Topzle Topzle

James Toback

Updated: Wikipedia source

James Toback

James Lee Toback (, born November 23, 1944) is an American screenwriter and film director. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 1991 for Bugsy. He has directed films including The Pick-up Artist, Two Girls and a Guy and Black and White. In 2018, the Los Angeles Times reported that 395 women had accused Toback of sexual harassment or assault over a 40-year period. Toback denied all the allegations. In 2022, 38 women filed a lawsuit in New York accusing him of sexual abuse. The suit eventually involved 40 accusers and, on April 9, 2025, resulted in a verdict and order against Toback requiring him to pay $1.68 billion to the women.

Infobox

Born
James Lee Toback (1944-11-23) November 23, 1944 (age 81)Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
Alma mater
Harvard University
Occupations
mw- .inline, .inline dl, .inline ol, .inline ul, dl dl, dl ol, dl ul, ol dl, ol ol dd dd dd , dd dt , dd li , dt dd , dt dt , dt li , li dd dd dd , dd dt , dd li , dt dd , dt dt , dt li , li dd dd ol li Screenwriterfilm director
Spouses
mw- Consuelo Sarah Churchill Vanderbilt Russell (m. 1968, divorced) Stephanie Kempf (current)

Tables

· Filmography
1974
The Gambler
Role(s)
No
Notes
Yes
1978
Fingers
Role(s)
Yes
Notes
Yes
1982
Love and Money
Role(s)
Yes
Notes
Yes
1983
Exposed
Role(s)
Yes
Notes
Yes
1987
The Pick-up Artist
Role(s)
Yes
Notes
Yes
1991
Bugsy
Role(s)
No
Notes
Yes
1997
Two Girls and a Guy
Role(s)
Yes
Notes
Yes
1999
Black and White
Role(s)
Yes
Notes
Yes
2001
Harvard Man
Role(s)
Yes
Notes
Yes
2004
When Will I Be Loved
Role(s)
Yes
Notes
Yes
2017
The Private Life of a Modern Woman
Role(s)
Yes
Notes
Yes
Year
Title
Director
Writer
Producer
Notes
1974
The Gambler
No
Yes
No
1978
Fingers
Yes
Yes
No
1982
Love and Money
Yes
Yes
Yes
1983
Exposed
Yes
Yes
Yes
1987
The Pick-up Artist
Yes
Yes
No
1991
Bugsy
No
Yes
No
Nominated − Academy Award for Best Original ScreenplayNominated − Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay
1997
Two Girls and a Guy
Yes
Yes
No
1999
Black and White
Yes
Yes
No
2001
Harvard Man
Yes
Yes
No
2004
When Will I Be Loved
Yes
Yes
No
2017
The Private Life of a Modern Woman
Yes
Yes
No
Later re-titled An Imperfect Murder
· Filmography
1989
The Big Bang
Role(s)
Yes
Notes
Yes
2008
Tyson
Role(s)
Yes
Notes
Yes
2013
Seduced and Abandoned
Role(s)
Yes
Notes
Yes
Year
Title
Director
Writer
Producer
1989
The Big Bang
Yes
Yes
No
2008
Tyson
Yes
Yes
Yes
2013
Seduced and Abandoned
Yes
Yes
Yes

