Without James L. Brooks, stars like Jack Nicholson or Shirley MacLaine in Hollywood wouldn’t have made it that far. Nicholson owes two of his three Oscars to the collaboration with the director and screenwriter. Brooks, who turns 80 on Saturday (May 9), cast Nicholson in 1984 for the mother-daughter drama “Time of Tenderness”.
Nicholson won the Oscar for best supporting actress, Shirley MacLaine the trophy for best leading actress. But the real sensation on the Oscarbühne was Hollywood newcomer Brooks. At the age of 43, he had just made his first feature film and immediately won the trophies for best director, screenwriter and the top Oscar for producing the best film. He is one of a small elite of multi-talents, including Billy Wilder, Francis Ford Coppola and Peter Jackson, who won three awards in one Oscar night.
Born in New York, Brooks is a Hollywood nerd. In his long career, he has made six feature films, but has been nominated for an Oscar eight times. Another hit was the media satire “Nachrichtenfieber-Broadcast News” (1987) about a romantic triangle in the tough journalist milieu of an American news broadcaster.
The director knew the working environment at US Networks from his own experience. In the 1960s he started as a news writer in New York, then rose to become a TV producer in Hollywood. The first hit was the cheeky “Mary Tyler Moore Show” (1970-1977) about an unmarried TV producer at a news station who savored her single life and had a successful career.
At the time, Brooks picked up the first of his 20 Emmy trophies, which he has won more with the cult series “The Simpsons”. Together with “Simpsons” creator Matt Groening, producer Brooks made the weird family around father Homer and mother Marge the longest-lasting US main evening series and one of the most successful TV formats in the world.
At the New York Tribeca Film Festival last year, Groening and Brooks celebrated the 30th “Simpsons” anniversary. The producer joked about his success in a panel discussion. As a student, he always felt like a “total loser”. In fact, he had grown up in poor conditions; the father had left the family early.
When asked what kept him awake at night, the biting answer came: “I’ve been suffering from insomnia since Donald Trump became president.” On Twitter, where he describes himself as an “author, director, normal guy”, Brooks often shares against the US president.
With the relationship comedy “How do you know it’s love?” Brooks brought his last directorial work to the screen in 2010. He was able to win Hollywood stars such as Reese Witherspoon, Owen Wilson and Paul Rudd as the main actors. Jack Nicholson – in his last appearance so far – also plays a supporting role.
From: APA / dpa
–
