Howard Zuker
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Zack Norman (born ''Howard Jerrold Zuker''; May 27, 1940) is an American actor, director, producer, writer, comedian, musician, film financier, painter, art collector and real estate developer. Born in
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
and raised in nearby Revere, at the age of 13, he attended the oldest independent boarding school in the United States,
The Governor's Academy The Governor's Academy is an independent school north of Boston located on in the village of Byfield, Massachusetts, United States (town of Newbury), north of Boston. The Academy enrolls approximately 412 students in grades nine through twelve ...
, and by the age of 25 he was on the board of directors of a Massachusetts bank, though he is best known for his role as Ira in
20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...
's ''
Romancing the Stone ''Romancing the Stone'' is a 1984 action-adventure romantic comedy film directed by Robert Zemeckis, written by Diane Thomas and produced by Michael Douglas, who also starred in the film. The film co-stars Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito. The f ...
'' (1984) and as Kaz Naiman in Paramount Classics' '' Festival in Cannes'' (2001). He has also co-starred in films such as ''
Ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that flourished from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers such as Scott J ...
'' (1981), ''
Cadillac Man ''Cadillac Man'' is a 1990 American black comedy film directed by Roger Donaldson, starring Robin Williams and Tim Robbins. The plot of the film centers on car salesman Joey O'Brien (Williams) whose life is consumed by turmoil, which all comes ...
'' (1990) and '' Chief Zabu'' (2016), which he also co-wrote, co-produced and co-directed. His latest starring role was in E.N.T.E.R. (2018), which won Best Comedy in October of that year at the first Cutting Room International Short Film Festival in NYC. As a painter, he is known as Zack Zuker, having done his first painting in New York City in 1976. He made his television debut in 1953 at the age of twelve on WBZ-TV Boston's Community Auditions talent show as a drummer with his band, Howie Zuker and His Music Makers. Since then, he has guest-starred in such popular series as ''
The A-Team ''The A-Team'' is an American action-adventure television series that ran on NBC from January 1983 to March 1987 about former members of a fictitious United States Army Special Forces unit. The four members of the team were tried by court ma ...
'' (1985) and ''
Baywatch ''Baywatch'' is an American action drama television series about lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, and Hawaii, starring David Hasselhoff. It was created by Michael Berk, Douglas Schwartz, and Gregory J. Bo ...
'' (1993), had a recurring role on ''
The Nanny ''The Nanny'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS from November 3, 1993, to June 23, 1999, starring Fran Drescher as Fran Fine, a Jewish fashionista from Flushing, Queens, New York, who becomes the nanny of three ch ...
'' (1993–1995) and was featured in several TV movies including '' At Home with the Webbers'' (1993). As Howard Zuker, he has produced, presented and/or financed more than forty motion pictures, including '' Hearts and Minds'' (1974), which won the
Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature An academy ( Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosoph ...
.


Legit theatre and stand-up

Norman began performing as a stand-up comedian in strip joints and nightclubs while producing his first Off-Broadway play, the New York premiere of
John Arden John Arden (26 October 1930 – 28 March 2012) was an English playwright who at his death was lauded as "one of the most significant British playwrights of the late 1950s and early 60s". Career Born in Barnsley, son of the manager of a glass f ...
's '' Live Like Pigs'', which opened on June 7, 1965. In 1966 he left for Europe to work the
U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...
Base Circuit operating out of
Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on it ...
, Germany, playing army clubs throughout Western Europe. On June 7, 1967, Norman opened at the
Playboy Club The Playboy Club was initially a chain of nightclubs and resorts owned and operated by Playboy Enterprises. The first Playboy Club opened in Chicago in 1960. Each club generally featured a Living Room, a Playmate Bar, a Dining Room, and a Club ...
in
London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, England, where ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' wrote he was "hysterical... one of the funniest guys ever to cross these shores". Soon he was headlining in every Playboy Club on their 18-venue circuit, as well as appearing in hotels and nightclubs such as The Flamingo in
Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
and New York's Copacabana with
The Temptations The Temptations are an American vocal group from Detroit, Michigan, who released a series of successful singles and albums with Motown Records during the 1960s and 1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield, beginning with the Top ...
. Norman made his debut on ''
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' was an American late-night talk show hosted by Johnny Carson on NBC, the third iteration of the ''Tonight Show'' franchise. The show debuted on October 1, 1962, and aired its final episode on May 22, ...
'' on April 28, 1969. As a stage actor, he starred in more than 20 plays. His performance in the title role of Bertolt Brecht's '' The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui'' at the Stamford Center for the Arts in Stamford, Connecticut (1980) was critically acclaimed.


