James Ivory

For other uses, see James Ivory (disambiguation).

James Ivory
Ivory at the 48th Venice International Film Festival in 1991
Born
Richard Jerome Hazen

(1928-06-07) June 7, 1928 (age 96)
Berkeley, California, U.S.
Alma mater
Occupations
  • Film director
  • producer
  • screenwriter
Years active1953–present
PartnerIsmail Merchant (1961–2005; Merchant's death)

James Francis Ivory (born Richard Jerome Hazen[1] June 7, 1928) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He was a principal in Merchant Ivory Productions along with Indian film producer Ismail Merchant (his domestic and professional partner) and screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. The trio is known for making film adaptations of stories by authors such as E.M. Forster and Henry James. Their body of work is celebrated for its elegance, sophistication, literary fidelity, strong performances, complex themes, and rich characters.[2]

Merchant–Ivory was established in 1961 in India where they made modestly budgeted films including The Householder (1963), Shakespeare Wallah (1965), and Bombay Talkie (1970). Ivory began adapting films from classic novels such as The Europeans (1979), Quartet (1981), Heat and Dust (1983), The Bostonians (1984), Maurice (1987), and Mr. & Mrs. Bridge (1990). During this period he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director for A Room with a View (1985), Howards End (1992), and The Remains of the Day (1993). At the age of 89, Ivory won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for his work on Luca Guadagnino's Call Me by Your Name (2017).[3]

Over his career, Ivory has earned numerous accolades including an Academy Award, three BAFTA Awards, and a Writers Guild of America Award as well as nominations for three Golden Globe Awards. He received the Directors Guild of America Lifetime Achievement Award in 1995. Ivory released his autobiography Solid Ivory: Memoirs (2021) and directed the documentary A Cooler Climate (2022).

  1. ^ Jacobs, Alexandra (November 2, 2021). "James Ivory, Famous for Buttoned-Up Films, Is Frank About Sex and Much Else in His Memoir". The New York Times. p. C1. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  2. ^ "Where to begin with Merchant Ivory". British Film Institute. July 28, 2017. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  3. ^ "James Ivory becomes Oscar's oldest winner with 'Call Me by Your Name'". The Los Angeles Times. March 5, 2018. Retrieved May 24, 2024.