Stuart Rosenberg (August 11, 1927 – March 15, 2007) was an American film and television director whose motion pictures include ''
Cool Hand Luke
''Cool Hand Luke'' is a 1967 American prison drama film directed by Stuart Rosenberg, starring Paul Newman and featuring George Kennedy in an Oscar-winning performance. Newman stars in the title role as Luke, a prisoner in a Florida prison ca ...
'' (1967), ''
Voyage of the Damned'' (1976), ''
The Amityville Horror
''The Amityville Horror'' is a book by American author Jay Anson, published in September 1977. It is also the basis of a series of films released from 1979 onward. The book is based on the claims of paranormal experiences by the Lutz family, ...
'' (1979), and ''
The Pope of Greenwich Village
''The Pope of Greenwich Village'' is a 1984 American crime black comedy film directed by Stuart Rosenberg and starring Mickey Rourke, Eric Roberts, Daryl Hannah, Geraldine Page, Kenneth McMillan and Burt Young. Page was nominated for the Aca ...
'' (1984).
[Noalnd, Claire (March 18, 2007)]
Stuart Rosenberg, 79; TV, film director.
''Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...
'' He was noted for his work with actor
Paul Newman
Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. He was the recipient of numerous awards, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, three ...
.
Early life
Rosenberg studied
Irish literature
Irish literature comprises writings in the Irish, Latin, English and Scots (Ulster Scots) languages on the island of Ireland. The earliest recorded Irish writing dates from the 7th century and was produced by monks writing in both Latin an ...
at New York University, and began working as an apprentice film editor while in graduate school.
Career
After advancing to film editor, he began directing with episodes of the television series ''
Decoy
A decoy (derived from the Dutch ''de'' ''kooi'', literally "the cage" or possibly ''ende kooi'', " duck cage") is usually a person, device, or event which resembles what an individual or a group might be looking for, but it is only meant to lur ...
'' (1957–1959), starring
Beverly Garland
Beverly Lucy Garland (née Fessenden; October 17, 1926 – December 5, 2008) was an American actress. Her work in feature films primarily consisted of small parts in a few major productions or leads in low-budget action or science-fiction movie ...
as an undercover police woman. It was the first police series on American television built around a female protagonist. Over the next two years, Rosenberg directed 15 episodes of the police-detective series ''
Naked City'' (1958–1963), which like ''Decoy'' was shot in New York City. Meanwhile, Rosenberg was then hired to direct his first film, ''
Murder, Inc.'' (1960), starring
Peter Falk
Peter Michael Falk (September 16, 1927 – June 23, 2011) was an American film and television actor. He is best known for his role as Lieutenant Columbo in the long-running television series '' Columbo'' (1968–1978, 1989–2003), for which h ...
, but a strike by both the
Screen Actors Guild
The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) was an American labor union which represented over 100,000 film and television principal and background performers worldwide. On March 30, 2012, the union leadership announced that the SAG membership voted to m ...
and the
Writers Guild resulted in his leaving the film and being replaced by its producer, Burt Balaban. Rosenberg returned to television, directing 15 episodes of ''
The Untouchables'', eight of the
anthology series
An anthology series is a radio, television, video game or film series that spans different genres and presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a di ...
''
Bob Hope
Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in Bob Hope filmography, more than 70 short and ...
Presents the Chrysler Theatre'', five of ''
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, aired on CBS and NBC between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers and mysteries. Between 1962 and 1965 it was r ...
'', and three of ''
The Twilight Zone
''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology series, anthology television program, television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dysto ...
'', along with episodes of ''
Adventures in Paradise'', ''
The Barbara Stanwyck Show'', ''
Ben Casey
''Ben Casey'' is an American medical drama series that aired on ABC from 1961 to 1966. The show was known for its opening titles, which consisted of a hand drawing the symbols "♂, ♀, ✳, †, ∞" on a chalkboard, as cast member Sam Jaff ...
'', ''
Rawhide'' with
Clint Eastwood
Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western TV series '' Rawhide'', he rose to international fame with his role as the " Man with No Name" in Sergio Leone's "'' D ...
, and Falk's ''
The Trials of O'Brien''. He won a 1963
Emmy Award
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
for directing "The Madman", one of his 19 episodes of the courtroom drama ''
The Defenders''.
Following the U.S.-German co-production ''
Question 7'' (1961), filmed in West Berlin, Rosenberg shot the 1965 TV movie ''Memorandum for a Spy'' and the 1966 telefilm ''
Fame Is the Name of the Game
''Fame Is the Name of the Game'' is a 1966 American made-for-television drama film starring Tony Franciosa that aired on NBC and served as the pilot episode of the subsequent series ''The Name of the Game''. It was directed by Stuart Rosenberg ...
