Roberta Findlay (née Hershkowitz; born December 30, 1943) is an American film director, cinematographer, producer and actress. She is best known for her work in the exploitation field. Her work has received increasing critical appreciation in recent years.
Early life
Findlay was born Roberta Hershkowitz in
Brooklyn, New York City
Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
to
Hungarian-
Jewish
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
immigrant parents, and was raised in
the Bronx
The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...
.
She was classically trained on piano as a child, and her parents hoped she would have a career as a musician.
[
]
Career
While attending the City College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a Public university, public research university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York ...
, she met Michael Findlay, a student who had recently transferred there after leaving seminary
A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as cle ...
school, where he was studying to become a Catholic priest
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...
.silent film
A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...
screening he was holding on the university campus.[ The two eventually married and began making films together, with Roberta often working as cinematographer.][
By her own account, Roberta's marriage to Michael was tempestuous, and the couple were separated by 1974 due to him suffering "psychological issues."][ Despite their separation, she continued to occasionally work with him professionally, including as cinematographer on '']Shriek of the Mutilated
''Shriek of the Mutilated'' (also known as ''Mutilated'' and ''Scream of the Snowbeast'') is a 1974 American horror film directed by Michael Findlay (filmmaker), Michael Findlay, and starring Alan Brock, Jennifer Stock, and Michael Harris. It fo ...
'' (1974).[ Michael Findlay died in 1977 in a helicopter accident; after his death, she continued to make films, directing the horror films ''Blood Sisters'' (1987) and '']Tenement
A tenement is a type of building shared by multiple dwellings, typically with flats or apartments on each floor and with shared entrance stairway access. They are common on the British Isles, particularly in Scotland. In the medieval Old Town, E ...
'' (1985).
Select filmography
Feature films
Pornography
References
Further reading
*
*
*
*
*
External links
*
Roberta Findlay
at Letterboxd
Letterboxd ( ) is an online social cataloging service for film founded (partially with investment company Tiny since 2023) and owned by Matthew Buchanan and Karl von Randow in 2011, and headquartered in New Zealand. Members can rate and review ...
1948 births
Living people
Film directors from New York City
American women film directors
American people of Hungarian-Jewish descent
City College of New York alumni
Mass media people from the Bronx
{{US-film-director-1940s-stub