Director and Writer Paul Mazursky passes away

The writer and director of Oscar-nominated films such as “An Unmarried Woman,” and “Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice,” Paul Mazursky has passed at the age of 85 in Los Angeles at Cedars Sinai Medical Center from pulmonary cardiac arrest.

Mazursky, was the co-creator for the television series “The Monkees” television series. He had first broke into the Hollywood scene as an actor in Stanley Kubrick’s 1953 film “Fear and Desire,” and had appeared in episodes of the “Twilight Zone” and the 1955 drama “Blackboard Jungle.”  Mazursky was best known for his work behind the camera, particularly for his ability to tap into topics such as marriage and divorce during the social upheaval of the 1960s and 1970s.

His first credit as a film writer was the 1968 Peter Sellers comedy “I Love You, Alice B. Toklas.” Mazursky directed his first feature, the comedy-drama “Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice” starring Natalie Wood, the following year and earned the first of his four career Academy Award nominations for screenwriting. It had been the start for a string of acclaimed films written and directed by Mazursky, including 1974’s “Harry and Tonto,” 1978’s “An Unmarried Woman” and 1989’s “Enemies: A Love Story.” Mazursky also earned a best picture Oscar nomination for the movie”An Unmarried Woman.” Earlier this year, the Writers Guild of America honored Mazursky with the lifetime achievement award.

Denisha Sahadevan