Mardi Rustam (born ca. 1931) is an American film producer and director. He graduated from the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

with a

degree Degree may refer to: As a unit of measurement * Degree (angle), a unit of angle measurement ** Degree of geographical latitude ** Degree of geographical longitude * Degree symbol (°), a notation used in science, engineering, and mathematics ...

Business Administration Business administration, also known as business management, is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. From the point of view of management ...

. He also earned a

Bachelor of Fine Arts A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is a standard undergraduate degree for students for pursuing a professional education in the visual, fine or performing arts. It is also called Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA) in some cases. Background The Bachelor ...

from the Arts Institute/

Goodman Theatre Goodman Theatre is a professional theater company located in Chicago's Loop. A major part of the Chicago theatre scene, it is the city's oldest currently active nonprofit theater organization. Part of its present theater complex occupies the lan ...

of Chicago and a

Master of Fine Arts A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.) is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts admini ...

in Cinema from

USC USC most often refers to: * University of South Carolina, a public research university ** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses **South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program * University of ...

. Rustam became the founder and president of the movie company Mars Productions in the 1960s. He has produced and directed more than 20 movies and TV productions in the US and abroad. One of his movies is the horror flick ''

Evils of the Night ''Evils of the Night'' is a 1985 American low-budget science fiction horror filmMank, Gregory W. (2001). ''Hollywood cauldron: thirteen horror films from the genre's golden age.'' McFarland, , . starring Aldo Ray, Neville Brand, Tina Louise, Joh ...

'', starring

Julie Newmar Julie Newmar (born Julia Chalene Newmeyer, August 16, 1933) is an American actress, dancer, and singer, known for a variety of stage, screen, and television roles. She is also a writer, lingerie designer, and real-estate mogul. She won the Tony ...

and

Tina Louise Tina Louise ( Blacker; born February 11, 1934) is an American actress widely known for her role as movie star Ginger Grant in the CBS television situation comedy ''Gilligan's Island''. With the death of Dawn Wells in 2020, Louise became the las ...

. He also acted in three of his movies. He and his wife, Sarah, have 2 grown daughters. In 1994, Rustam was honored with the Service Award by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA. A member of the

Producers Guild of America The Producers Guild of America (PGA) is a 501(c)(6) trade association representing television producers, film producers and New media, New Media producers in the United States. The PGA's membership includes over 8,000 members of the producing esta ...

, he also became publisher and editor-in-chief of the '' Tolucan Times'', one of the oldest newspapers in the

San Fernando Valley The San Fernando Valley, known locally as the Valley, is an urbanized valley in Los Angeles County, California. Located to the north of the Los Angeles Basin, it contains a large portion of the City of Los Angeles, as well as unincorporated ar ...

, and '' Entertainment Today''. He also joined the

Los Angeles Press Club The Los Angeles Press Club is an American journalism organization founded in 1913. It honors journalists through its annual National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards and SoCal Journalism Awards. The Board of Directors includes the organi ...

. In the summer of 1998, he was honored by The United Chambers of Commerce of the San Fernando Valley with its Small Business of the Year Award. Mardi Rustam lives in

Toluca Lake, California Toluca Lake is an affluent neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California, located in the San Fernando Valley northwest of downtown. The name is also given to a private natural lake fed by wells and maintained by neighboring property ow ...

, with his wife. His granddaughter, Brittany Lee, is following in his footsteps. Her first short film, ''A Book By Its Cover'', was in the San Fernando Valley International Film Festival. The film was chosen out of 500 submissions and was placed at No. 6.

Filmography

External links

*
The Rustam Report
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rustam, Mardi 1931 births American film producers American film directors Living people University of Chicago Booth School of Business alumni USC School of Cinematic Arts alumni