James Toback, a renowned screenwriter and director, was born on November 23, 1944, in New York City to a successful garment manufacturer. He graduated from Harvard College in 1966 and later taught creative writing at City College of New York in the early 1970s.
Toback's career in movies began with the success of his autobiographical screenplay for the film "The Gambler" (1974),which starred James Caan as a compulsive gambler. This film launched Toback's career as a writer-director, and he went on to direct the gritty urban melodrama "Fingers" (1978),which starred Harvey Keitel as a debt collector with ambitions to be a concert pianist.
Toback's obsession with former football great and blaxploitation movie star Jim Brown was evident in his film "Fingers" (1978) and continued to influence his work throughout his career. In his 2000 appearance at the National Film Theatre in London, Toback admitted that he revered black culture as an antidote to the sterility of middle-class white existence.
Toback's later films include "Black & White" (1999),which dealt with the relations between "wiggas" (Caucasian black-wannabes) and African Americans, and "Harvard Man" (2001),which explored themes of gambling and identity. Despite facing criticism and controversy, Toback remained undaunted and continued to create films that reflected his unique perspective and style.
Throughout his career, Toback has been recognized for his talent as a screenwriter and director. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his work on the film "Bugsy" (1991),and his documentary "The Big Bang" (1989) received critical acclaim.
