Joel Schumacher Director Date of Birth: 29.08.1939 Country: USA

Joel Schumacher - Biography

Joel Schumacher, born on August 29, 1939, is an American director, costume designer, screenwriter, and producer. He studied at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York and also attended the Parsons School of Design. Initially, Schumacher worked as a window dresser in a store and later became a costume designer, eventually opening his own boutique.

In 1972, he began creating costumes for films such as "Sleeper" (1973) and Woody Allen's "Interiors" (1978). He also worked on films like "Blume in Love" (1973) by Paul Mazursky, "The Last of Sheila" (1973), and "The Prisoner Of Second Avenue" (1975) by Herbert Ross.

In 1974, Schumacher made his directorial debut with the television film "The Virginia Hill Story," which portrayed the life of notorious gangster Bugsy Siegel's mistress, Virginia Hill. He also wrote the screenplay for the comedy film "Car Wash" (1976) and the musical "The Wiz" (1978).

Schumacher, like many Hollywood directors, has worked in various genres. He gained the most success with his dramas that focused on existential or borderline situations, such as "Flatliners" (1990), "Dying Young" (1991), and "Falling Down" (1993). Interestingly, Michael Douglas, who played the lead role in "Falling Down," was also a co-producer of "Flatliners" and acted in one of Schumacher's early directorial works, the fantasy comedy "The Incredible Shrinking Woman" (1981).

Schumacher's interest in mysticism is evident in his film "The Lost Boys" (1987). Surprisingly, he not only agreed to direct the third installment of the Batman film series, "Batman Forever" (1995), but also continued the cycle with less success in "Batman and Robin" (1997). At the same time, his films like "St. Elmo's Fire" (1985) and "Cousins" (1989), as well as "Flatliners" and "Dying Young," subtly present the director's inclination towards youth themes and the portrayal of middle-class or "yuppie" moods.

The social satire elements, noticeable in "Falling Down," were first heard in Schumacher's early work, "D.C. Cab" (1983). He also directed the romantic thriller "The Client" (1994) based on John Grisham's novel.