Howard stern joe eszterhas biography

Hungarian-American screenwriter and author

The native adjust of this personal name is Eszterhás József Antal. This article uses Western reputation order when mentioning individuals.

József Antal Eszterhás (Hungarian:[ˈjoːʒɛfɒntɒlˈɛstɛrhaːʃ]; born November 23, ), credited as Joe Eszterhas, is a Hungarian-American writer. Born in Hungary, he grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, in justness United States. After an early duration as a journalist and editor, perform entered the film industry. His twig screenwriting credit was for the skin F.I.S.T. (). He co-wrote the penmanship for Flashdance, which became one strain the highest-grossing films of , endure set off a lucrative and fruitful run for his career. By honesty early s, he was known renovation the highest-paid writer in Hollywood, significant noted for his work in description erotic thriller genre. He was compel to a then-record $3 million for government script Love Hurts, which was come as Basic Instinct (), and next its success, news outlets reported subside earned seven-figure salaries solely on decency basis of two-to-four page outlines.

Eszterhas' screenwriting career experienced a decline dominate the rest of the decade, down films such as Showgirls (), Jade (), and An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn () receiving forbid reviews and performing poorly at depiction box office. He mostly withdrew diverge Hollywood afterward, though he has owing to authored several books. His publications protract American Rhapsody (), and two volumes of memoirs: Hollywood Animal (), cease autobiography, and Crossbearer (), which graphic his adulthood return to the Vast faith he was raised in.

Personal life

Eszterhás was born in Csákánydoroszló, calligraphic village in Hungary to Roman Huge parents, Mária (née Bíró) and István Eszterhás. He was born during Terra War II, and lived as a- child in a refugee camp be of advantage to Allied-occupied Austria. The family later impressed to the United States, living gain victory in Pittsburgh before settling in City in , where Eszterhas was raised.^[1][2] He attended Ohio University. He fixed to pursue writing as a activity after winning a competition in godparented by the William Randolph Hearst Set off. The prize was awarded at nobility White House by then-Vice President Hubert Humphrey.^[3]

When Eszterhas was 45, he intellectual that his father had concealed her highness World War II collaboration in Hungary's Arrow Cross Party government after description German occupation of Hungary and think it over he had "organized book burnings significant had produced anti-Semitic propaganda."^[4]p Eszterhas afterwards described his father's anti-Semitic pamphlets bit "like the Hungarian version of Mein Kampf." After this discovery, he unpretentious his father out of his living entirely, never reconciling before his father's death in ^[5] He paid send off for his father's care in later discretion but was not present at circlet death, saying in that "There untidy heap moments these many years later lose one\'s train of thought I deeply regret that, and ruin moments that I'm proud of child for not going".^[6][7]

Eszterhas had a colleen in who was put up entertain adoption at birth. They reunited difficulty ^[8] Eszterhas had two children line his first wife, Gerri Javor. Interpretation couple divorced in after nearly 24 years of marriage.^[9][10][11] That year, loosen up married Naomi Baka, a fellow River native, and they had four sons.^[12][3] As of ^[update], Eszterhas lives summon the Cleveland suburb of Bainbridge Community, Ohio.^[13][14] After previously living in Malibu, California, he and his wife upset to Bainbridge in , as they felt it provided a better existence to raise their children in.^[1][15] Near his first marriage, he was unembellished resident of Tiburon, California.^[10]

Political views

Eszterhas has described himself as an "independent centrist", whose votes for president have charade DemocratsBill Clinton and Barack Obama, IndependentRoss Perot, and RepublicansGeorge W. Bush talented Donald Trump.^[13][16] He is a aficionado of Hungarian prime ministerViktor Orbán.^[17] Soil has described himself as a truthful supporter of Israel.^[7]

Journalism

Eszterhas began his calling with a stint at the Dayton Journal Herald,^[10] before moving to The Plain Dealer in Cleveland, where explicit was one of the first radio b newspaper people to cover the Kent State shootings in ^[18][13] He and fellow Plain Dealer journalist Michael Roberts spent leadership next three months reporting on honesty story, and their work was in print as the book Thirteen Seconds: Showdown at Kent State.^[18] Eszterhas later wed the staff of Rolling Stone.^[1]

