Philip Kaufman facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Philip Kaufman
Kaufman in 1991
Born	(1936-10-23) October 23, 1936 (age 88) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Occupation	Director screenwriter producer
Years active	1964–2012
Spouse(s)	Rose Fisher ​ ​ (m. 1959; died 2009)​
Children	1

Philip Kaufman (born October 23, 1936) is an American film director and screenwriter. Over a career of almost 50 years, he directed fifteen movies. He has won many awards, including a BAFTA Award, and has been nominated for an Academy Award and a Primetime Emmy Award.

Kaufman is known for making many different kinds of movies. He is seen as a director whose films show his own personal style. His movies have included genres like horror, fantasy, western, and crime stories.

He became well-known for the film The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988). For this movie, he won a BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. He was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Some of his other famous films are The Wanderers (1979), Rising Sun (1993), and Quills (2000).

Kaufman gained a lot of attention for The Right Stuff (1983). The film received eight Academy Award nominations, including for Best Picture. He also directed the HBO movie Hemingway & Gellhorn (2012).

Early Life and Education

Kaufman was born in Chicago in 1936. He was the only son of Elizabeth and Nathan Kaufman. As a child, he loved movies and would often go to see two films in a row at the theater.

He went to the University of Chicago and earned a degree in history. He then went to Harvard Law School for a year. He thought about becoming a history professor.

In 1960, Kaufman moved to San Francisco. He worked different jobs, like being a postal worker. He and his wife, Rose, decided to travel and live in Europe. He taught English and math in Greece and Italy. During his travels, he met the author Anaïs Nin. Her friendship with writer Henry Miller later inspired his film Henry & June (1990).

In 1958, he married Rose Fisher. They had one son, Peter. After traveling in Europe, they returned to the United States. His time in Europe made him want to become a filmmaker. He saw many experimental films by new directors. He said it felt like "the start of something new."

Career

First Films (1964–1977)

Kaufman returned to Chicago to make his first movie. His first film was Goldstein (1964). It was a comedy that he co-wrote and co-directed. The film won a prize at the 1964 Cannes Film Festival. The famous French director Jean Renoir called it the best American film he had seen in 20 years.

Two years later, he directed Fearless Frank (1967). It was a comedy that starred Jon Voight in his first film role. The movie was not a big success at the box office.

In 1972, Kaufman wrote and directed The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid. It was a Western film starring Robert Duvall as the outlaw Jesse James. In 1974, he directed The White Dawn, a drama about whalers stranded in the Arctic.

In 1975, Kaufman began working on the Western The Outlaw Josey Wales. He co-wrote the movie but was replaced as director after disagreements with the star, Clint Eastwood.

Major Successes (1978–1983)

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

In 1978, Kaufman directed the science fiction thriller Invasion of the Body Snatchers. It was a remake of a 1956 film and became his first big box office hit. The story is about aliens who secretly replace humans. Critic Pauline Kael said, "It may be the best movie of its kind ever made."

The Wanderers (1979)

In 1979, he directed The Wanderers. The movie is about a group of Italian-American teenagers in the Bronx in 1963. It starred Ken Wahl and Karen Allen and has become a popular cult film.

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Kaufman helped create the story for the first Indiana Jones film, Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). The character of Indiana Jones was created by George Lucas. Kaufman suggested that the main treasure in the story should be the Ark of the Covenant.

The Right Stuff (1983)

In 1983, Kaufman directed and wrote the screenplay for The Right Stuff. The film was based on a best-selling book by Tom Wolfe. It tells the story of the first American astronauts. The movie helped start the careers of actors like Ed Harris, Scott Glenn, and Dennis Quaid.

The film was nominated for eight Academy Awards and won four. However, it did not make a lot of money at the box office. Film critic Roger Ebert called the movie "impressive" and one of the "best recent American movies."

Later Films (1988–2012)

In 1988, Kaufman directed and co-wrote The Unbearable Lightness of Being. The film is based on a novel and is set during the 1968 Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia. Kaufman was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

In 1990, he directed Henry & June. The film is about the friendship between writers Henry Miller and Anaïs Nin in 1930s Paris.

Kaufman directed the thriller Rising Sun in 1993. It starred Sean Connery and Wesley Snipes. In 2000, he directed Quills, a film about a famous writer whose works were censored by authorities. It starred Geoffrey Rush and Kate Winslet.

In 2004, he directed the thriller Twisted, starring Ashley Judd and Samuel L. Jackson. His last film was the 2012 HBO movie Hemingway & Gellhorn. It starred Clive Owen and Nicole Kidman as the writer Ernest Hemingway and the journalist Martha Gellhorn. The film was nominated for 15 Primetime Emmy Awards.

Personal Life

Kaufman lives in San Francisco. In 1958, he married Rose Fisher. They had one son, Peter, who is also a film producer. Rose was a screenwriter and appeared in small roles in two of her husband's films. She passed away in 2009.

Peter Kaufman is married to Christine Pelosi, the daughter of former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi. They have a daughter named Isabella.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and Nominations

Legacy

Critics have noted that Kaufman's films often have a strong mood and a poetic style. His movies are known for showing different historical time periods. While some of his later films have a European feel, the stories are clearly American and often focus on themes of being true to oneself.

See also

In Spanish: Philip Kaufman para niños