Born Irwin Mazursky on April 25, 1930, in Brooklyn, NY, he studied literature at Brooklyn College. Upon graduating in 1951, he moved to Greenwich Village, where he studied method acting under Lee Strasberg. In 1959, Mazurskycame to Los Angeles, and worked with the U.C.L.A. repertory company. In 1963, he signed on as a writer for television's Danny Kaye Show, and two years later wrote the pilot for The Monkees. In 1969 Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice; a candid comedy about the "new morality" of the sexual revolution, the film was a massive hit, earning close to 20 million dollars. Its success gave Mazurskythe freedom to make movies according to his preference, and he responded with 1970's Alex in Wonderland, the clearly autobiographical tale of a young filmmaker pondering his future. In 1973 he directed Blumein Love. After securing the backing of 20th Century Fox, he made Harry and Tontoin 1974, directing star Art Carney to an Academy Award. Mazursky's next directorial effort, An Unmarried Woman, remains the most highly regarded of his pictures, with an Oscar nomination for Best Picture as well as a Best Actress nomination for star Jill Clayburgh. In 1980 he directed Willie and Phil--an homage to Francois Truffaut's Jules et Jimand in 1982 Tempest, an update of the Shakespeare drama, starring John Cassavetes, Susan Saradonand GenaRowlands. He then directed the 1984 comedy Moscow on the Hudson, a vehicle for Robin Williams and in 1986 Mazursky scored his biggest success in years with the satire Down and Out in Beverly Hills, starring Bette Midler, Nick Nolte and Richard Dreyfuss. 1988 brought Moon Over Parador, starring Richard Dreyfuss, Raul Julia and Sonia Braga. With 1989's adaptation of Isaac Bashevis Singer's Enemies, a Love Story, Mazurskyachieved new levels of acclaim, scoring Best Director honors from the New York Critics' Circle and leading stars AnjelicaHuston and Lena Olin to Academy Award nominations.
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