Marshall Herskovitz
About
Biography
Filmography
Notes
"I have always wanted to do period films. It's been my greatest desire as a filmmaker." --Marshall Hersokivitz quoted in LOS ANGELES TIMES, February 19, 1998
"The film business is a terrible, soul-killing business. It is constructed to destroy your passion. Every time you make a movie, you go through the experience at least five times during the process of ahving the movie feel like it's being taken away from you. . . . Television is musch more immediate. Ed [Zwick] and I have always had complete creative freedom. . . . We follow our own instincts. We make our own mistakes and also have our own triumphs and feel so much more respected and in some way complete as creators in television because we can do what we want. But there isn't enough money and there isn't enough time and especially in series television you are trying to create 22 stories a year, and that's impossible to do really well." --Herskovitz in LOS ANGELES TIMES, February 19, 1998
Biography
A leading TV writer, producer and director who segued to feature directing with "Jack the Bear" (1993), Marshall Herskovitz began his career as a writer on the TV series "Family," "The White Shadow" and "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers." He went on to collaborate with fellow AFI alumnus Edward Zwick on "Special Bulletin" (NBC, 1983), a critically-esteemed, TV-movie about nuclear terrorism which garnered him his first two Emmy awards. In 1985, Herskovitz and Zwick formed the Bedford Falls Company. Their first project under the banner was the polished yuppie-angst drama "thirtysomething" (ABC, 1987-91). The two subsequent series produced by the Bedford Falls Company, My So-Called Life" (ABC, 1994-95) and "Relativity" (ABC, 1996-97), both received critical kudos and found a fiercely loyal, albeit small, audience. Herskovitz returned to the big screen with the period romance "Dangerous Beauty" (1998), starring Catherine McCormack and Rufus Sewell.
Filmography
Director (Feature Film)
Cast (Feature Film)
Writer (Feature Film)
Producer (Feature Film)
Special Thanks (Feature Film)
Misc. Crew (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Producer (Special)
Life Events
1975
Accepted to AFI on the basis of "In Footsteps"
1975
Wrote and directed first short-film, "In Footsteps"
1976
Awarded a directing fellowship at AFI
1978
Directed first feature-length film while at AFI, "Cambridge Nights"
1983
First collaboration with Edward Zwick, "Special Bulletin"
1983
TV-movie producing and screenwriting debut, "Special Bulletin"
1985
Formed the Bedford Falls Company with Zwick
1987
Co-creator, writer, co-executive producer and occasional director on the series "thirtysomething"; produced under Bedford Falls banner
1989
Co-executive producer on the NBC series "Dream Street"
1993
Feature directorial debut, "Jack the Bear"
1994
Prodcued "Legends of the Fall", directed by Zwick
1998
Directed "Dangerous Beauty"
1999
With Zwick, returned to series TV as creators and executive producers of the drama series "Once and Again" (ABC)
2000
Served as one of the producers of the acclaimed film "Traffic"; earned a Best Picture Oscar nomination
Bibliography
Notes
"I have always wanted to do period films. It's been my greatest desire as a filmmaker." --Marshall Hersokivitz quoted in LOS ANGELES TIMES, February 19, 1998
"The film business is a terrible, soul-killing business. It is constructed to destroy your passion. Every time you make a movie, you go through the experience at least five times during the process of ahving the movie feel like it's being taken away from you. . . . Television is musch more immediate. Ed [Zwick] and I have always had complete creative freedom. . . . We follow our own instincts. We make our own mistakes and also have our own triumphs and feel so much more respected and in some way complete as creators in television because we can do what we want. But there isn't enough money and there isn't enough time and especially in series television you are trying to create 22 stories a year, and that's impossible to do really well." --Herskovitz in LOS ANGELES TIMES, February 19, 1998
