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Harold Becker

Harold Becker

Directing

Biography

Harold Becker (born September 25, 1928) is American film and television director, producer, and photographer, associated with the New Hollywood movement and best known for his work in the thriller genre. He studied art and photography at the prestigious Pratt Institute and began his career as a designer and stills photographer. He segued to directing TV commercials and short films, including the award-winning Ivanhoe Donaldson. His directorial debut conducting a feature film was with the drama The Ragman's Daughter (1972). His second feature was the acclaimed The Onion Field (1979), a dark cop thriller starring John Savage and James Woods, a remarkable role that brought him recognition from the public and several award nominations as Best Supporting Actor in the role of a dangerous and menacing cop killer. In the 1980's, Becker is a solid director who can work many different genres: the comedy The Black Marble (1980); the military drama Taps (1981) where he directed youngsters Timothy Hutton, Sean Penn and Tom Cruise alongside veteran George C. Scott; the sports-themed film Vision Quest (1985); two musical videos for Madonna; the heavy drug drama The Boost (1988) again collaborating with Woods; and the neo-noir Sea of Love (1989) where he resurrected the career of Al Pacino. The box-office suspense Malice (1993), the political thriller City Hall (1996) and the action Mercury Rising (1998) compose Becker's career in the 1990's directing big Hollywood stars and establishing him as one of the most versatile directors of the period. After the thriller Domestic Disturbance (2001) Becker never returned to film directing, possibly retired after not having many invitations to directed another feature.

Known For

Masters of Science Fiction
6.2

Masters of Science Fiction is an American television anthology series with each hour long episode taking the form of a separate short film adaptation of a story by a respected member of the science fiction community. The show is hosted by physicist Stephen Hawking.

Masters of Science Fiction

2007
Vengeance: A Love Story
5.6

When a new friend is brutally assaulted, Detective John Droomor is put by chance in charge of the investigation. Although the evidence against the perpetrators seems overwhelming, there is nothing definitive in the case that guarantees justice is served, even more so if some people are willing to twist and betray it.

Vengeance: A Love Story

2017
Mercury Rising
6.3

Renegade FBI agent Art Jeffries protects a nine-year-old autistic boy who has cracked the government's new "unbreakable" code.

Mercury Rising

1998
Sea of Love
6.6

Seen-it-all New York detective Frank Keller is unsettled - he has done twenty years on the force and could retire, and he hasn't come to terms with his wife leaving him for a colleague. Joining up with an officer from another part of town to investigate a series of murders linked by the lonely hearts columns he finds he is getting seriously and possibly dangerously involved with Helen, one of the main suspects.

Sea of Love

1989
Malice
6.3

A tale about a happily married couple who would like to have children. Tracy teaches infants, Andy's a college professor. Things are never the same after she is taken to hospital and operated upon by Jed, a "know all" doctor.

Malice

1993
City Hall
6.0

The accidental shooting of a boy in New York City leads to an investigation by the Deputy Mayor, and unexpectedly far-reaching consequences.

City Hall

1996
Taps
6.8

Military cadets take extreme measures to ensure the future of their academy when its existence is threatened by local condo developers.

Taps

1981
Domestic Disturbance
5.8

Frank Morrison is a divorced father with a 12-year-old son, Danny. His ex-wife Susan and son Danny now live with Rick Barnes, Susan's new husband. Danny, who has a reputation for telling lies, accuses his stepfather of committing a murder. Initially, no one believes his accusations, but then Frank becomes convinced and is the only one who believes him. Now, the father Danny trusts must protect him from the stepfather he fears.

Domestic Disturbance

2001
Vision Quest
6.4

After deciding he needs to do something meaningful with his life, high school wrestler Louden Swain sets out on a mission to drop weight and challenge the area's undefeated champion, which creates problems with his teammates and health. Matters are complicated further when Louden's father takes in an attractive female drifter who's on her way to San Francisco.

Vision Quest

1985
The Onion Field
6.0

An LA police officer is murdered in the onion fields outside of Bakersfield. However, legal loopholes could keep his kidnappers from receiving justice, and his partner is haunted by overwhelming survivor's guilt.

The Onion Field

1979
The Boost
5.7

Lenny Brown moves to California to find his fortune in tax shelter investments. When the federal government changes the tax laws, poor Lenny finds himself $700,000 in hock with nowhere to turn. His friend, Joel, introduces him to cocaine to give Lenny that needed "boost". What ensues next is a descent into drug addiction and insanity as Lenny tries to regain control of his life, all the while needing that extra "boost".

The Boost

1988
The Ragman's Daughter
4.2

Based on the Alan Sillitoe short story. The film tells the story of the ill-fated love between Tony, a petty thief from a working-class family, and Doris, the daughter of an upwardly mobile scrap dealer.

The Ragman's Daughter

1972
The Black Marble
5.0

When alcoholic homicide investigator Valnikov is transferred to a burglary case that seems to involve a creepy dogcatcher, he's also given a new partner -- the pragmatic Sgt. Natalie Zimmerman, who's experiencing a midlife crisis and does not welcome Valnikov's company. But as these emotionally bruised cops are drawn deeper into the bizarre world of dog shows, animal fanatics and pet cemeteries, they're also drawn to each other.

The Black Marble

1980
No image
N/A

Bruce Gordon, a 22-year-old organizer for the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee, is interviewed in Selma, Alabama, during the height of a drive to register Negro voters.

An Interview with Bruce Gordon

1964
Sighet, Sighet
6.2

Elie Wiesel, a survivor from Sighet, a town from which a thousand Jews were deported to the ovens of Auschwitz, returns, unknown and unseen, a silent witness to the town where he was born and grew up.

Sighet, Sighet

1967
Blind Gary Davis
N/A

A short documentary on the "Harlem Street Singer," blues artist Rev. Gary Davis. Features footage of his neighborhood, Davis talking about his upbringing, and two performances including "Death Don't Have No Mercy." Benefiting from New York's folk revival in the 1960s, Davis influenced artists such as Dave Van Ronk, Bob Dylan, and the Grateful Dead.

Blind Gary Davis

1964