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IMDbPro

Hal Ashby(1929-1988)

  • Director
  • Editorial Department
  • Actor
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Hal Ashby in Bound for Glory (1976)
Although Hal Ashby directed a remarkable string of acclaimed, widely admired classics throughout the 1970s - HAROLD AND MAUDE, THE LAST DETAIL, SHAMPOO, COMING HOME, BEING THERE - he is often overlooked amid the crowd of luminaries from his generation. Amy Scott's exuberant portrait explores that curious oversight, using rare archival materials, interviews, personal letters, and audio recordings to reveal a passionate, obsessive artist. Ashby was a Hollywood director who constantly clashed with Hollywood, but also a unique soul with an unprecedented insight into the human condition and an unmatched capacity for good. His films were an elusive blend of honesty, irreverence, humor, and humanity. Through the heartrending and inspiring HAL, you feel buoyed by Ashby's love of people and of cinema, a little like walking on water.
Play trailer2:40
Hal (2018)
1 Video
27 Photos
Hal Ashby was born the fourth and youngest child in a Mormon household, in Ogden, Utah, to Eileen Ireta (Hetzler) and James Thomas Ashby, on September 2, 1929. His father was a dairy farmer. After a rough childhood that included the divorce of his parents, his father's suicide, his dropping out of high school, getting married and divorced all before he was 19, he decided to leave Utah for California. A Californian employment office found him a printing press job at Universal Studios. Within a few years, he was an assistant film editor at various other studios. One of his pals while at MGM was a young messenger named Jack Nicholson. He moved up to being a full fledged editor on The Loved One (1965) and started editing the films of director Norman Jewison.

A highlight of his film editing career was winning an Oscar for the landmark In the Heat of the Night (1967). Itching to become a director, Jewison gave him a script he was too busy to work on called The Landlord (1970). It became Ashby's first film as a director. From there he delivered a series of well-acted, intelligent human scaled dramas that included The Last Detail (1973), Shampoo (1975), Bound for Glory (1976), Coming Home (1978) and Being There (1979). Great reviews and Oscar nominations became common on Ashby films.

Ashby was always a maverick and a contrary person and success proved difficult for Ashby to handle. He became unreliable due to his dependence on drugs and a reclusive lifestyle. He actually collapsed while making The Rolling Stones concert film Let's Spend the Night Together (1982) in Arizona. Although he recovered, he was never the same after that. He began taking too much time in post production on his films and actually had a couple of his later projects taken away from him to be edited by others. He tried to straighten himself out, but in the 1980s, he was considered by many to be unemployable. Just when he felt he was turning a corner in his life, he developed cancer that spread to his liver and colon. He died on December 27, 1988. Actor Sean Penn dedicated his first film as a director, The Indian Runner (1991) to Ashby and John Cassavetes, even though Penn was never directed by either one. Because he did not have a set visual style, many mistake this for no style at all. His career is not discussed as often as the careers of some of his contemporaries.
BornSeptember 2, 1929
DiedDecember 27, 1988(59)
BornSeptember 2, 1929
DiedDecember 27, 1988(59)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Won 1 Oscar
    • 3 wins & 11 nominations total

Photos27

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Known for

Sidney Poitier, Rod Steiger, and Warren Oates in In the Heat of the Night (1967)
In the Heat of the Night
7.9
  • Editor
  • 1967
Bud Cort, Ruth Gordon, Cyril Cusack, Judy Engles, Ellen Geer, Vivian Pickles, Shari Summers, and Charles Tyner in Harold and Maude (1971)
Harold and Maude
7.9
  • Director
  • 1971
Being There (1979)
Being There
7.9
  • Director
  • 1979
Jack Nicholson in The Last Detail (1973)
The Last Detail
7.5
  • Director
  • 1973

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Director



  • Rolling Stones: Satisfaction Interviews (2007)
    Rolling Stones: Satisfaction Interviews
    5.8
    Video
    • Director
    • 2007
  • Graham Chapman and Chris Young in Jake's Journey (1988)
    Jake's Journey
    7.3
    TV Movie
    • Director
    • 1988
  • Dennis Franz and Peter Jurasik in Beverly Hills Buntz (1987)
    Beverly Hills Buntz
    5.8
    TV Series
    • Director
    • 1987
  • Rosanna Arquette, Jeff Bridges, and Alexandra Paul in 8 Million Ways to Die (1986)
    8 Million Ways to Die
    5.7
    • Director (directed by)
    • 1986
  • Rebecca De Mornay and Michael O'Keefe in The Slugger's Wife (1985)
    The Slugger's Wife
    4.4
    • Director
    • 1985
  • Solo Trans (1984)
    Solo Trans
    7.6
    Video
    • Director
    • 1984
  • The Rolling Stones: Going to a Go-Go - Live Version (1982)
    The Rolling Stones: Going to a Go-Go - Live Version
    6.0
    Music Video
    • Director
    • 1982
  • Ann-Margret, Jon Voight, and Burt Young in Lookin' to Get Out (1982)
    Lookin' to Get Out
    5.1
    • Director
    • 1982
  • Let's Spend the Night Together (1982)
    Let's Spend the Night Together
    6.5
    • Director
    • 1982
  • The Rolling Stones: From The Vault - Hampton Coliseum: Live In 1981 (2014)
    The Rolling Stones: From The Vault - Hampton Coliseum: Live In 1981
    7.5
    Video
    • Director
    • 2014
  • Robert Blake, Collin Boone, Amber Rose Gold, Barbara Harris, Erica Stansbury, and Jessica Stansbury in Second-Hand Hearts (1980)
    Second-Hand Hearts
    4.5
    • Director
    • 1980
  • Being There (1979)
    Being There
    7.9
    • Director
    • 1979
  • Jane Fonda, Jon Voight, and Bruce Dern in Coming Home (1978)
    Coming Home
    7.3
    • Director
    • 1978
  • Bound for Glory (1976)
    Bound for Glory
    7.2
    • Director
    • 1976
  • Shampoo (1975)
    Shampoo
    6.4
    • Director
    • 1975

