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IMDbPro

Richard Brooks(1912-1992)

  • Writer
  • Director
  • Producer
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Richard Brooks
Trailer for Listen Up: The Lives of Quincy Jones
Play trailer2:19
Listen Up: The Lives of Quincy Jones (1990)
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Richard Brooks was an Academy Award-winning film writer who also earned six Oscar nominations and achieved success as a film director and producer.

He was born Reuben Sax on May 18, 1912, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His parents were Russian-Jewish immigrants. He graduated from West Philadelphia HS, attended Philadelphia's Temple University for two years, before dropping out and later working as a sports reporter and radio journalist in the 1930s. After a stint as a writer for the NBC network, he worked for one season as director of New York's Mill Pond Theatre, and then headed to Los Angeles. There he broke into films as a script writer of "B" movies, Maria Montez epics, serials, and did some radio writing. During the Second World War, he served with the US Marines for two years.

Richard Brooks made his directorial debut with MGM's Crisis (1950) starring Cary Grant. He scripted and directed The Brothers Karamazov (1958) and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958) and two years later won the Academy Award for Best Screenplay for Elmer Gantry (1960). He had six Oscar nominations and 25 other nominations during his film career. Brooks was a writer and director of Chekhovian depth, who mastered the use of understatement, anticlimax and implied emotion. His films enjoyed lasting appeal and tended to be more serious than the usual mainstream productions. Brooks was regarded as "independent" even before he officially broke away from the studio system in 1965. In the 1980s, he had his own production company.

Richard Brooks died of a heart failure on March 11, 1992, in Beverly Hills, California, and was laid to rest in the Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver City, California. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6422 Hollywood Blvd., for his contribution to the art of motion picture.
BornMay 18, 1912
DiedMarch 11, 1992(79)
BornMay 18, 1912
DiedMarch 11, 1992(79)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Won 1 Oscar
    • 10 wins & 39 nominations total

Photos16

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Known for

Robert Blake and Scott Wilson in In Cold Blood (1967)
In Cold Blood
7.9
  • Writer
  • 1967
Elizabeth Taylor in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
7.9
  • Writer
  • 1958
Burt Lancaster, Jean Simmons, and Shirley Jones in Elmer Gantry (1960)
Elmer Gantry
7.7
  • Writer
  • 1960
Lauren Bacall, Humphrey Bogart, and Edward G. Robinson in Key Largo (1948)
Key Largo
7.7
  • Writer
  • 1948

Credits

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IMDbPro

Writer



  • Fever Pitch (1985)
    Fever Pitch
    4.2
    • written by
    • 1985
  • Sean Connery in Wrong Is Right (1982)
    Wrong Is Right
    5.6
    • written for the screen by
    • 1982
  • Diane Keaton in Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977)
    Looking for Mr. Goodbar
    6.7
    • written for the screen by
    • 1977
  • Candice Bergen, James Coburn, and Gene Hackman in Bite the Bullet (1975)
    Bite the Bullet
    6.6
    • written by
    • 1975
  • Goldie Hawn and Warren Beatty in $ (1971)
    $
    6.3
    • written by
    • 1971
  • The Happy Ending (1969)
    The Happy Ending
    6.3
    • written by
    • 1969
  • Robert Blake and Scott Wilson in In Cold Blood (1967)
    In Cold Blood
    7.9
    • written for the screen by
    • 1967
  • Claudia Cardinale, Lee Marvin, and Robert Ryan in The Professionals (1966)
    The Professionals
    7.3
    • written for the screen by
    • 1966
  • Lord Jim (1965)
    Lord Jim
    6.7
    • written for the screen by
    • 1965
  • Paul Newman and Geraldine Page in Sweet Bird of Youth (1962)
    Sweet Bird of Youth
    7.1
    • written for the screen by
    • 1962
  • Burt Lancaster, Jean Simmons, and Shirley Jones in Elmer Gantry (1960)
    Elmer Gantry
    7.7
    • screenplay
    • 1960
  • Elizabeth Taylor in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)
    Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
    7.9
    • screenplay
    • 1958
  • The Brothers Karamazov (1958)
    The Brothers Karamazov
    6.7
    • screen play
    • 1958
  • Rock Hudson, Sidney Poitier, and Dana Wynter in Something of Value (1957)
    Something of Value
    6.5
    • screen play
    • 1957
  • The Last Hunt (1956)
    The Last Hunt
    6.8
    • screen play
    • 1956