'', then made his major-studio debut with the
Paul Newman
Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. He was the recipient of numerous awards, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, three ...
hit ''
Cool Hand Luke
''Cool Hand Luke'' is a 1967 American prison drama film directed by Stuart Rosenberg, starring Paul Newman and featuring George Kennedy in an Oscar-winning performance. Newman stars in the title role as Luke, a prisoner in a Florida prison ca ...
'' (1967). Rosenberg had come across
Donn Pearce
Donn Pearce (September 28, 1928 – July 25, 2017) was an American author and journalist best known for the novel and screenplay ''Cool Hand Luke''.
Early life
Born Donald Mills Pearce in a suburb of Philadelphia, Pearce left home at 15. He at ...
's
chain gang
A chain gang or road gang is a group of prisoners chained together to perform menial or physically challenging work as a form of punishment. Such punishment might include repairing buildings, building roads, or clearing land. The system was not ...
novel and developed the film with actor
Jack Lemmon
John Uhler Lemmon III (February 8, 1925 – June 27, 2001) was an American actor. Considered equally proficient in both dramatic and comic roles, Lemmon was known for his anxious, middle-class everyman screen persona in dramedy pictures, leadin ...
's production company Jalem. Years later, Rosenberg replaced
Bob Rafelson on the prison movie ''
Brubaker'' (1980).
Other Rosenberg films include ''
The April Fools'' (1969), with French actress
Catherine Deneuve
Catherine Fabienne Dorléac (born 22 October 1943), known professionally as Catherine Deneuve (, , ), is a French actress as well as an occasional singer, model, and producer, considered one of the greatest European actresses. She gained recogni ...
in her American debut opposite
Jack Lemmon
John Uhler Lemmon III (February 8, 1925 – June 27, 2001) was an American actor. Considered equally proficient in both dramatic and comic roles, Lemmon was known for his anxious, middle-class everyman screen persona in dramedy pictures, leadin ...
(who plays the first Rosenberg lead character named H. Brubaker); the Newman movies ''
WUSA WUSA or wusa may refer to:
* Women's United Soccer Association (defunct), the world's first women's professional association football league, based in the United States
* ''WUSA'' (film), a 1970 drama film
* WUSA (TV), a television station (chann ...
'' (1970), ''
Pocket Money'' (1972) and ''
The Drowning Pool
''The Drowning Pool'' is a 1950 mystery novel by American writer Ross Macdonald, his second book in the series revolving around the cases of private detective Lew Archer.
Plot summary
Archer is hired by a woman to investigate a libellous lett ...
'' (1975); the
Walter Matthau
Walter Matthau (; born Walter John Matthow; October 1, 1920 – July 1, 2000) was an American actor, comedian and film director.
He is best known for his film roles in '' A Face in the Crowd'' (1957), '' King Creole'' (1958) and as a coach of a ...
police-detective thriller ''
The Laughing Policeman'' (1973); the
Charles Bronson
Charles Bronson (born Charles Dennis Buchinsky; November 3, 1921 – August 30, 2003) was an American actor. Known for his "granite features and brawny physique," he gained international fame for his starring roles in action, Western, and wa ...
action picture ''
Love and Bullets'' (1979); and another action movie ''
Let's Get Harry'' (1986), for which Rosenberg used the pseudonym
Alan Smithee
Alan Smithee (also Allen Smithee) is an official pseudonym used by film directors who wish to disown a project. Coined in 1968 and used until it was formally discontinued in 2000, it was the sole pseudonym used by members of the Directors Guild o ...
. He was famous for straight dramas and especially crime films. The most acclaimed movie he did after 'Cool Hand Luke' was ''
The Pope of Greenwich Village
''The Pope of Greenwich Village'' is a 1984 American crime black comedy film directed by Stuart Rosenberg and starring Mickey Rourke, Eric Roberts, Daryl Hannah, Geraldine Page, Kenneth McMillan and Burt Young. Page was nominated for the Aca ...
''.
He made his last film, the independent drama ''
My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys'' in 1991.
In 1992, Rosenberg became a teacher at the
American Film Institute
The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees.
Lead ...
. Among his students were
Todd Field
William Todd Field (born February 24, 1964) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for directing three feature films: '' In the Bedroom'' (2001), '' Little Children'' (2006), and '' Tár'' (2022). He has received three Academy Award no ...
,
Darren Aronofsky
Darren Aronofsky (born February 12, 1969) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. His films are noted for their surrealistic, melodramatic, and sometimes disturbing elements, often in the form of psychological fiction.
Arono ...
,
Mark Waters
Mark Stephen Waters (born June 30, 1964) is an American filmmaker who directed the comedy films '' Freaky Friday'', '' Mean Girls'', '' Ghosts of Girlfriends Past'', '' Mr. Popper's Penguins'', and '' Vampire Academy''.
