Harold Becker

Harold Becker (born September 25, 1928) is American film and television director, producer, and photographer, associated with the New Hollywood movement and best known for his work in the thriller genre. He studied art and photography at the prestigious Pratt Institute and began his career as a designer and stills photographer. He segued to directing TV commercials and short films, including the award-winning Ivanhoe Donaldson. His directorial debut conducting a feature film was with the drama The Ragman's Daughter (1972). His second feature was the acclaimed The Onion Field (1979), a dark cop thriller starring John Savage and James Woods, a remarkable role that brought him recognition from the public and several award nominations as Best Supporting Actor in the role of a dangerous and menacing cop killer. In the 1980's, Becker is a solid director who can work many different genres: the comedy The Black Marble (1980); the military drama Taps (1981) where he directed youngsters Timothy Hutton, Sean Penn and Tom Cruise alongside veteran George C. Scott; the sports-themed film Vision Quest (1985); two musical videos for Madonna; the heavy drug drama The Boost (1988) again collaborating with Woods; and the neo-noir Sea of Love (1989) where he resurrected the career of Al Pacino. The box-office suspense Malice (1993), the political thriller City Hall (1996) and the action Mercury Rising (1998) compose Becker's career in the 1990's directing big Hollywood stars and establishing him as one of the most versatile directors of the period. After the thriller Domestic Disturbance (2001) Becker never returned to film directing, possibly retired after not having many invitations to directed another feature.

Works

Masters of Science Fiction

Masters of Science Fiction is an American television anthology series with each hour long episode taking the form of a separate short film adaptation of a story by a respected member of the science fiction community. The show is hosted by physicist Stephen Hawking.

Release Date2007-08-04

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Episode Count1

Vote Count48

Vengeance: A Love Story

When a new friend is brutally assaulted, Detective John Droomor is put by chance in charge of the investigation. Although the evidence against the perpetrators seems overwhelming, there is nothing definitive in the case that guarantees justice is served, even more so if some people are willing to twist and betray it.

Release Date2017-03-16

DepartmentProduction

JobExecutive Producer

Vote Count322

Sea of Love

Seen-it-all New York detective Frank Keller is unsettled - he has done twenty years on the force and could retire, and he hasn't come to terms with his wife leaving him for a colleague. Joining up with an officer from another part of town to investigate a series of murders linked by the lonely hearts columns he finds he is getting seriously and possibly dangerously involved with Helen, one of the main suspects.

Release Date1989-09-15

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Vote Count632

Malice

A tale about a happily married couple who would like to have children. Tracy teaches infants, Andy's a college professor. Things are never the same after she is taken to hospital and operated upon by Jed, a "know all" doctor.

Release Date1993-09-29

DepartmentProduction

JobProducer

Vote Count473

Mercury Rising

Renegade FBI agent Art Jeffries protects a nine-year-old autistic boy who has cracked the government's new "unbreakable" code.

Release Date1998-04-03

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Vote Count1562

Taps

Military cadets take extreme measures to ensure the future of their academy when its existence is threatened by local condo developers.

Release Date1981-12-20

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Vote Count279

City Hall

The accidental shooting of a boy in New York leads to an investigation by the Deputy Mayor, and unexpectedly far-reaching consequences.

Release Date1996-02-16

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Vote Count295

Domestic Disturbance

Frank Morrison is a divorced father with a 12-year-old son, Danny. His ex-wife Susan and son Danny now live with Rick Barnes, Susan's new husband. Danny, who has a reputation for telling lies, accuses his stepfather of committing a murder. Initially, no one believes his accusations, but then Frank becomes convinced and is the only one who believes him. Now, the father Danny trusts must protect him from the stepfather he fears.

Release Date2001-10-28

DepartmentProduction

JobProducer

Vote Count443

Vision Quest

After deciding he needs to do something meaningful with his life, high school wrestler Louden Swain sets out on a mission to drop weight and challenge the area's undefeated champion, which creates problems with his teammates and health. Matters are complicated further when Louden's father takes in an attractive female drifter who's on her way to San Francisco.

Release Date1985-02-15

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Vote Count131

The Black Marble

When alcoholic homicide investigator Valnikov is transferred to a burglary case that seems to involve a creepy dogcatcher, he's also given a new partner -- the pragmatic Sgt. Natalie Zimmerman, who's experiencing a midlife crisis and does not welcome Valnikov's company. But as these emotionally bruised cops are drawn deeper into the bizarre world of dog shows, animal fanatics and pet cemeteries, they're also drawn to each other.

Release Date1980-03-07

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Vote Count15

The Boost

Lenny Brown moves to California to find his fortune in tax shelter investments. When the federal government changes the tax laws, poor Lenny finds himself $700,000 in hock with nowhere to turn. His friend, Joel, introduces him to cocaine to give Lenny that needed "boost". What ensues next is a descent into drug addiction and insanity as Lenny tries to regain control of his life, all the while needing that extra "boost".

Release Date1988-12-23

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Vote Count54

The Onion Field

An LA police officer is murdered in the onion fields outside of Bakersfield. However, legal loopholes could keep his kidnappers from receiving justice, and his partner is haunted by overwhelming survivor's guilt.

Release Date1979-09-09

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Vote Count104

The Ragman's Daughter

Based on the Alan Sillitoe short story. Tony, a worker at a cheese factory, is also a petty thief. He moves from robbery after robbery until he meets Doris, the daughter of the local ragman. Slowly, he falls in love with her and must decide whether he will stay a thief or start a new life with Doris.

Release Date1972-01-01

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Vote Count3

Blind Gary Davis

A short documentary on the "Harlem Street Singer," blues artist Rev. Gary Davis. Features footage of his neighborhood, Davis talking about his upbringing, and two performances including "Death Don't Have No Mercy." Benefiting from New York's folk revival in the 1960s, Davis influenced artists such as Dave Van Ronk, Bob Dylan, and the Grateful Dead.

Release Date1964-01-01

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Sighet, Sighet

Elie Wiesel, a survivor from Sighet, a town from which a thousand Jews were deported to the ovens of Auschwitz, returns, unknown and unseen, a silent witness to the town where he was born and grew up.

Release Date1967-01-01

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Vote Count6

An Interview with Bruce Gordon

Bruce Gordon, a 22-year-old organizer for the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee, is interviewed in Selma, Alabama, during the height of a drive to register Negro voters.

Release Date1964-01-01

DepartmentProduction

JobProducer