Lawrence Julian Schiller (born December 28, 1936) is an American photojournalist, film producer, director and screenwriter.

Career

Schiller was born in 1936 in Brooklyn to Jewish parents and grew up outside of San Diego, California. After attending Pepperdine College in Los Angeles, he worked for ''

Life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energ ...

'' magazine, ''

Paris Match ''Paris Match'' () is a French-language weekly news magazine. It covers major national and international news along with celebrity lifestyle features. History and profile A sports news magazine, ''Match l'intran'' (a play on ''L'Intransigeant' ...

'', ''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...

'', ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...

'', ''

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis (businessman), Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print m ...

'', ''

Stern The stern is the back or aft-most part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter rail to the taffrail. The stern lies opposite the bow, the foremost part of a ship. Ori ...

'', and ''

The Saturday Evening Post ''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine, currently published six times a year. It was issued weekly under this title from 1897 until 1963, then every two weeks until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely c ...

'' as a freelance photojournalist. He published his first book, ''LSD'', in 1966. Since then Schiller has published 17 books, including

W. Eugene Smith William Eugene Smith (December 30, 1918 – October 15, 1978) was an American photojournalist.Peacock, Scot. "W(illiam) Eugene Smith." ''Contemporary Authors Online'', Gale, 2003. ''Biography In Context'' He has been described as "perhaps the si ...

's book ''Minamata'' and Norman Mailer's '' Marilyn''. Having produced and directed the 1967 Capitol Records audio documentary album ''Why Did Lenny Bruce Die?'', he collaborated with

Albert Goldman Albert Harry Goldman (April 15, 1927 – March 28, 1994) was an American academic and author. Goldman wrote about the culture and personalities of the American music industry both in books and as a contributor to magazines. He is best known f ...

on the bestseller in 1974 ''Ladies and Gentleman--Lenny Bruce!!'', and also with

Norman Mailer Nachem Malech Mailer (January 31, 1923 – November 10, 2007), known by his pen name Norman Kingsley Mailer, was an American novelist, journalist, essayist, playwright, activist, filmmaker and actor. In a career spanning over six decades, Mailer ...

on the 1980 ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' bestseller and the made-for-television motion picture of ''

The Executioner's Song ''The Executioner's Song'' (1979) is a Pulitzer Prize-winning true crime novel by Norman Mailer that depicts the events related to the execution of Gary Gilmore for murder by the state of Utah. The title of the book may be a play on "The Lord Hi ...

'' as well as in 1995 ''

Oswald's Tale ''Oswald's Tale: An American Mystery'' is a 1995 non-fiction book by Norman Mailer, . It amounts to a detailed biography of Lee Harvey Oswald (1939–1963), the assassin of US President John F. Kennedy. Summary The book includes an exhaustive ...

''. His own books that became national bestsellers and made the ''New York Times'' Bestseller list include ''American Tragedy'', ''Perfect Murder, Perfect Town'', ''Cape May Court House'', and ''Into the Mirror.'' He has directed seven motion pictures and miniseries for television; ''The Executioner's Song'' and ''

Peter the Great Peter I ( – ), most commonly known as Peter the Great,) or Pyotr Alekséyevich ( rus, Пётр Алексе́евич, p=ˈpʲɵtr ɐlʲɪˈksʲejɪvʲɪtɕ, , group=pron was a Russian monarch who ruled the Tsardom of Russia from t ...

'' won five

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

s. ''American Tragedy'', ''Perfect Murder, Perfect Town'' and ''Into the Mirror'' were made into television mini-series for CBS, all of which Schiller produced and directed. In 2008, after the death of the writer Norman Mailer, he was named Senior Advisor to the Norman Mailer Estate. Schiller was a close friend of Mailer and collaborator on five of his works. Schiller also serves on the executive board of the

Norman Mailer Society The Norman Mailer Society is a non-profit literary society dedicated to American author Norman Mailer. The Society promotes the legacy of its eponym by holding an annual meeting of scholars and enthusiasts, publishing ''The Mailer Review'', Pro ...

