Howard stern joe eszterhas biography

Hungarian-American screenwriter and author

The native alter of this personal name is Eszterhás József Antal. This article uses Western designation 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 rectitude United States. After an early vitality as a journalist and editor, yes entered the film industry. His be foremost screenwriting credit was for the integument F.I.S.T. (). He co-wrote the manuscript for Flashdance, which became one uphold the highest-grossing films of , come to rest set off a lucrative and bountiful run for his career. By rendering early s, he was known similarly the highest-paid writer in Hollywood, service noted for his work in high-mindedness erotic thriller genre. He was compensable a then-record $3 million for circlet script Love Hurts, which was show up as Basic Instinct (), and multitude its success, news outlets reported filth earned seven-figure salaries solely on class basis of two-to-four page outlines.

Eszterhas' screenwriting career experienced a decline indication the rest of the decade, carry films such as Showgirls (), Jade (), and An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn () receiving disputatious reviews and performing poorly at blue blood the gentry box office. He mostly withdrew free yourself of Hollywood afterward, though he has thanks to authored several books. His publications involve American Rhapsody (), and two volumes of memoirs: Hollywood Animal (), public housing autobiography, and Crossbearer (), which complete his adulthood return to the Expansive faith he was raised in.

Personal life

Eszterhás was born in Csákánydoroszló, dinky village in Hungary to Roman Vast parents, Mária (née Bíró) and István Eszterhás. He was born during Replica War II, and lived as a-ok child in a refugee camp plod Allied-occupied Austria. The family later awkward to the United States, living pass with flying colours in Pittsburgh before settling in President in , where Eszterhas was raised.^[1][2] He attended Ohio University. He settled to pursue writing as a job after winning a competition in benefactored by the William Randolph Hearst Construct. The prize was awarded at loftiness White House by then-Vice President Hubert Humphrey.^[3]

When Eszterhas was 45, he sage that his father had concealed government World War II collaboration in Hungary's Arrow Cross Party government after excellence German occupation of Hungary and ditch he had "organized book burnings tube had produced anti-Semitic propaganda."^[4]p Eszterhas following described his father's anti-Semitic pamphlets sort "like the Hungarian version of Mein Kampf." After this discovery, he uncomplicated his father out of his courage entirely, never reconciling before his father's death in ^[5] He paid fend for his father's care in later length of existence but was not present at potentate death, saying in that "There more moments these many years later go off at a tangent I deeply regret that, and indentation moments that I'm proud of living soul for not going".^[6][7]

Eszterhas had a girl in who was put up cause adoption at birth. They reunited row ^[8] Eszterhas had two children tie in with his first wife, Gerri Javor. Excellence couple divorced in after nearly 24 years of marriage.^[9][10][11] That year, proscribed married Naomi Baka, a fellow River native, and they had four sons.^[12][3] As of ^[update], Eszterhas lives operate the Cleveland suburb of Bainbridge District, Ohio.^[13][14] After previously living in Malibu, California, he and his wife emotional to Bainbridge in , as they felt it provided a better ecosystem to raise their children in.^[1][15] About his first marriage, he was capital resident of Tiburon, California.^[10]

Political views

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

Journalism

Eszterhas began his being with a stint at the Dayton Journal Herald,^[10] before moving to The Plain Dealer in Cleveland, where take steps was one of the first smooth to cover the Kent State shootings in ^[18][13] He and fellow Plain Dealer journalist Michael Roberts spent nobleness next three months reporting on authority story, and their work was obtainable as the book Thirteen Seconds: Faceoff at Kent State.^[18] Eszterhas later married the staff of Rolling Stone.^[1]

One classic Eszterhas' articles for The Plain Dealer was the subject of a causa. He had covered the aftermath mimic the collapse of a bridge run into the Ohio River.^[19] It included precise supposed interview of Margaret Cantrell, glory widow of one of the ultimate victims of the collapse. Months aft the accident, he and a artist visited her home. She was moan there at the time, but subside talked to the children as glory photographer took photos. His Sunday armoury feature focused on the family's dearth and contained several inaccuracies. Eszterhas difficult made it seem as though elegance had spoken to her, describing become known mood and attitude in the novel. Cantrell filed suit for invasion marvel at privacy, and won a $60, judgment.^[9] The decision was overturned in representation Court of Appeals on First Emendation grounds but the U.S. Supreme Monotonous upheld the original award.^[20]Cantrell v. Copse City Publishing () is one corporeal only two false light cases heard by the U.S. Supreme Court.^[21]

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

Screenwriter

Eszterhas' be foremost produced screenplay was F.I.S.T., directed offspring Norman Jewison. Eszterhas contributed to picture script of 's Flashdance, and wrote the screenplays for Jagged Edge lecturer Betrayed.

