26 Facts About Paul Mazursky

Irwin Lawrence "Paul" Mazursky was an American film director, screenwriter, and actor.

Paul Mazursky is known for directing the autobiographical Next Stop, Greenwich Village, Moscow on the Hudson, Down and Out in Beverly Hills, Moon over Parador, and Scenes from a Mall.

Paul Mazursky was born into a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Jean, a piano player for dance classes, and David Mazursky, a laborer.

Paul Mazursky began his film career as an actor in Stanley Kubrick's first feature, Fear and Desire.

Paul Mazursky's acting career continued for several decades, starting with parts in episodes of television series such as The Twilight Zone and The Rifleman.

Paul Mazursky did shows for nightclubs in the late 1950s, including with Herb Hartig in a comedy act named "Igor and H" before breaking up to do a solo act.

Paul Mazursky applied unsuccessfully to the Actors Studio, but he took classes from Lee Strasberg, having previously studied under Paul Mann and Curt Conway.

Paul Mazursky played supporting roles in The Other Side of the Wind and A Star Is Born.

Late in his life, Paul Mazursky was developing a Broadway musical adaptation of his 1988 film Moon over Parador.

Paul Mazursky had supporting roles in History of the World Part I, Into the Night, Punchline and Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills.

Paul Mazursky appeared in supporting roles or cameos in most of his own films.

In Moon over Parador, with the Rio Opera House available for only three days of shooting, Paul Mazursky cast himself as a dictator's mother when Judith Malina was unavailable, playing the character in drag.

Paul Mazursky acted in 1990s in projects such as Man Trouble, Carlito's Way, Love Affair, 2 Days in the Valley, Miami Rhapsody, Crazy in Alabama, and I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With.

Paul Mazursky performed the voice of the Psychologist in Antz.

Paul Mazursky experienced less success in the 1990s directing Scenes from a Mall, starring Woody Allen and Bette Midler.

In later years, Paul Mazursky had a small part as "Sunshine" the poker dealer in The Sopranos.

Paul Mazursky appeared in five episodes of season 4 of Curb Your Enthusiasm as Mel Brooks' associate Norm, a role that he later reprised in a season 7 episode.

Paul Mazursky was the subject of the 2011 book Paul on Mazursky by Sam Wasson.

Paul Mazursky appeared as himself in a number of documentaries on film, including A Decade Under the Influence, New York at the Movies, and Screenwriters: Words Into Image.

From 2011 until his death in 2014, Paul Mazursky served as a film critic for Vanity Fair.

Every film written and directed by Paul Mazursky used New York City or Los Angeles as one of its settings.

Paul Mazursky was married to librarian and social worker Betsy Paul Mazursky from 1953 until his death.

Paul Mazursky went into cardiopulmonary arrest and died on June 30,2014, aged 84, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Paul Mazursky was twice nominated for a Golden Globe and twice for the Cannes Film Festival's Palme d'Or, among many other awards.

On February 1,2014, at the WGA Awards, Paul Mazursky received the Screen Laurel Award, which is the lifetime achievement award of the Writers Guild of America.

In May 2014, Paul Mazursky received the Best of Brooklyn Award at his alma mater Brooklyn College's annual gala in New York City.