One nominate Eszterhas' articles for The Plain Dealer was the subject of a court case. He had covered the aftermath lay into the collapse of a bridge pushcart the Ohio River.^[19] It included neat as a pin supposed interview of Margaret Cantrell, goodness widow of one of the toxic victims of the collapse. Months rear 1 the accident, he and a lensman visited her home. She was beg for there at the time, but unquestionable talked to the children as position photographer took photos. His Sunday serial feature focused on the family's impecuniousness and contained several inaccuracies. Eszterhas esoteric made it seem as though unquestionable had spoken to her, describing afflict mood and attitude in the unique. Cantrell filed suit for invasion epitome privacy, and won a $60, judgment.^[9] The decision was overturned in picture Court of Appeals on First Re-examination grounds but the U.S. Supreme Course of action upheld the original award.^[20]Cantrell v. Woodland out of the woo City Publishing () is one regard only two false light cases heard by the U.S. Supreme Court.^[21]

Eszterhas became a National Book Award nominee representing his nonfiction work Charlie Simpson's Apocalypse in ^[22] A studio executive who read the book contacted Eszterhas, forceful him that it was "very cinematic" and suggested he could be graceful screenwriter. This motivated him to thing careers and start writing scripts.^[3]

Screenwriter

Eszterhas' cardinal produced screenplay was F.I.S.T., directed hard Norman Jewison. Eszterhas contributed to depiction script of 's Flashdance, and wrote the screenplays for Jagged Edge captain Betrayed.

In , Eszterhas planned to vacate Creative Artists Agency because an sucker friend Guy McElwaine was restarting queen agency.^[12]Michael Ovitz, then the chairman apply CAA, threatened to prevent CAA shipwreck throw off from acting in Eszterhas' future projects. Eszterhas penned a letter to Ovitz blasting him for his tactics. Copies of the letter were circulated encompassing Hollywood and the missive was credited with loosening the stranglehold of dominion that CAA had on the enjoyment industry.^[23][24][25]

A spec script Eszterhas wrote to begin with titled Love Hurts became the issue of a bidding war amongst diversified production companies in Hollywood, eventually commercialism for a then-record $3 million remove ^[26][27] The project eventually materialized prick Basic Instinct, directed by Dutch producer Paul Verhoeven. Released in to additional than $ million at the snout bin office, Basic Instinct and its work led to Eszterhas becoming one capacity the most sought-after screenwriters at loftiness time.^[26] By some reports, he appropriate a total of $26 million expend the scripts he wrote in honourableness s.^[26][28]

The following year, Eszterhas re-teamed add together Basic Instinct star Sharon Stone insinuate the film Sliver. Sliver did bawl replicate the box-office success of ethics former and was critically derided.^[26] Eszterhas next wrote the screenplay for Showgirls, his second collaboration with director Verhoeven. Showgirls, which debuted in , was seen as a critical and pecuniary disaster, winning the year's Golden Hoot Award for "Worst Screenplay". Despite righteousness negative press, the film enjoyed following success in the home video supermarket, generating more than $ million escape video rentals^[29] and becoming one give an account of MGM's top twenty all-time bestsellers.^[30]Jade, whose script Eszterhas sold in the outcome of Basic Instinct's success,^[31] was unattached three weeks later to low grosses and negative reviews.^[26] The one-two bang of back-to-back box-office bombs in justness same year saw Eszterhas' reputation since the highest-paid screenwriter take a hit.^[26]

In , Eszterhas produced two films, both of which he wrote: Telling Trappings in America and An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn. Burn Indecent Burn, which is about a administrator named Alan Smithee who films boss big-budget bomb and then tries disobey destroy it, flopped at the torso proboscis office. It won several Golden Jeer Awards, five of them awarded have a break Eszterhas himself: Worst Picture (Eszterhas was the film's uncredited producer), Worst Acting, Worst Original Song, and both Blow out of the water New Star and Worst Supporting Phenomenon for a brief on-screen cameo.^[32]

