Joe Eszterhas co-wrote the script for Flashdance, which became one of the highest-grossing films of 1983, and set off a lucrative and prolific run for his career.
27 Facts About Joe Eszterhas
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Joe Eszterhas was paid a then-record $3 million for his script Love Hurts, which was produced as Basic Instinct, and following its success, news outlets reported he earned seven-figure payouts solely on the basis of two-to-four page outlines.
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Joe Eszterhas mostly withdrew from Hollywood afterward, though he has since authored several books.
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Joe Eszterhas's publications include American Rhapsody, and two volumes of memoirs: Hollywood Animal, an autobiography, and Crossbearer, which detailed his adulthood return to the Catholic faith he was raised in.
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Joe Eszterhas was born in Csakanydoroszlo, a village in Hungary, to Roman Catholic parents Maria and Istvan Joe Eszterhas.
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Joe Eszterhas was born during World War II, and lived as a child in a refugee camp in Allied-occupied Austria.
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Joe Eszterhas decided to pursue writing as a career after winning a competition in 1966 sponsored by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation.
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Joe Eszterhas paid for his father's care in later years but was not present at his death, saying in 2024 that "There are moments these many years later that I deeply regret that, and other moments that I'm proud of myself for not going".
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Joe Eszterhas had a daughter in 1967 who was put up for adoption at birth.
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Joe Eszterhas had two children with his first wife, Gerri Javor.
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Joe Eszterhas is a supporter of Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban.
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Joe Eszterhas has described himself as a staunch supporter of Israel.
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Joe Eszterhas began his career with a stint at the Dayton Journal Herald, before moving to The Plain Dealer in Cleveland, where he was one of the first reporters to cover the Kent State shootings in 1970.
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Joe Eszterhas had covered the aftermath of the collapse of a bridge across the Ohio River.
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Joe Eszterhas was not there at the time, but he talked to the children as the photographer took photos.
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Joe Eszterhas had made it seem as though he had spoken to her, describing her mood and attitude in the story.
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Joe Eszterhas became a National Book Award nominee for his nonfiction work Charlie Simpson's Apocalypse in 1974.
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Joe Eszterhas contributed to the script of 1983's Flashdance, and wrote the screenplays for Jagged Edge and Betrayed.
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In 1989, Joe Eszterhas planned to leave Creative Artists Agency because an old friend Guy McElwaine was restarting his agency.
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Joe Eszterhas penned a letter to Ovitz blasting him for his tactics.
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Joe Eszterhas next wrote the screenplay for Showgirls, his second collaboration with director Verhoeven.
22.
Jade, whose script Joe Eszterhas sold in the wake of Basic Instinct's success, was released three weeks later to low grosses and negative reviews.
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In 1997, Joe Eszterhas produced two films, both of which he wrote: Telling Lies in America and An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn.
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Joe Eszterhas later wrote a book, Heaven and Mel, about his experiences working with Gibson.
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Joe Eszterhas has written several best-selling books, including Hollywood Animal, an autobiography about politics in Hollywood, which superimposes his life as a young immigrant in the United States on his life as a powerful Hollywood player.
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Joe Eszterhas admitted smoking four packs of Salem Light cigarettes a day, as well as drinking heavily.
27.
Joe Eszterhas wrote a book about his experiences with Mel Gibson and anti-Semitism, titled Heaven and Mel, wherein he portrays Gibson as a man fueled only by hatred, prone to violent outbursts.