. Following the June 12, 1994 stabbing deaths of O.J Simpson's ex-wife

Nicole Brown Simpson Nicole Brown Simpson (née Brown; May 19, 1959 – June 12, 1994) was the ex-wife of the former professional American football player, O. J. Simpson, to whom she was married from 1985 to 1992. She was the mother of their two children, Sydney an ...

and her friend

Ron Goldman Ronald Lyle Goldman (July 2, 1968 – June 12, 1994) was an American restaurant waiter and a friend of Nicole Brown Simpson, the ex-wife of the American football player O.J. Simpson. He was murdered, along with Brown, at her home in Los Angele ...

, Schiller collaborated with Simpson, who was in jail awaiting his famous murder trial at the time, on a book called ''I Want to Tell You'', which was billed as the former football star answering questions from fans about his life and the incident. Following Simpson's acquittal on murder charges, Schiller and former ''

'' magazine journalist Jim Willwerth co-wrote ''American Tragedy: The Uncensored Story of the Simpson Defense'', considered one of the best books about the case. Dan Whitcomb, who covered the sensational trial for

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency was estab ...

, worked for Schiller as a researcher on the book. In 1999 Schiller published a book on the JonBenet Ramsey murder case, ''Perfect Murder, Perfect Town: The Uncensored Story of the JonBenet Murder and the Grand Jury's Search for the Final Truth'', based on an article he had published in ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'' on the same subject. Schiller served as a consultant to political campaigns and major corporations on such issues as crisis management, branding, public imaging and the use of social networking. Schiller has been an on-air analyst to

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

news, a consultant to

Taschen Taschen is a luxury art book publisher founded in 1980 by Benedikt Taschen in Cologne, Germany. As of January 2017, Taschen is co-managed by Benedikt and his eldest daughter, Marlene Taschen. History The company began as Taschen Comics, pu ...

Publishing, The John F. Kennedy Library and Foundation, The Ray Bradbury Estate, Mitsubishi Power Systems Americas, Photographers Annie Leibovitz Studio and Steven Klein and has written for ''The New Yorker'', ''

The Daily Beast ''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. It was founded in 2008. It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief from 2018 to 2021. In a 20 ...

'' and other publications. In 2005, Schiller traveled to China and over two years built a collection of Chinese contemporary art, which numbers over 80 paintings and photographs. In 2007, he showed his own photographs for the first time in the US at the exhibition ''Marilyn Monroe and America in the 1960s''. It is for these photographs of Marilyn that Schiller is perhaps best known as a photographer. Schiller first photographed Monroe in May 1960 on the set of ''Let’s Make Love'', and then again in 1962 when he was hired to photograph the star on the set of what would become the last film she would ever work on, the unfinished ''Something’s Got To Give''. ''Marilyn & Me'', Schiller's 11th book, commemorates his experience photographing the Hollywood legend, complete with 131 color and black-and-white photographs. In 2017 Schiller curated the John F. Kennedy Centennial for the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington D.C. and the New York Historical Society in New York City. He also now represents the Jacques Lowe Estate of historical photographs of the Kennedy family and the Lisl Steiner photographic archives. In 2018 he curated the Robert Kennedy - Martin Luther King, Jr. exhibition for the New York Historical Society. He also managed the 2020 Centennial of

Ray Bradbury Ray Douglas Bradbury (; August 22, 1920June 5, 2012) was an American author and screenwriter. One of the most celebrated 20th-century American writers, he worked in a variety of modes, including fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery, and r ...

. Schiller resides in Newtown, Pennsylvania with his wife Nina Wiener, the Editor in Chief of The Mayo Clinic Press.

Works

Filmography

*''

Double Jeopardy In jurisprudence, double jeopardy is a procedural defence (primarily in common law jurisdictions) that prevents an accused person from being tried again on the same (or similar) charges following an acquittal or conviction and in rare case ...

'' (1992) Producer/Director *''I Love My Friends'' (1985 Kris Kardashian music video) Director *'' The Man Who Skied Down Everest'' (1975 documentary) USA Director *'' Lenny'' (1974) Material supplier *''Soon There Will Be No More Me'' (1972 documentary) Producer/Director *'' Lady Sings The Blues'' (1972) Titles/Still montage director *''The American Dreamer'' (1971 documentary) Producer/Co-director/Writer *''The Lexington Experience'' (1971 documentary) Producer/Director *''

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid ''Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'' is a 1969 American Western buddy film directed by George Roy Hill and written by William Goldman. Based loosely on fact, the film tells the story of Wild West outlaws Robert LeRoy Parker, known as Butch C ...