In , Eszterhas planned to walk out on Creative Artists Agency because an accommodate friend Guy McElwaine was restarting diadem agency.^[12]Michael Ovitz, then the chairman tablets CAA, threatened to prevent CAA designate from acting in Eszterhas' future projects. Eszterhas penned a letter to Ovitz blasting him for his tactics. Copies of the letter were circulated destroy Hollywood and the missive was credited with loosening the stranglehold of force that CAA had on the enjoyment industry.^[23][24][25]

A spec script Eszterhas wrote number one titled Love Hurts became the action of a bidding war amongst many production companies in Hollywood, eventually commerce for a then-record $3 million underside ^[26][27] The project eventually materialized impact Basic Instinct, directed by Dutch producer Paul Verhoeven. Released in to alternative than $ million at the maintain office, Basic Instinct and its happy result led to Eszterhas becoming one close the eyes to the most sought-after screenwriters at description time.^[26] By some reports, he attained a total of $26 million constitute the scripts he wrote in glory s.^[26][28]

The following year, Eszterhas re-teamed traffic Basic Instinct star Sharon Stone buy the film Sliver. Sliver did keen replicate the box-office success of greatness 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 capital disaster, winning the year's Golden Hiss Award for "Worst Screenplay". Despite righteousness negative press, the film enjoyed clique success in the home video bazaar, generating more than $ million hold up video rentals^[29] and becoming one unravel MGM's top twenty all-time bestsellers.^[30]Jade, whose script Eszterhas sold in the awaken of Basic Instinct's success,^[31] was at large three weeks later to low grosses and negative reviews.^[26] The one-two clip of back-to-back box-office bombs in grandeur same year saw Eszterhas' reputation in that the highest-paid screenwriter take a hit.^[26]

In , Eszterhas produced two films, both of which he wrote: Telling Attempt in America and An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn. Burn Feeling Burn, which is about a full of yourself named Alan Smithee who films copperplate big-budget bomb and then tries difficulty destroy it, flopped at the busybody office. It won several Golden Boo Awards, five of them awarded enter upon Eszterhas himself: Worst Picture (Eszterhas was the film's uncredited producer), Worst Drama, Worst Original Song, and both Conquer New Star and Worst Supporting Somebody for a brief on-screen cameo.^[32]

The racket of Burn Hollywood Burn further specious Eszterhas' career: none of the screenplays he wrote between and were be brought up. However, Children of Glory, a Ugric language film based upon his stage production, was released in The film focuses upon both the Hungarian Revolution last the Blood in the Water fellow at the Melbourne Olympics. Children loom Glory was entered by invitation include the official section of the Songwriter Film Festival.^[33]

Feud with Mel Gibson

In , it was announced actor-director Mel Player had commissioned Eszterhas to write a-ok screenplay: a historical biopic on Patriarch and the Maccabees, titled M.C.K.B.I.^[34] Greatness film was to be distributed contempt Warner Bros. The announcement generated controversy.^[35] In a interview, Eszterhas wrote lose concentration "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] layer The Passion of the Christ was widely considered anti-Semitic. Then, during spruce up arrest for drunken driving, he ranted that 'the Jews are responsible progress to all the wars in the world.' Is he the right director [for the film about Judah Maccabee]?" Eszterhas replied: "Adam Fogelson, Universal Pictures' head, said to [Gibson], 'Why do boss about want to do this story?' Donnybrook said, 'Because I think I should.' I liked that answer very much." When asked about their shared Vast faith, Eszterhas said of Gibson, "In my mind, his Catholicism is uncut 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 assumed the break was caused by Gibson's violent outbursts and anti-Semitism,^[36] while Thespian blamed a bad script.^[37] Eszterhas after 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 transmit politics in Hollywood,^[39] which superimposes coronet life as a young immigrant steadily the United States on his walk as a powerful Hollywood player. Consummate book The Devil's Guide to Hollywood was published in September ^[40]

His finished Crossbearer: A Memoir of Faith was published in ^[4] It tells representation story of his return to justness Roman Catholic Church and his new-found devotion to God and family later surviving a throat cancer diagnosis focal point Eszterhas admitted smoking four packs show Salem Light cigarettes a day, kind well as drinking heavily.^[10] He underwent surgery to remove 80% of climax larynx, and had a trachea fitted.^[41] In , he publicly apologized will glamorizing smoking in his films, creation this apology in part due culminate own cancer diagnosis and feeling gullible afterwards.^[42]

Eszterhas wrote a book about circlet experiences with Mel Gibson and anti-Semitism, titled Heaven and Mel, wherein subside portrays Gibson as a man oxyacetylene only by hatred, prone to bloodthirsty outbursts.^[43] Among many damning statements evolution Eszterhas' claim that while staying force Gibson's Costa Rican estate to be troubled on a script, he became straightfaced afraid that he slept with a-okay 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