Motion pictures

In May 1969, Norman traveled to the
Cannes International Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...
in France to put deals together for movie projects. As Howard Zuker, he had developed a film fund financed by a group of Boston real estate investors based on tax ramifications related to the real estate business, i.e. amortization and depreciation, which could be translated into tax incentives for motion picture investment. Norman applied these to his fund, formed Gemini Pictures International, with himself as president. The company's first release was the Italian-made '' Which Way Do You Dig?'' (also known as ''Dark of the Day''; ''And The Bombs Keep Falling'' and ''I Cannoni Tuonano Ancora''), in which he also co-starred alongside Spaghetti Western actor Robert Woods. Over the course of his career, Norman would go on to act in, produce, and finance scores of movies, raising in excess of $100,000,000 for motion picture production, most notably with French producer Henry Lange, with whom he made over a dozen films— including the 1971
vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mischief or deat ...
lesbian cult hit, '' Daughters of Darkness'' – and with Hollywood legend
Bert Schneider Berton "Bert" Jerome Schneider (May 5, 1933December 12, 2011) was an American film and television producer. He was responsible for several topical films of the late 1960s and early 1970s, including the road film ''Easy Rider'' (1969), directed ...
: '' Hearts And Minds'' (
Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
, 1974), '' The Gentleman Tramp'' (1976) and
Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. The following busin ...
's 1977 '' Tracks'', which in addition was produced by, co-starred Norman and was directed by
Henry Jaglom Henry David Jaglom (born January 26, 1938) is an English-born American actor, film director and playwright. Life and career Jaglom was born to a Jewish family in London, England, the son of Marie (née Stadthagen) and Simon M. Jaglom, who w ...
, who would become Norman's most frequent moviemaking partner. As producer, presenter, financier and actor, Norman has collaborated with Jaglom for the last 40 years on such films as ''
Sitting Ducks ''Sitting Ducks'' is a lithograph created by the poster artist Michael Bedard in 1977. It depicts a literal interpretation of the idiom "sitting duck". Three ducks are relaxing in the sun on white chairs by the poolside, one looks up and no ...
'' (1980),'' Venice, Venice'' (1992),'' Babyfever'' (1994),'' Hollywood Dreams'' (2005), '' Irene in Time'' (2009),'' Queen of the Lot'' (2010) and '' Festival in Cannes'' (2001), for which Norman received favorable reviews. In 1998, Norman acquired the catalog of the American Play Company (founded 1889) for himself and actor-producer
Michael Douglas Michael Kirk Douglas (born September 25, 1944) is an American actor and film producer. He has received numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, five Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, and the A ...
for their newly formed joint venture, The American Entertainment Holding Company (AEHC), which controlled the rights to thousands of plays and manuscripts by such authors as John Steinbeck,
Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the thr ...
,
George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from ...
,
Eugene O'Neill Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (October 16, 1888 – November 27, 1953) was an American playwright and Nobel laureate in Nobel Prize in Literature, literature. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into the U.S. the drama tech ...
,
Thornton Wilder Thornton Niven Wilder (April 17, 1897 – December 7, 1975) was an American playwright and novelist. He won three Pulitzer Prizes — for the novel '' The Bridge of San Luis Rey'' and for the plays ''Our Town'' and '' The Skin of Our Teeth'' — ...
, Oscar Wilde, A.A. Milne and Maurine Dallas Watkins. In 2008, Norman initiated a lawsuit against Douglas; the two settled out of court, dissolving the partnership. In 2006, Variety's Elizabeth Guider wrote of Norman: "There are people through the decades who become regular fixtures in the pages of Variety – everyone from
Al Jolson Al Jolson (born Eizer Yoelson; June 9, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Lithuanian-American Jewish singer, comedian, actor, and vaudevillian. He was one of the United States' most famous and highest-paid stars of the 1920s, and was self-billed ...
to Jimmy Durante to Michael Ovitz to
Harvey Weinstein Harvey Weinstein (; born March 19, 1952) is an American former film producer and convicted sex offender. He and his brother, Bob Weinstein, co-founded the entertainment company Miramax, which produced several successful independent films includ ...
. But no one's presence has been as constant as that of Zack Norman." The reason for this, she wrote, is that in the 1980s he regularly bought ads promoting himself on page 6 of the newspaper.


Fine arts: Painter and collector

Norman is also a painter as well as an art collector, counting among his acquisitions five pieces by Jean-Michel Basquiat, whose “Untitled” sold in May, 2017 at Sotheby's New York for $110.5 million, setting the record price for an American artist at auction. In 1982, Norman purchased “Hannibal” from Basquiat in the artist's studio for $3200. That piece sold on October 9, 2016, at Sotheby's London for £10.6 million. Norman himself started painting in 1976, under the name of Zack Zuker.