Editorial Department



  • The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)
    The Greatest Story Ever Told
    6.6
    • assistant editor (uncredited)
    • 1965
  • Henry Fonda and Cliff Robertson in The Best Man (1964)
    The Best Man
    7.6
    • editorial consultant (as Wm. Hal Ashby)
    • 1964
  • Heidi Brühl and Guy Williams in Captain Sindbad (1963)
    Captain Sindbad
    5.5
    • assistant editor (as Wm. Hal Ashby)
    • 1963
  • Audrey Hepburn, Shirley MacLaine, and James Garner in The Children's Hour (1961)
    The Children's Hour
    7.8
    • assistant film editor (as Wm. Hal Ashby)
    • 1961
  • Eddie Albert, Ina Balin, Ben Gazzara, Dick Clark, and Fredric March in The Young Doctors (1961)
    The Young Doctors
    6.8
    • editorial consultant (as Wm. Hal Ashby)
    • 1961
  • The Diary of Anne Frank (1959)
    The Diary of Anne Frank
    7.4
    • assistant film editor (uncredited)
    • 1959
  • Michi Kobi and Richard Long in Tokyo After Dark (1959)
    Tokyo After Dark
    6.5
    • assistant editor (uncredited)
    • 1959
  • Charlton Heston, Gregory Peck, Jean Simmons, Carroll Baker, and Burl Ives in The Big Country (1958)
    The Big Country
    7.9
    • assistant editor (uncredited)
    • 1958
  • Gary Cooper, Anthony Perkins, Pat Boone, Richard Eyer, Dorothy McGuire, and Samantha the Goose in Friendly Persuasion (1956)
    Friendly Persuasion
    7.3
    • assistant editor (uncredited)
    • 1956

Actor



  • Ann-Margret, Jon Voight, and Burt Young in Lookin' to Get Out (1982)
    Lookin' to Get Out
    5.1
    • Man Speaking on TV (uncredited)
    • 1982
  • Robert Blake, Collin Boone, Amber Rose Gold, Barbara Harris, Erica Stansbury, and Jessica Stansbury in Second-Hand Hearts (1980)
    Second-Hand Hearts
    4.5
    • Bearded Man in Police Car (uncredited)
    • 1980
  • Being There (1979)
    Being There
    7.9
    • Man at File Cabinet at the Washington Post (uncredited)
    • 1979
  • Jane Fonda, Jon Voight, and Bruce Dern in Coming Home (1978)
    Coming Home
    7.3
    • Passenger in Porsche Speedster Flashing the Peace Sign (uncredited)
    • 1978
  • Jack Nicholson in The Last Detail (1973)
    The Last Detail
    7.5
    • Bearded Man at Bar in Darts Scene (uncredited)
    • 1973
  • Bud Cort, Ruth Gordon, Cyril Cusack, Judy Engles, Ellen Geer, Vivian Pickles, Shari Summers, and Charles Tyner in Harold and Maude (1971)
    Harold and Maude
    7.9
    • Bearded Man Watching Model Train (uncredited)
    • 1971
  • The Landlord (1970)
    The Landlord
    6.9
    • Groom in Opening Shot (uncredited)
    • 1970

Videos1

Hal - Official Trailer
Trailer 2:40
Hal - Official Trailer

Personal details

Edit
  • Alternative name
    • Wm. Hal Ashby
  • Born
    • September 2, 1929
    • Ogden, Utah, USA
  • Died
    • December 27, 1988
    • Malibu, California, USA(liver and colon cancer)
  • Spouses
      Joan MarshallAugust 21, 1969 - October 1970 (divorced)
  • Publicity listings
    • 1 Biographical Movie
    • 1 Print Biography
    • 1 Portrayal
    • 1 Interview
    • 2 Articles

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Directed 10 different actors in Oscar-nominated performances: Lee Grant, Jack Nicholson, Randy Quaid, Jack Warden, Jon Voight, Jane Fonda, Bruce Dern, Penelope Milford, Melvyn Douglas and Peter Sellers. Grant, Fonda, Voight and Douglas won Oscars for their performances in one of his movies.
  • Quotes
    I was born in Ogden, Utah, the last of four children. Mom and Dad divorced when I was five or six. Dad killed himself when I was 12. I struggled toward growing up, like others, totally confused. Married and divorced twice before I made it to 21. Hitchhiked to Los Angeles when I was 17. Had about 50 or 60 jobs up to the time I was working as a Multilith operator at good old Republic Studios.
  • Trademarks
      Films reflect his liberal political beliefs
  • Nickname
    • Wm. Hal Ashby

FAQ

Powered by Alexa
  • When did Hal Ashby die?
    December 27, 1988
  • How did Hal Ashby die?
    Liver and colon cancer
  • How old was Hal Ashby when he died?
    59 years old
  • Where did Hal Ashby die?
    Malibu, California, USA
  • When was Hal Ashby born?
    September 2, 1929

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