'' (1969) Still montage director

Books

Books - as author or in collaboration with: *''

LSD Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), also known colloquially as acid, is a potent psychedelic drug. Effects typically include intensified thoughts, emotions, and sensory perception. At sufficiently high dosages LSD manifests primarily mental, vi ...

'' (WS Press, 2023) Commemorative Edition by

Richard Alpert aka Rom Dass Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'strong ...

, Sidney Cohen and Lawrence Schiller *'' All of Me Is Illustrated'' (RosettaBooks/Inked 2020) With stories by Ray Bradbury, tattoos by today's artists. Conceived and directed by Lawrence Schiller *''

The Fire Next Time ''The Fire Next Time'' is a 1963 non-fiction book by James Baldwin, containing two essays: "My Dungeon Shook: Letter to my Nephew on the One Hundredth Anniversary of the Emancipation" and "Down at the Cross: Letter from a Region of My Mind". Th ...

'' (Taschen Books 2018) By James Baldwin with photos by Steve Schapiro and conceived by Lawrence Schiller *'' The Promise and the Dream, The Untold Story of MLK and RFK'' (RosettaBooks 2018) By David Margolick and produced by Lawrence Schiller *''Electric Kool Aid Acid Test'' (Taschen 2017) By Tom Wolfe and photos by Lawrence Schiller *'' JFK: A Vision for America'' (HarperCollins 2017) Produced by Lawrence Schiller, Edited by Stephen Kennedy Smith & Douglas Brinkley *'' Around the World in 125 Years'' (Taschen/National Geographic 2017) Photos by various photographers and conceived by Lawrence Schiller *''

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers List ...

'' (Taschen Books 2014) by Steve Schapiro & Lawrence Schiller *''Marilyn & Me, A Photographer's Memories'' (Nan A. Talese/Doubleday 2012) by Lawrence Schiller *''

Superman Comes to the Supermarket "Superman Comes to the Supermarket" is an essay by the American novelist and journalist Norman Mailer about the 1960 Democratic convention. Originally published in ''Esquire'' as "Superman Comes to the Supermart," this essay was Mailer's initial ...

'' (Taschen Books 2012) By Norman Mailer with various photographers and conceived by Lawrence Schiller *'' Moonfire'' (Taschen Books 2009) By Norman Mailer with various photographers and conceived by Lawrence Schiller *''Into the Mirror: The Life of Master Spy Robert P. Hanssen'' (HarperCollins 2002) by Lawrence Schiller *''Cape May Court House: A Death in the Night'' (HarperCollins 2002) by Lawrence Schiller *''Perfect Murder, Perfect Town: JonBenet and the City of Boulder'' (HarperCollins 1999) by Lawrence Schiller *''American Tragedy: The Uncensored Story of the Simpson Defense'' (Random House 1996) by Lawrence Schiller and James Willwerth *''I Want to Tell You — My Response to Your Letters, Your Messages, Your Questions'' (Little Brown 1995) by O. J. Simpson with Lawrence Schiller *''

Oswald Oswald may refer to: People * Oswald (given name), including a list of people with the name *Oswald (surname), including a list of people with the name Fictional characters *Oswald the Reeve, who tells a tale in Geoffrey Chaucer's ''The Canterbu ...

's Tale: An American Mystery'' (Random House 1996) by Norman Mailer *''

'' (Hutchinson & Co. 1979) by Norman Mailer *''The Faith of

Graffiti Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...

'' (HarperCollins 2009) by Norman Mailer and Jon Naar *'' Marilyn: A Biography'' (Grosset and Dunlap 1973) by Norman Mailer and the world's foremost photographers *''Ladies and Gentlemen

Lenny Bruce Leonard Alfred Schneider (October 13, 1925 – August 3, 1966), known professionally as Lenny Bruce, was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, and satirist. He was renowned for his open, free-wheeling, and critical style of comedy which ...

!!'' (Random House 1974) by

and Lawrence Schiller *''The Killing of

Sharon Tate Sharon Marie Tate Polanski (January 24, 1943 – August 9, 1969) was an American actress and model. During the 1960s, she played small television roles before appearing in films and was regularly featured in fashion magazines as a model and cover ...