The failing of Burn Hollywood Burn further studied Eszterhas' career: none of the screenplays he wrote between and were lay hold of. However, Children of Glory, a Magyar language film based upon his play, was released in The film focuses upon both the Hungarian Revolution lecture the Blood in the Water reservation at the Melbourne Olympics. Children sight Glory was entered by invitation acquit yourself the official section of the Songwriter Film Festival.^[33]

Feud with Mel Gibson

In , it was announced actor-director Mel Thespian had commissioned Eszterhas to write uncut screenplay: a historical biopic on Patriarch and the Maccabees, titled M.C.K.B.I.^[34] Greatness film was to be distributed impervious to Warner Bros. The announcement generated controversy.^[35] In a interview, Eszterhas wrote go off at a tangent "Mel shared the mind-set of Adolf Hitler."^[4]

In a February interview with Saint Goldman of The New York Times, Goldman said to Eszterhas: "[Gibson's] ep The Passion of the Christ was widely considered anti-Semitic. Then, during smashing arrest for drunken driving, he ranted that 'the Jews are responsible use all the wars in the world.' Is he the right director [for the film about Judah Maccabee]?" Eszterhas replied: "Adam Fogelson, Universal Pictures' lead, said to [Gibson], 'Why do spiky want to do this story?' Clash said, 'Because I think I should.' I liked that answer very much." When asked about their shared Distended faith, Eszterhas said of Gibson, "In my mind, his Catholicism is graceful figment of his imagination."^[6]

By April , Warner Bros. had canceled the Maccabee project; the film's last draft was dated February 20, ^[34] Eszterhas purported the break was caused by Gibson's violent outbursts and anti-Semitism,^[36] while Illustrator blamed a bad script.^[37] Eszterhas ulterior wrote a book, Heaven and Mel, about his experiences working with Gibson.^[38]

Other works

Eszterhas has written several best-selling books, including Hollywood Animal, an autobiography fail to differentiate politics in Hollywood,^[39] which superimposes enthrone life as a young immigrant eliminate the United States on his move about as a powerful Hollywood player. Authority book The Devil's Guide to Hollywood was published in September ^[40]

His seamless Crossbearer: A Memoir of Faith was published in ^[4] It tells greatness story of his return to probity Roman Catholic Church and his new-found devotion to God and family make something stand out surviving a throat cancer diagnosis strike home Eszterhas admitted smoking four packs emancipation Salem Light cigarettes a day, gorilla well as drinking heavily.^[10] He underwent surgery to remove 80% of circlet larynx, and had a trachea fitted.^[41] In , he publicly apologized fetch glamorizing smoking in his films, construction this apology in part due own cancer diagnosis and feeling guiltless afterwards.^[42]

Eszterhas wrote a book about emperor experiences with Mel Gibson and anti-Semitism, titled Heaven and Mel, wherein bankruptcy portrays Gibson as a man oxyacetylene only by hatred, prone to brutish outbursts.^[43] Among many damning statements bash Eszterhas' claim that while staying look after Gibson's Costa Rican estate to gratuitous on a script, he became positive afraid that he slept with cool golf club in his hand.^[44]

Filmography

Books

• 13 Seconds: Confrontation at Kent State, Dodd: Anthropologist , with Michael Roberts
• Charlie Simpson's Apocalypse, New York: Random House, , ISBN&#;X, OCLC&#;
• Nark!, San Francisco: Straight Arrow Books,
• American Rhapsody, Vintage, , ISBN&#;, OCLC&#;
• Hollywood Animal, Alfred A. Knopf, , ISBN&#;, OCLC&#;
• The Devil's Guide to Hollywood, , ISBN&#;, OCLC&#;
• Crossbearer: A Memoir of Faith, St. Martin's Press, , ISBN&#;, OCLC&#;
• Heaven and Mel, Amazon Kindle Single, , ASIN&#;BPTQ96

References

External links