James Bridges
Encyclopedia
James Bridges was an American
screenwriter
and film director
.
Bridges was born in Paris, Arkansas
. He got his start as a writer for Alfred Hitchcock Presents
, and one of his episodes, "An Unlocked Window", earned him a 1966 Edgar Award
from the Mystery Writers of America
for Best Episode in a TV Series.
Bridges went on to write and direct a number of notable films, including The Baby Maker
, The Paper Chase, September 30, 1955
, The China Syndrome
, Urban Cowboy
, Perfect
, and Bright Lights, Big City
. Bridges was a mentor to actress Debra Winger
.
From 1958 to 1993, his life partner
was actor Jack Larson
, best known for his portrayal of Jimmy Olsen
in the TV series Adventures of Superman
.
Bridges died in Los Angeles, California
of cancer
. The James Bridges Theater
at University of California, Los Angeles
was named in his honor in November 1999. Bridges was a faculty member there early in his career.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
and film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
.
Bridges was born in Paris, Arkansas
Paris, Arkansas
Paris is a city in Logan County, Arkansas, United States, and serves as the county seat for the northern district of Logan County; its southern district counterpart is Booneville. The population was 3,707 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
. He got his start as a writer for Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Alfred Hitchcock Presents is an American television anthology series hosted by Alfred Hitchcock. The series featured dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. By the premiere of the show on October 2, 1955, Hitchcock had been directing films for over three decades...
, and one of his episodes, "An Unlocked Window", earned him a 1966 Edgar Award
Edgar Award
The Edgar Allan Poe Awards , named after Edgar Allan Poe, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America...
from the Mystery Writers of America
Mystery Writers of America
Mystery Writers of America is an organization for mystery writers, based in New York.The organization was founded in 1945 by Clayton Rawson, Anthony Boucher, Lawrence Treat, and Brett Halliday....
for Best Episode in a TV Series.
Bridges went on to write and direct a number of notable films, including The Baby Maker
The Baby Maker
The Baby Maker is a film directed and co-written by James Bridges and released by Twentieth Century Fox.-Plot:Barbara Hershey portrays a flower child who is hired to have the baby of a middle-class couple ....
, The Paper Chase, September 30, 1955
September 30, 1955
September 30, 1955 , originally titled 9/30/55, is a film written and directed by James Bridges.-Plot:Set in an Arkansas college town, the film portrays the reaction of the citizens of the town when they hear that James Dean has died in a car crash. Jimmy J. , a young man who idolizes Dean, is...
, The China Syndrome
The China Syndrome
The China Syndrome is a 1979 American thriller film that tells the story of a reporter and cameraman who discover safety coverups at a nuclear power plant. It stars Jane Fonda, Jack Lemmon, Michael Douglas, Scott Brady, James Hampton, Peter Donat, Richard Herd, and Wilford Brimley.The film was...
, Urban Cowboy
Urban Cowboy
Released as a 2× vinyl record album, re-released on CD in 1995.Side A:#Hello Texas – Jimmy Buffett #All Night Long – Joe Walsh #Times Like These – Dan Fogelberg #Nine Tonight – Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band...
, Perfect
Perfect (film)
The soundtrack to Perfect was initially released in 1985 as a 12" vinyl record, and later re-released on CD.Side A#" Perfect" – 3:50#"I Sweat " – 3:54...
, and Bright Lights, Big City
Bright Lights, Big City (film)
Bright Lights, Big City is a 1988 drama film starring Michael J. Fox, Kiefer Sutherland and Phoebe Cates, based on the novel of the same name by Jay McInerney. It was the last film directed by James Bridges before his death in 1993.-Plot:...
. Bridges was a mentor to actress Debra Winger
Debra Winger
Mary Debra Winger is an American actress. Three-times an Oscar nominee, she received awards for acting in Terms of Endearment, for which she won the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress in 1983, and in A Dangerous Woman, for which she won the Tokyo International Film Festival...
.
From 1958 to 1993, his life partner
Life partner
A life partner is a romantic or otherwise very close friend for life. The partners can be of the same or opposite sexes, married or unmarried, and monogamous or polyamorous....
was actor Jack Larson
Jack Larson
Jack Edward Larson is an American actor, librettist, screenwriter and producer. He is best known for his portrayal of photographer/cub reporter Jimmy Olsen on the TV series Adventures of Superman.-Biography:...
, best known for his portrayal of Jimmy Olsen
Jimmy Olsen
Jimmy Olsen is a fictional character who appears mainly in DC Comics’ Superman stories. Olsen is a young photojournalist working for the Daily Planet. He is close friends with Lois Lane, Clark Kent/Superman and Perry White...
in the TV series Adventures of Superman
Adventures of Superman (TV series)
Adventures of Superman is an American television series based on comic book characters and concepts created in 1938 by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The show is the first television series to feature Superman and began filming in 1951 in California...
.
Bridges died in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
of cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
. The James Bridges Theater
UCLA Film and Television Archive
The UCLA Film and Television Archive is an internationally renowned visual arts organization focused on the preservation, study, and appreciation of film and television, based at the University of California, Los Angeles. It holds more than 220,000 film and television titles and 27 million feet of...
at University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
was named in his honor in November 1999. Bridges was a faculty member there early in his career.