Background:

“As a filmmaker, I don't direct. I take away. I extract. Orson (Welles ) said I was like an old Eskimo carving away at a walrus tusk, trying to find what's inside.” Henry Jaglom

London-born American actor, director and writer Henry Jaglom received the Critics Award nomination at the Deauville Film Festival for the art-house hit “Eating” (1990) and the Grand Jury Prize nomination at the AFI Fest for “Déjà Vu” (1997), which starred his wife and writing partner, Victoria Foyt. Jaglom and Foyt began writing their script together for “Babyfever” (1994), followed by “Last Summer in the Hamptons” (1995), “Déjà Vu” (1997), “Festival in Cannes” (2001) and “Going Shopping” (2003). Other films Jaglom has directed and written are “A Safe Place” (1971), “Tracks” (1977), “Can She Bake a Cherry Pie?” (1983), “Always (But Not Forever)” (1985), “Someone to Love” (1987), “Venice/Venice” (1992), “Hollywood Dreams” (2006), “Irene in Time” (2009) and “Queen of the Lot” (2010). The experienced auteur was given the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 1999 Method Fest. He also earned the Independent Filmmaker Award at the 2005 LA Femme Film Festival and the  Artistic Achievement Award at the 2006 Ashland Independent Film Festival. A graduate of the Actors Studio, Jaglom started his career in New York theater before moving to Los Angeles, where he made television guest appearances and acted in several films until he decided to focus on filmmaking. He also has written four plays that have been successfully performed on Los Angeles stages: “The Waiting Room” (1974), “A Safe Place” (2003), “Always-But Not Forever” (2007) and “Just 45 Minutes From Broadway” (2009/2010).

Jaglom's fans should look forward for the director's upcoming work in “Just 45 Minutes from Broadway” (2012) and “The M Word” (2013).

Jaglom has been married twice. His first marriage to first wife Patrice Townsend lasted from 1979 until 1983. He and second wife Victoria Foyt, whom he married in 1991, share two children. Jaglom has also been linked to various actresses like Andrea Marcovicci, Brenda Vaccaro, Karen Black, Natalie Wood and Tuesday Weld.


Henna

Childhood and Family:

In London, England, Henry Jaglom was born on January 26, 1941, to Simon Jaglom, an affluent Russian Jewish financier, and Marie. His family moved to New York from Europe when he was two years old. He attended the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, where he studied acting, and then continued to train under Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio in New York. Henry, whose nickname is Henna, has a brother named Michael E Jaglom. His brother frequently appeared in his films under the pseudonym Michael Emil.

In May 1979, Henry was married to Patrice Townsend, who was an assistant director on “Tracks” and acted in “Sitting Ducks” and “Always.” They divorced in 1983. He married second wife  American author, novelist, screenwriter and actress Victoria Foyt in 1991. The couple has two children together, daughter Sabrina Marie Jaglom (born December 1991) and son Simon Orson Jaglom (born 1994).


Eating

Career:

While living in NYC, Henry Jaglom acted off-Broadway and in summer stock and cabaret as well as wrote and directed some theater productions. In 1965, he moved to Los Angeles to try his hand in acting. Signed by Columbia-Screen Gems as a TV contract player, Jaglom guest starred in television shows like “Gidget” (1965, as Billy Roy Soames) and “The Flying Nun” (1967, as Bill Watkins) before making his feature acting debut in “Psych-Out,” a 1968 drama film starring Susan Strasberg, Dean Stockwell and Jack Nicholson and directed by Richard Rush.It was followed by a part in the adventure/war movie “The Thousand Plane Raid” (1969), starring Christopher George, Laraine Stephens and J.D. Cannon.

Jaglom had his first taste behind the camera in 1967 when he shot a three-hour 8mm silent movie on the frontline of the “Six Day War (Egypt vs. Israel).” This footage caught the eye of producer Bert Schneider of BBS Productions who then hired Jaglom to help edit Dennis Hopper's “Easy Rider” (1969), for which he earned credits as editorial consultant. In 1971, Jaglom eventually made his feature directing debut with “A Safe Place,” which he also wrote. Premiered at 1971 New York Film Festival, the drama starred his personal friend Jack Nicholson, Tuesday Weld, Orson Welles and Phil Proctor and produced by Bert Schneider. Although it was a flop in the United States, the film played at one Paris theater for seven years.   

