View The Parallax View is a 1974 American thriller film directed by Alan J. Pakula and starring Warren Beatty, who was also a producer. The film was adapted by David Giler, Lorenzo Semple Jr and an uncredited Robert Towne from the 1970 novel by Loren Singer...
|
Director, producer |
| 1976 |
All the President's Men All the President's Men is a 1976 film based on the 1974 non-fiction book of the same name by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, the two journalists investigating the Watergate scandal for the Washington Post...
|
Director |
| 1978 |
Comes a Horseman |
Director |
| 1979 |
Starting Over Starting Over is a 1979 feature film which tells the story of a recently divorced man who is torn between his new girlfriend and his ex-wife . It co-stars Charles Durning, Frances Sternhagen, Austin Pendleton and Mary Kay Place.The movie was adapted by James L. Brooks from the novel by Dan...
|
Director, producer |
| 1981 |
Rollover Rollover is a 1981 political and financial thriller directed by Alan J. Pakula and starring Jane Fonda and Kris Kristofferson.Jane Fonda plays Lee Winters, the widow of the Chairman and primary stockholder of Winterchem Enterprises, a chemical company, who is attempting to obtain financing of the...
|
Director |
| 1982 |
Sophie's Choice Sophie's Choice is a 1982 American drama film that tells the story of a Polish immigrant, Sophie, and her tempestuous lover who share a boarding house with a young writer in Brooklyn. It stars Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, and Peter MacNicol. Alan J...
|
Director, producer, writer |
| 1986 |
Dream Lover Dream Lover is a 1986 thriller film about a woman who undergoes sleep deprivation therapy after being attacked in her apartment - with unexpected results. The film was directed by Alan J. Pakula, and stars Kristy McNichol, Ben Masters, and Joseph Culp. In 2009 Warner Brothers released the movie on...
|
Director, producer |
| 1987 |
Orphans |
Director, producer |
| 1989 |
See You in the Morning |
Director, producer, writer |
| 1990 |
Presumed InnocentPresumed Innocent is a 1990 film adaptation of the best-selling novel of the same name by Scott Turow, which tells the story of a prosecutor charged with the murder of his female colleague and mistress.Directed by Alan J...
|
Writer, director |
| 1992 |
Consenting Adults Consenting Adults is a 1992 American thriller film, directed by Alan J. Pakula. It stars Kevin Kline, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Kevin Spacey and Rebecca Miller. The original music score was composed by Michael Small...
|
Director, producer |
| 1993 |
The Pelican Brief The Pelican Brief is a 1993 legal crime thriller film based on the novel of the same name by John Grisham. Directed by Alan J. Pakula, the film stars Julia Roberts in the role of young law student Darby Shaw and Denzel Washington as Washington Herald reporter Gray Grantham.-Plot:Two Supreme Court...
|
Director, producer, writer |
| 1997 |
The Devil's Own The Devil's Own is a 1997 movie starring Harrison Ford, Brad Pitt, Rubén Blades, Natascha McElhone, Julia Stiles and Treat Williams. It was the final film directed by Alan J. Pakula.-Synopsis:...
|
Director |
External links