Conrad Rooks (December 15, 1934 in

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

– December 27, 2011 in

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

) was an American writer, director and producer most well known for his 1972 filmed adaptation of

Hermann Hesse Hermann Karl Hesse (; 2 July 1877 – 9 August 1962) was a German-Swiss poet, novelist, and painter. His best-known works include ''Demian'', ''Steppenwolf (novel), Steppenwolf'', ''Siddhartha (novel), Siddhartha'', and ''The Glass Bead Game'', ...

's novel '' Siddhartha''.

Early life

Rooks was an heir to the

Avon Products Avon Products, Inc. or simply known as Avon, is an American-British multinational cosmetics, skin care, fragrance and personal care company, based in London. It sells directly to the public. Avon had annual sales of $9.1 billion worldwide in 2 ...

cosmetics fortune, where his father, Russell Rooks, was one of the founding Presidents, who came up with the now famous phrase "Ding Dong Avon calling". By the time he was eighteen, Rooks became a troubled substance abuser (alcohol, cocaine, heroin, ''et al.''). After years of addiction, he traveled to Europe seeking a new "sleeping cure" being offered by a medical doctor at a clinic in Zurich. According to Rooks, the cure was successful and he never abused substances again. Conrad spent much of his life traveling the globe, living abroad for many years in such places as

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...

and

Pattaya Pattaya ( th, พัทยา, , ) is a city in Thailand. It is on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand, about southeast of Bangkok, within, but not part of, Bang Lamung district in the province of Chonburi province, Chonburi. Pattaya City ( ...

, Thailand.

Career

In 1966 Rooks wrote, directed and starred in his first film, '' Chappaqua'', a semi-autobiographical exploration of the perils of drug addiction, the agony of withdrawal, and the author's journey to Europe and success with the aforementioned "sleeping cure." The film won second prize at the

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival he ...

in competition against works from established directors

François Truffaut François Roland Truffaut ( , ; ; 6 February 1932 – 21 October 1984) was a French film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film critic. He is widely regarded as one of the founders of the French New Wave. After a career of more tha ...

and

Roger Vadim Roger Vadim Plemiannikov (; 26 January 1928 – 11 February 2000) was a French screenwriter, film director and producer, as well as an author, artist and occasional actor. His best-known works are visually lavish films with erotic qualities, su ...

. He directed the film ''Siddhartha'' which was released in 1972. It stars

Shashi Kapoor Shashi Kapoor (pronounced �əʃi kəpuːɾ (born Balbir Raj Kapoor; 18 March 1938 – 4 December 2017) was an Indian actor and film producer who is best known for his work in Hindi films. A recipient of several accolades, including four Nation ...

. He died on December 27, 2011, in Massachusetts.

Family

He was married to the American heiress

Zina Rachevsky Zina Rachevsky, also Zenaïde Rachewski or Zina Rachewsky (russian: Зинаида Владимировна Рашевская; 1 September 1930 – 20 August 1973) was a Russian-born French-American socialite, film actress, and Gelug Tibetan Budd ...

and the couple had a son Alexander (1958-) and a daughter Rhea (1966-). Later he married the Indian director and screenwriter

Pamela Rooks Pamela Rooks (28 February 1958 – 1 October 2010) was an Indian film director and screenwriter, most known for the film, ''Train to Pakistan'' (1998) set in Partition of India and based on Khushwant Singh's novel; it was screened at several i ...

and the couple had a son, Ryan Rooks, before they divorced in 1985.

References

External links

*
WorldCat: Conrad RooksVenice film festival
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rooks, Conrad American male screenwriters 2011 deaths 1934 births Writers from Kansas City, Missouri Film directors from Missouri Film producers from Missouri Screenwriters from Missouri