Filmography


Film acting

* '' E.N.T.E.R.'' (2018) * '' Chief Zabu'' (2016) * ''
Ovation The ovation ( la, ovatio from ''ovare'': to rejoice) was a form of the Roman triumph. Ovations were granted when war was not declared between enemies on the level of nations or states; when an enemy was considered basely inferior (e.g., slaves, p ...
'' (2016) * '' The M Word'' (2013) * '' Queen of the Lot'' (2010) * '' Irene in Time'' (2009) * '' Emma Blue'' (2008) * '' Hollywood Dreams'' (2006) * '' Festival in Cannes'' (2001) * '' Has Been'' (1998) * '' Get a Job'' (1998) * ''
Crosscut Crosscut may refer to: * Crosscut.com, an online newspaper in Seattle * Crosscut Peak, a mountain peak in Antarctica * Crosscut Point, a rocky point in the South Sandwich Islands * CrossCut Records, a German record company * A type of saw cut, m ...
'' (1996) * ''
Mojave Moon ''Mojave Moon'' is a 1996 American road movie. It stars Danny Aiello, Anne Archer, Michael Biehn, Angelina Jolie and Jack Noseworthy. The film was written by Leonard Glasser and directed by Kevin Dowling. Plot Al McCord is hanging out at his f ...
'' (1996) * '' Babyfever'' (1994) * '' Lucky Ducks'' (1993) * '' Venice, Venice'' (1992) * ''
Cadillac Man ''Cadillac Man'' is a 1990 American black comedy film directed by Roger Donaldson, starring Robin Williams and Tim Robbins. The plot of the film centers on car salesman Joey O'Brien (Williams) whose life is consumed by turmoil, which all comes ...
'' (1990) * '' America'' * ''
Romancing The Stone ''Romancing the Stone'' is a 1984 action-adventure romantic comedy film directed by Robert Zemeckis, written by Diane Thomas and produced by Michael Douglas, who also starred in the film. The film co-stars Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito. The f ...
'' (1984) * ''
Ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that flourished from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers such as Scott J ...
'' (1981) * ''
Sitting Ducks ''Sitting Ducks'' is a lithograph created by the poster artist Michael Bedard in 1977. It depicts a literal interpretation of the idiom "sitting duck". Three ducks are relaxing in the sun on white chairs by the poolside, one looks up and no ...
'' (1980) * ''
Fingers A finger is a limb of the body and a type of digit, an organ of manipulation and sensation found in the hands of most of the Tetrapods, so also with humans and other primates. Most land vertebrates have five fingers (Pentadactyly). Chambers 1 ...
'' (1978) * '' Tracks'' (1977) * ''
Gums The gums or gingiva (plural: ''gingivae'') consist of the mucosal tissue that lies over the mandible and maxilla inside the mouth. Gum health and disease can have an effect on general health. Structure The gums are part of the soft tissue lin ...
'' (1976) * ''Touch Me Not'' (1974) * ''
Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up to Me ''Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up to Me'' is a novel by Richard Fariña. Parts campus novel and travelogue, the book was first published in 1966 and is largely based on Fariña's college experiences and travels. Set variously in an upstat ...
'' (1971) * '' Which Way Do You Dig?'' (1969) * '' Love with the Proper Stranger'' (1963)


Television acting

* ''
The A-Team ''The A-Team'' is an American action-adventure television series that ran on NBC from January 1983 to March 1987 about former members of a fictitious United States Army Special Forces unit. The four members of the team were tried by court ma ...
'' (Double episode, 1985) * '' Az aranyifjú'' he Golden Boy(1986, Hungarian TV movie) * '' The Flash'' (1 episode, 1991) * '' At Home with the Webbers'' (1993) * ''
Baywatch ''Baywatch'' is an American action drama television series about lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, and Hawaii, starring David Hasselhoff. It was created by Michael Berk, Douglas Schwartz, and Gregory J. Bo ...
'' (1 episode, 1993) * '' Lush Life'' (1993) * '' Az áldozat''
he Victim He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...
(Hungarian TV documentary, 1994) * ''
The Nanny ''The Nanny'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS from November 3, 1993, to June 23, 1999, starring Fran Drescher as Fran Fine, a Jewish fashionista from Flushing, Queens, New York, who becomes the nanny of three ch ...
'' (3 episodes, 1993–1995)


External links

* * Zack Norman Interview: http://www.henryjaglom.com/rainbowfilms/zack.htm


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Norman, Zack 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors American film producers Living people 1940 births Harvard Business School alumni