Biography for
Joe Eszterhas More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

Birth Name

Spouse

Trade Mark

Characters named after baseball players

Trivia

Prior to writing for "Rolling Stone" and breaking into films, he worked as a reporter for the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Former co-workers at the paper have suggested the move to screenwriting was a wise choice, since "Joe was always more interested in fiction."

Has repeatedly made public statements blasting the "talent" of Quentin Tarantino. Tarantino has not only acknowledged said statements, but has gone on to praise Eszterhas and his infamous 1995 film Showgirls (1995).

His non-fiction book "Charlie Simpson's Apocalypse" was nominated for a National Book Award in 1975.

In 1995, when his scripts for both Jade (1995) and Showgirls (1995) were nominated for Worst Screenplay, The Razzie Awards re-named the category in his "Dis-Honor" -- It was henceforth called "The Joe Eszterhas Dis-Honorarial Worst Screenplay Award." Eszterhas then went on to "win" his "own" Award for both Showgirls (1995) and 1998's An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn (1997).

Treated for throat cancer, apparently prognosis is good - he blames cigarette smoking for his disease.

Graduate of Cleveland Cathedral Latin High School.

Family moved from Hungary to Cleveland, Ohio, when he was 6 years old.

Received upwards of $4 million in the mid-1990s for two scripts, a comedy called "Male Pattern Baldness," and a Russian mob tale titled "Evil Empire." As of 2009, neither film has been made.

His $3 million paycheck for Basic Instinct (1992) in 1990 was the highest amount of money every paid for a screenplay at that time. However, Eszterhas was eclipsed in 1996 by Shane Black ($4 million for The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996)) and again in 2002 by M. Night Shyamalan ($5 million for Signs (2002)).

His father, Istvan, authored more than 30 Hungarian historical novels.

Legendary, prolific screenwriter Joe Eszterhas has had 17 screenplays produced, and as of 2006, has at least 25 unproduced scripts and treatments collecting dust on Hollywood shelves.

He lost four-fifths of his larynx in an operation for cancer. (November 2003)

Wrote a book about the Bill Clinton/Monica Lewinsky affair, called "American Rhapsody".

Eszterhas wrote Music Box (1989) in 1989 which is about a daughter whose father she defends against war crimes turns out to be guilty. Within a few years Eszterhas' real father turned out to be charged with the same crimes, anti-semitic propaganda in Hungary.

In "Hollywood Animal: A Memoir," Eszterhas claims that Sherry Lansing, the boss of Paramount Pictures, asked him to issue a statement that he supported Paramount's hiring of William Friedkin as director for his Jade (1995) script. Friedkin was Lansing's husband, and she wanted protection from charges of nepotism. He issued the statement. In truth, Eszterhas did not want the former Oscar-winner, whom he considered a washed-up has-been, to direct the picture, but deferred to Lansing's wishes.

Born on exactly the same day as James Toback.

Jenö Mate sponsored his family's immigration from Europe.

Initially handwrites all his scripts, then types them up on an Olivetti manual typewriter using his middle fingers. He wonders what he will do when he runs out of ribbons for the typewriter, as he doesn't know how to use a computer and hits the keys too hard to correctly work an electric typewriter.

Salary

Where Are They Now

(February 2004) Wrote and published his memoirs called "Hollywood Animal".

(2005) Keeps a relatively low profile, having abandoned Hollywood for a quiet life in suburban Ohio.

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