Jaglom continued to act in such films as “Drive, He Said” (1971), which was directed by Jack Nicholson, the Dennis Hopper drama “The Last Movie” (1971), “The Other Side of the Wind” (1972), which was written and directed by Orson Welles, and the French comedy/romance “Lily, aime-moi” (1975), from director Maurice Dugowson. In 1974, he presented and financially supported  (through his Rainbow Pictures) the Academy Award winning documentary “Hearts and Minds,” about the Vietnam War, directed by Peter Davis. The same year, he wrote the play “The Waiting Room,” which was successfully performed on Los Angeles stages.

In 1977, Jaglom returned with his second effort, the Vietnam obsessed “Tracks,” starring Dennis Hooper. It was one of the earliest movies to look into the psychological cost on America of the Vietnam War. However, he did not enjoy her first commercial success until the release of his third feature, “Sitting Ducks” (1980), a brisk, funny sleeper following the adventures of two small-time thugs who steal a respectable amount of cash from a gambling syndicate. Starring Jaglom's real life brother, Michael Emil and Zack Norman, the film competed in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1980 Cannes Film Festival. Jaglom also appeared in the film as the bad guy.

After directing the segment “Municipalians” of “National Lampoon's Movie Madness” (1982), Jaglom wrote and directed the comedy “Can She Bake a Cherry Pie?” (1983), was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1983 Cannes Film Festival. The film starred a then girlfriend Karen Black as an unpredictable neurotic who had just been left by her husband. The follow up “Always (But Not Forever)” (1985) was a bittersweet account of the breakup of his marriage with Patrice Townsend,  which he starred himself along with his ex-wife. The film premiered at the Toronto Film Festival on September 7, 1985. Jaglom next directed Orson Welles in his last film performance, “Someone to Love,” which was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival, and “New Year's Day”(1989), a comedy/romance starring Maggie Wheeler, Gwen Welles and Melanie Winter that was chosen as the official US entry at the Venice Film Festival.  

Entering the 1990s, Jaglom directed and wrote the comedy/drama “Eating” (1990), starring Frances Bergen, Lisa Blake Richards and Nelly Alard. The film brought the director success at the art-house circuit and a nomination for the Critics Award at the Deauville Film Festival. He then directed, wrote and starred in “Venice/Venice” (1992), whose cast also included Nelly Alard, Melissa Leo, Suzanne Bertish, Daphna Kastner, David Duchovny and John Landis, and wrote the script for the independent film “Lucky Ducks” (1993). Jaglom initiated collaboration with wife Victoria Foyt for the 1994 comedy/drama film “Babyfever,” which the couple co-wrote and co-directed.  Foyt also played the leading role of Gena on the film. They reunited for the film “Last Summer in the Hamptons” (1995), which was directed by Jaglom, written by Jaglom and Foyt and starred Foyt in the lead role of Oona Hart. In 1997, Jaglom co-wrote (with Foyt) and directed “Déjà Vu,” a dramatic romance film starring Stephen Dillane, Vanessa Redgrave and Foyt. The film earned him the Grand Jury Prize at the AFI Fest.    

In 2001, Jaglom directed, edited and co-wrote (with Foyt) the comedy film “Festival in Cannes,” about filmmakers attempting to make deals during the Cannes Film. Starring Anouk Aimée, Greta Scacchi and Maximilian Schell, the film was screened at festivals like the 2001 AFI Film Festival, the 2002 International Film Festival Rotterdam and the 2002 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. In 2003, he wrote the stage adaptation of “A Safe Place.” Jaglom cast wife Foyt on the romance film “Going Shopping,” which he also wrote with her. It received limited theatrical release in the US on September 30, 2005. He then edited, directed and wrote the comedy “Hollywood Dreams” (2006), starring Tanna Frederick, Justin Kirk, David Proval, Karen Black, Eric Roberts, Seymour Cassel, and directed and wrote the indie film “Irene in Time” (2009), again starring his protégé, actress Tanna Frederick. He worked with Frederick for a third time for the comedy/drama film “Queen of the Lot” (2010). On stage, Jaglom wrote “Always—But Not Forever” (2007) and “Just 45 Minutes From Broadway” (2009/2010).   

Jaglom's new film, “Just 45 Minutes from Broadway,” which he both directed and wrote, is set to be released in 2012. It will star Tanna Frederick, Julie Davis and David Proval. Jaglom teamed up with Ron Vignone for the script of his upcoming film, “The M Word” (2013), which will star Frederick, Michael Imperioli and Gregory Harrison.     


Awards:

Ashland Independent Film Festival: Artistic Achievement Award, 2006

LA Femme Film Festival: Independent Filmmaker Award, 2005

Method Fest: Lifetime Achievement Award, 1999     
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