Stuart Rosenberg

Early life Rosenberg was born to Jewish parents in Brooklyn, New York City on August 11, 1927. He studied Irish literature at New York University, This led to his major-studio distributed debut, the Paul Newman hit Cool Hand Luke (1967). Rosenberg had come across Donn Pearce's chain gang novel and developed the film with actor Jack Lemmon's production company Jalem. He was next announced to direct Lemmon in the comedy film The Job Hunter, based on a novel by Allen R. Dodd, for Jalem Productions-Warner Brothers Pictures, but this was abandoned. Also for Jalem Productions, he made The April Fools (1969), with French actress Catherine Deneuve in her American debut opposite Jack Lemmon (who plays the first Rosenberg lead character named H. Brubaker).

Other Rosenberg films include the Newman movies WUSA (1970), Pocket Money (1972) and The Drowning Pool (1975); the Walter Matthau police-detective thriller The Laughing Policeman (1973); the Charles Bronson action picture Love and Bullets (1979); and another action movie Let's Get Harry (1986), for which Rosenberg used the pseudonym Alan Smithee. He was famous for straight dramas and especially crime films. The most acclaimed movie he did after Cool Hand Luke was The Pope of Greenwich Village. Years later, Rosenberg replaced Bob Rafelson on the prison movie Brubaker (1980).

He made his last film, the independent drama My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys in 1991.

In 1992, Rosenberg became a teacher at the American Film Institute. Among his students were Todd Field, Darren Aronofsky, Mark Waters, Scott Silver, Doug Ellin and Rob Schmidt.

Personal life and legacy Rosenberg died in 2007 of a heart attack at his home in Beverly Hills, California. He was survived by his wife Margot Pohoryles, whom he had met at New York University; son Benjamin Rosenberg, a first assistant director; as well as four grandchildren. 1961 Berlin International Film Festival OCIC Award, for Question 7 1967 nomination, Directors Guild of America Award: Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures, for: Cool Hand Luke 1977 nomination, Golden Globe Awards: Best Picture of Year for Voyage of the Damned