Alan J. Pakula

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“For me, Alan Pakula was one of the great American filmmakers, but if you look at his films, they look so simple. The camera is not doing back—flips and he’s not afraid to hold a shot. You can argue that if you do your work really well, no one should notice.”
—Todd Field, director of In the BedroomTo Kill a Mockingbird. Klute. All the President’s Men. Sophie’s Choice. Presumed Innocent. Alan J. Pakula was the creative force behind these great films and dozens more. Here at last is the definitive biography of this film genius, based on interviews with more than 40 friends, including Jane Fonda, Robert Redford, and Meryl Streep, and unrestricted access to Pakula’s own family and archives. Born in the Bronx, destined to take over the family printing business, Pakula instead began writing and acting in plays as a teenager and moved to Hollywood in the 1950s. Artistically driven, boundlessly inventive, hugely influential, Pakula has left an enduring film legacy.
• Three-time Academy Award-winning water/director/producer
• Interviews with Harrison Ford, Laurne Bacall, Meryl Street, Robert Redford, Jane Fonda, Kevin Kline, Candice Bergen, Donald Sutherland, and over 30 other film celebrities
• More than 25 never-before-published photos of Pakula from his family

Jared Brown, former chair of the School of Theatre Arts at Illinois Wesleyan University, is the author of the highly acclaimed Zero Mostel: A Biography, The Fabulous Lunts, and Theatre in America During the Revolution, as well as numerous plays and essays. He lives in Bloomington, IL.

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