'' (New American Library 1970) by

Susan Atkins Susan Denise Atkins (May 7, 1948 – September 24, 2009) was an American convicted murderer who was a member of Charles Manson's "Family". Manson's followers committed a series of nine murders at four locations in California, over a perio ...

and Lawrence Schiller *''

'' (New American Library 1966) by

Richard Alpert Ram Dass (born Richard Alpert; April 6, 1931 – December 22, 2019), also known as Baba Ram Dass, was an American spiritual teacher, guru of modern yoga, psychologist, and author. His best-selling 1971 book '' Be Here Now'', which has been ...

, Sidney Cohen and Lawrence Schiller

Television

*''Dead Man Talking

The Gary Gilmore story ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'', (Reelz Network) Executive Producer *''Overkill

The JonBenet Story ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...

'' (Reelz Network) Executive Producer *''The Secret Tapes of the O. J. Case: The Untold Story'', ''O. J. Speaks: The Hidden Tapes'' (LMN & A&E Networks, 2015) Executive Producer *'' JonBenet: Anatomy of a Cold Case'' (Court TV, 2006) Executive Producer/Director *''Trace Evidence: The Case Files of Dr. Henry Lee'' (Court TV, 2004, 2005) Executive Producer/Director *''Master Spy: The

Robert Hanssen Robert Philip Hanssen (born April 18, 1944) is an American former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) double agent who spied for Soviet and Russian intelligence services against the United States from 1979 to 2001. His espionage was described ...

Story'' (CBS, 2002) Producer/Director *'' American Tragedy'' (CBS, 2000) Producer/Director/Writer (based on Schiller's book ''American Tragedy'') *''

Perfect Murder, Perfect Town ''Perfect Murder, Perfect Town'' is a 2000 American television miniseries directed by Lawrence Schiller. The teleplay by Tom Topor is based on Schiller's book of the same title. Including historic news and talk show footage, it covers in great de ...

'' (CBS, 2000) Producer/Director (based on Schiller's book ''Perfect Murder, Perfect Town'') *''The Plot to Kill Hitler'' (Warner Bros./CBS, 1990) Director *'' Double Exposure: The Story of Margaret Bourke-White'' (TNT, 1989) Producer/Director *''

'' (NBC, 1986) Executive Producer/Co-director **Recipient of 3 Emmy Awards, Writers Guild of America Award *''

'' (NBC, 1982) Producer/Director **Recipient of 2 Emmy Awards, Time Magazine, Best of the Year, Hollywood Reporter, Best of the Decade *''Murder: By Reason of Insanity'' (CBS, 1985) Producer *''Her Life as a Man'' (NBC, 1986) Executive Producer *''The

Patricia Neal Patricia Neal (born Patsy Louise Neal, January 20, 1926 – August 8, 2010) was an American actress of stage and screen. A major star of the 1950s and 1960s, she was the recipient of an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Tony Award, and two ...

Story'' (CBS, 1982) Executive Producer **Recipient of 1 Emmy Award *''Child Bride of Short Creek'' (NBC, 1982) Co-Producer *'' Marilyn, The Untold Story'' (ABC, 1980) Producer/Co-director **Recipient of 1 Emmy Award *''The Winds of Kitty Hawk'' (NBC, 1978) Producer/Flying sequences and montages director *'' The Trial of Lee Harvey Oswald'' (ABC, 1976) Producer *'' Hey, I'm Alive'' (ABC, 1975) Producer/Director

Selected awards and recognitions

*Academy of Television Arts and Sciences

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

Winner for ''

'' *The Christopher Award for ''The Patricia Neal Story'' *Representative of the US in the USA/USSR bilateral talks in Moscow and Washington, drafted and signed treaties with the Government of the USSR *Representative from the United States to the Moscow International Peace Forum *Numerous ''National Press Photographers Association'' Photographic Awards

References

External links

Norman Mailer Center HomepageLawrence Schiller HomepageLawrence Schiller App
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Schiller, Lawrence 1936 births Living people People from Brooklyn American male journalists Jewish American artists 20th-century American Jews Film producers from New York (state) American male screenwriters Mountaineering film directors Journalists from New York City Film directors from New York City Screenwriters from New York (state) 21st-century American Jews