Director



  • Fever Pitch (1985)
    Fever Pitch
    4.2
    • Director (directed by)
    • 1985
  • Sean Connery in Wrong Is Right (1982)
    Wrong Is Right
    5.6
    • Director
    • 1982
  • Diane Keaton in Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977)
    Looking for Mr. Goodbar
    6.7
    • Director
    • 1977
  • Candice Bergen, James Coburn, and Gene Hackman in Bite the Bullet (1975)
    Bite the Bullet
    6.6
    • Director
    • 1975
  • Goldie Hawn and Warren Beatty in $ (1971)
    $
    6.3
    • Director
    • 1971
  • The Happy Ending (1969)
    The Happy Ending
    6.3
    • Director
    • 1969
  • Robert Blake and Scott Wilson in In Cold Blood (1967)
    In Cold Blood
    7.9
    • Director
    • 1967
  • Claudia Cardinale, Lee Marvin, and Robert Ryan in The Professionals (1966)
    The Professionals
    7.3
    • Director
    • 1966
  • Lord Jim (1965)
    Lord Jim
    6.7
    • Director
    • 1965
  • Paul Newman and Geraldine Page in Sweet Bird of Youth (1962)
    Sweet Bird of Youth
    7.1
    • Director
    • 1962
  • Burt Lancaster, Jean Simmons, and Shirley Jones in Elmer Gantry (1960)
    Elmer Gantry
    7.7
    • Director
    • 1960
  • Elizabeth Taylor in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)
    Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
    7.9
    • Director
    • 1958
  • The Brothers Karamazov (1958)
    The Brothers Karamazov
    6.7
    • Director
    • 1958
  • Rock Hudson, Sidney Poitier, and Dana Wynter in Something of Value (1957)
    Something of Value
    6.5
    • Director
    • 1957
  • The Catered Affair (1956)
    The Catered Affair
    7.4
    • Director
    • 1956

Producer



  • Sean Connery in Wrong Is Right (1982)
    Wrong Is Right
    5.6
    • producer
    • 1982
  • Candice Bergen, James Coburn, and Gene Hackman in Bite the Bullet (1975)
    Bite the Bullet
    6.6
    • producer (uncredited)
    • 1975
  • The Happy Ending (1969)
    The Happy Ending
    6.3
    • producer (uncredited)
    • 1969
  • Robert Blake and Scott Wilson in In Cold Blood (1967)
    In Cold Blood
    7.9
    • producer (uncredited)
    • 1967
  • Claudia Cardinale, Lee Marvin, and Robert Ryan in The Professionals (1966)
    The Professionals
    7.3
    • producer (uncredited)
    • 1966
  • Lord Jim (1965)
    Lord Jim
    6.7
    • producer (uncredited)
    • 1965

Videos1

Listen Up: The Lives of Quincy Jones
Trailer 2:19
Listen Up: The Lives of Quincy Jones

Personal details

Edit
  • Height
    • 6′ 3″ (1.91 m)
  • Born
    • May 18, 1912
    • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
  • Died
    • March 11, 1992
    • Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA(congestive heart failure)
  • Spouses
      Jean SimmonsNovember 1, 1960 - 1977 (divorced, 1 child)
  • Other works
    Novel: "The Producer".
  • Publicity listings
    • 1 Print Biography
    • 1 Portrayal
    • 1 Interview
    • 2 Articles

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    He and John Huston co-wrote the adapted screenplay for The Killers (1946), but neither received onscreen credit because of studio contract restraints.
  • Quotes
    [engraved on his tombstone] First comes the word.
  • Salary
    • Any Number Can Play
      (1949)
      $29,107

FAQ12

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