James B. Harris
About
Biography
Biography
Veteran Hollywood industry figure who has served triple duty as a producer, director, and screenwriter. Harris' most notable contribution to American cinema was producing several seminal early films directed by Stanley Kubrick. The Harris-Kubrick Pictures Corporation turned out such provocative features as "The Killing" (1956), "Paths of Glory" (1957), and "Lolita" (1962).
Harris and Kubrick went their separate ways after "Lolita" with the producer venturing on to form James B. Harris Productions in 1963. As a producer-director, Harris's subsequent feature credits were relatively sparse: "The Bedford Incident" (1965), a Cold War naval drama starring Richard Widmark and Sidney Poitier; "Some Call It Loving" (1973), which marked his screenwriting debut, an uneven modern retelling of "Sleeping Beauty" set in southern California starring Zalman King, Tisa Farrow, and Richard Pryor; "Fast Walking" (1982), a prison drama starring James Woods; and "Cop" (1988), which he scripted, also starring Woods. He also produced the Don Siegel-directed Charles Bronson vehicle, "Telefon" (1977).
Harris returned to directing and writing with "Boiling Point" (1993), a dark cop drama starring Wesley Snipes, Lolita Davidovich, and Dennis Hopper. This was a surprisingly old-fashioned crime story featuring tough-guy dialogue and morally ambiguous characters.
Filmography
Director (Feature Film)
Cast (Feature Film)
Writer (Feature Film)
Producer (Feature Film)
Production Companies (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Life Events
1947
Worked in US film export business
1948
Worked for Realart Pictures
1949
Formed Flamingo Films, a TV distribution company, with high school friend David Wolper
1953
Produced and directed "TV's Baseball Hall of Fame"
1955
Formed a partnership with director Stanley Kubrick, Harris-Kubrick Pictures Corporation
1963
Formed James B. Harris Prods. Inc.
1965
Feature directorial debut (also produced), "The Bedford Incident"
1973
First screenplay credit (also produced and directed), "Some Call It Loving"