References

  1. Harvard Alumni Bulletin
    https://books.google.com/books?id=qsTlAAAAMAAJ
  2. The New York Observer
    https://observer.com/2004/09/selfhating-james-toback-asks-when-will-i-be-loved/
  3. Glenn Whipp, 395: the number of women who have contacted The Times with allegations of sexual harassment against James T
    https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-mn-james-toback-women-sexual-harassment-breaking-silence-20180107-story.html
  4. The Guardian
    https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/apr/10/james-toback-will-not-face-sexual-abuse-charges-due-to-time-limits-la-prosecutor-says
  5. Associated Press News
    https://apnews.com/article/new-york-lawsuits-sexual-abuse-statutes-1d036352a3df05ee442071a5c358b18e
  6. Los Angeles Times
    https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2022-12-06/james-toback-sexual-misconduct-lawsuit#:~:text=The%20lawsuit%20accuses%20Toback%2C%20who,and%2For%20battered%20them.%E2%80%9D
  7. Variety
    https://variety.com/2025/film/news/james-toback-verdict-sex-assault-suit-40-women-1236365217/
  8. jta.org
    https://www.jta.org/2017/10/23/united-states/dozens-of-women-accuse-jewish-director-james-toback-of-sexual-harassment
  9. Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook 2010
    https://books.google.com/books?id=-1aM7D_ymdAC&dq=%22james+toback%22+irwin&pg=PA545
  10. The New York Times
    https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9806E5DB153AF93BA35753C1A9609C8B63
  11. The New York Times
    https://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/08/realestate/08deal2.html
  12. The New York Times
    https://www.nytimes.com/2001/02/04/movies/film-the-rare-producer-honored-for-his-art.html
  13. The Harvard Crimson
    https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2023/2/14/harvard-club-lawsuit-james-toback/
  14. Vanity Fair
    https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2014/03/james-toback-hollywood-education
  15. Jim Brown: All-American
  16. Salon
    https://www.salon.com/2002/07/02/toback_2/
  17. The New York Times
    https://www.nytimes.com/1971/05/16/archives/jim-the-authors-selfcentered-memoir-on-the-great-jim-brown-by-james.html
  18. DP/30 @Sundance: Tyson, director James Toback
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vRxw_wLy24
  19. Here's the Thing: James Toback
    https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/heresthething/episodes/james-toback
  20. Pauline Kael: A Life in the Dark
  21. "17th Annual Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards − 1991"
    http://lafca.net/Years/1991.php
  22. "The 64th Academy Awards − 1992"
    https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1992
  23. "Golden Globe Awards − James Toback"
    https://www.goldenglobes.com/person/james-toback
  24. Mick LaSalle
    https://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/FILM-CLIPS-2520641.php#flick
  25. Tyson
    https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/films/tyson
  26. "Tyson (2008) Awards"
    https://m.imdb.com/title/tt1032821/awards/?ref_=tt_awd
  27. "Big Screen: SF Film Society Awards Gala | 7x7"
    https://web.archive.org/web/20090525140937/http://www.7x7.com/blogs/bigelow-report/big-screen-sf-film-society-awards-gala
  28. "Movies: Exposed"
    https://www.newyorker.com/goings-on-about-town/movies/exposed
  29. "Reviews: Two Girls and A Guy"
    https://variety.com/1997/film/reviews/two-girls-and-a-guy-1117329520/
  30. "Retrospective: Previous Honorees"
    https://www.filmfest-oldenburg.de/en/about/honorees/
  31. Pauline Kael: A Life in the Dark
  32. "James Toback: Reviews"
    https://www.rogerebert.com/cast-and-crew/james-toback
  33. The Outsider: A Film about James Toback — Bonus Features/Deleted and Extended Scenes/Extended Ebert
  34. The Hollywood Reporter
    https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/lifestyle-news/how-a-film-writer-grappled-metoo-accusations-friend-james-toback-1178297/
  35. The Atlantic
    https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2011/04/the-pickup-artist-comes-back-to-life-in-spy-magazine-archives/73335/
  36. Slate
    https://slate.com/arts/2017/11/the-spy-reporters-who-broke-the-james-toback-story.html
  37. Los Angeles Times
    https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-mn-james-toback-sexual-harassment-allegations-20171018-story.html
  38. BBC News
    https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-41720154
  39. The New York Times
    https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/27/us/james-toback-accusations.html
  40. NPR
    https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/10/23/559458214/director-james-toback-accused-of-harassment-by-dozens-of-women
  41. The Hollywood Reporter
    https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/greys-anatomys-caterina-scorsone-claims-james-toback-sexually-harassed-her-1053375
  42. New York Daily News
    http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/200-women-accuse-director-james-toback-sexual-harassment-article-1.3585912
  43. expressdigest.com
    https://expressdigest.com/becky-wahlstrom-accuses-james-toback-of-sexual-assault/
  44. YouTube
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8F9FK9_irWQ
  45. The Washington Post
    https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/10/23/director-james-toback-accused-of-sexual-abuse-by-38-women/
  46. The Hollywood Reporter
    https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/los-angeles-district-attorney-declines-five-sex-assault-cases-james-toback-1101096
  47. The Hollywood Reporter
    https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/new-york-adult-survivor-act-lawsuits-1235299416/
  48. The New York Times
    https://www.nytimes.com/2000/01/16/movies/spring-films-outsiders-his-life-is-a-movie-and-he-s-the-star.html
  49. Los Angeles Times
    https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-05-11-ca-1089-story.html
  50. Intelligencer
    https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2018/04/new-york-magazine-first-issue.html
  51. Film Comment
    https://www.filmcomment.com/article/unproduced-and-unfinished-films-l-through-z-a-ongoing-film-comment-project/
  52. IndieWire
    https://web.archive.org/web/20230530222024/https://www.indiewire.com/news/general-news/35-years-in-the-making-james-toback-may-finally-shoot-his-victoria-woodhull-movie-is-cool-with-the-gambler-remake-now-92305/
  53. Harvard Magazine
    https://www.harvardmagazine.com/sites/default/files/html/1999/03/alumni.toback.html
  54. Variety
    https://variety.com/1998/voices/columns/liberty-rings-femmes-say-hello-young-lovers-1117477807/
  55. Variety
    https://variety.com/1996/voices/columns/wag-snags-levinson-in-sphere-time-1117466240/
  56. Variety
    https://variety.com/1998/film/news/toback-finds-love-in-paris-1117489013/
  57. The New York Times
    https://archive.nytimes.com/carpetbagger.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/28/james-toback-goes-from-mike-tyson-to-john-delorean/
  58. Variety
    https://variety.com/2011/film/news/toback-carpanzano-on-board-for-gotti-1118043290/
  59. Variety
    https://variety.com/2017/film/spotlight/brett-ratner-walk-of-fame-1201963875/
Image
Source: —
Tip: Wheel or +/− to zoom, drag to pan, Esc to close.