James Toback is an American screenwriter and director who made his Hollywood debut in the 1970s. His screenplay for the film Bugsy won him the award for best original screenplay in 1991. He is also known for having directed several films, including Two Girls and a Guy, Black and White and The Pickup Artist He is also known for his numerous allegations of sexual abuse by women. In fact, his whole career has been undermined by these controversies which he has always denied.
Bio of James Toback
He was born on November 23, 1944 to a wealthy family of Jewish parents in Manhattan, New York. Toback’s father, Irwin Lionel Toback, worked as a stockbroker and former vice-president of Dreyfus & Company, an international trading company, while his mother, Selma Judith, headed the League of Women Voters and hosted political debates in NBC.
He attended Fieldston School and graduated in 1966 from Harvard College. While in college, he reportedly overdosed on LSD and was under the influence for eight days. An antidote administered by neuropsychiatrist Max Rinkel woke him up. He has since claimed to have lost all fear of death.
James worked as a journalist after graduation and had the opportunity to interview football player, Jim Brown. This assignment led him to live with Jim for a few years. They claim to have been involved in orgies with several women together while he was there, but he got tired of the lifestyle and decided to pursue a career in film.
He wrote a memoir about Jim and his time with him titled Jim in 1972; He also taught creative writing to students at the City College of New York in the early 1970s. He wrote his first screenplay, The Gambler, in 1974, it was a detective film. He made his directorial debut in 1978 with Doigts, he made his screen debut in Exposé where he played the role of Leo Boscovith. Bugsy was his big career, he wrote the screenplay for the film which was nominated for 10 academic awards.
Net value
James Toback’s estimated net worth is $10 million which he has accumulated writing screenplays and books, directing and teaching creative writing. Most of his films are low budget films; Harvard Guy, in particular, won $5.5 million and only brought in a few thousand at the box office.
Is James Toback Married? wife
James Toback’s first marriage to Consuelo Sarah Churchill, granddaughter of John Spencer Churchill Vanderbilt Russell, tenth Duke of Marlborough and cousin of Winston Churchill lasted for one year (1968-1969). The reasons for their divorce are still unknown.
However, he found love again in Stephanie TobackKempf and they got married – a marriage that produced a son named Andre. James has worked with Stephanie over the years. She edited the 1989 film “The Big Bang”, written and directed by James Toback. Stephanie is a private person and there is no information about her age. She’s not even active on social media. However, she is believed to be the daughter of former real estate agent and developer Greg Kempf and Edwina Kempf. She was raised Catholic with her nine siblings.
Allegations and controversies
According to The New York Times, James Toback was charged by five women with offenses ranging from misdemeanor, indecent act to felony and sexual battery; he allegedly committed these offenses between 1978 and 2008.
He was allegedly masturbated on Women’s legs, pressing a woman against the wall and demanding sex, ordered a woman to masturbate and squeezed another woman’s chest and back while trying to kiss her. Among his accusers are Julianne Moore, Caterina Scorsone, Terri Conn, Selma Blair, Rachel McAdams and musician Louise Post.
It was reported by the Los Angeles Times in October 2017 that 38 houses had accused him of sexual assault, which he denied, also in January 2018 said 395 other women had told them that James had assaulted them sexually.
Spy Magazine ran an article in a 1989 issue that gave a vivid and detailed description of how Toback scoured the streets of New York City looking for women he might victimize. He reportedly used his Directors Guild of America membership card to lure unsuspecting women to a meeting and tell them about his movies.
However, he was not sued because the cases were beyond the statute of limitations. He has also openly denied this allegation and stated that for the past 22 years it was biologically impossible for him to engage in the alleged offenses as he was on medication due to diabetes and heart disease.