Filmography
Film
Prod ...
,
Scott Silver,
Doug Ellin
Douglas Reed Ellin (born April 6, 1968) is an American podcaster, screenwriter and film and TV director, known best for creating the HBO television series '' Entourage''. Ellin also served as executive producer, director, head writer and support ...
and
Rob Schmidt.
[Kehr, Dave (March 19, 2007)]
Stuart Rosenberg, Director of TV and Films, Dies at 79.
''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
''
Personal life and legacy
Rosenberg died in 2007 of a heart attack at his home in Beverly Hills, California. He was survived by his wife Margot Pohoryles, whom he had met at New York University; son Benjamin Rosenberg, a first assistant director; as well as four grandchildren.
His students' films ''
The Spiderwick Chronicles
''The Spiderwick Chronicles'' is a series of children's fantasy books by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black. They chronicle the adventures of the Grace children, twins Simon and Jared and their older sister Mallory, after they move into the Spider ...
'', ''
The Alphabet Killer
''The Alphabet Killer'' is a 2008 thriller-horror film, loosely based on the Alphabet murders that took place in Rochester, New York between 1971 and 1973. Eliza Dushku stars alongside Cary Elwes, Michael Ironside, Bill Moseley and Timothy ...
'', and ''
The Wrestler'', released in 2008, were dedicated in his memory.
Filmography
*''
Murder, Inc.'' (1960)
*''
Question 7'' (1961)
*''
Cool Hand Luke
''Cool Hand Luke'' is a 1967 American prison drama film directed by Stuart Rosenberg, starring Paul Newman and featuring George Kennedy in an Oscar-winning performance. Newman stars in the title role as Luke, a prisoner in a Florida prison ca ...
'' (1967)
*''
The April Fools'' (1969)
*''
Move
Move may refer to:
People
* Daniil Move (born 1985), a Russian auto racing driver
Brands and enterprises
* Move (company), an online real estate company
* Move (electronics store), a defunct Australian electronics retailer
* Daihatsu Move
...
'' (1970)
*''
WUSA WUSA or wusa may refer to:
* Women's United Soccer Association (defunct), the world's first women's professional association football league, based in the United States
* ''WUSA'' (film), a 1970 drama film
* WUSA (TV), a television station (chann ...
'' (1970)
*''
Pocket Money'' (1972)
*''
The Laughing Policeman'' (1973)
*''
The Drowning Pool
''The Drowning Pool'' is a 1950 mystery novel by American writer Ross Macdonald, his second book in the series revolving around the cases of private detective Lew Archer.
Plot summary
Archer is hired by a woman to investigate a libellous lett ...
'' (1975)
*''
Voyage of the Damned'' (1976)
*''
Love and Bullets'' (1979)
*''
The Amityville Horror
''The Amityville Horror'' is a book by American author Jay Anson, published in September 1977. It is also the basis of a series of films released from 1979 onward. The book is based on the claims of paranormal experiences by the Lutz family, ...
'' (1979)
*''
Brubaker'' (1980)
*''
The Pope of Greenwich Village
''The Pope of Greenwich Village'' is a 1984 American crime black comedy film directed by Stuart Rosenberg and starring Mickey Rourke, Eric Roberts, Daryl Hannah, Geraldine Page, Kenneth McMillan and Burt Young. Page was nominated for the Aca ...
'' (1984)
*''
Let's Get Harry'' (1986)
*''
My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys'' (1991)
Awards
*1961
National Board of Review
The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures is a non-profit organization of New York City area film enthusiasts. Its awards, which are announced in early December, are considered an early harbinger of the film awards season that culminat ...
Winner, Best Film of the Year for ''Question 7'' and selected for Top Ten Films of the Year for ''Question 7''
*1961
Berlin International Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...
OCIC Award, for ''Question 7''
*1961 Berlin International Film Festival Youth Film Award, Best Feature Film Suitable for Young People, for ''Question 7''
*1961 nomination, Berlin International Film Festival
Golden Bear
The Golden Bear (german: Goldener Bär) is the highest prize awarded for the best film at the Berlin International Film Festival. The bear is the heraldic animal of Berlin, featured on both the coat of arms and flag of Berlin.
History
The win ...
, for ''Question 7''
*1963 Emmy Award, Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Drama, for ''The Defenders'': "The Madman"
*1968 nomination,
Directors Guild of America Award: Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures, for: ''Cool Hand Luke''
*1976 nomination,
Golden Globe
The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...
Awards: Best Picture of Year for ''Voyage of the Damned''
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rosenberg, Stuart
1927 births
2007 deaths
American film directors
American television directors
Emmy Award winners
Films directed by Stuart Rosenberg
20th-century American Jews
American film editors
21st-century American Jews