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Ismail Merchant Biography (1936-)

Original name, Ismail Noormohamed Abdul Rehman; born December 25, 1936, in Bombay, India; immigrated to the United States, 1958; son of Noormohamed Haji Abdul (a textile dealer) and Hazra (maiden name, Memon) Rehman; married; wife's name, Parmesh. Addresses: Office: Merchant-Ivory Productions Ltd., 250 West 57th St., Suite 1913-A, New York, NY 10102-0158.; Agent: Creative Artists Agency, 9830 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90212-1825.

Gender

Male

Occupation

Producer, director, writer

Birth Details

December 25, 1936

Bombay, India

Famous Works

• CREDITS
• Film Producer
• The Creation of Woman, Trident Films, 1960
• The Sword and the Flute (short film), 1961
• The Householder (also known as Gharbar), Royal Productions,1963
• The Delhi Way, 1964
• Shakespeare Wallah, Continental Distributing, 1965
• The Guru, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1968
• Bombay Talkie, Merchant-Ivory, 1970
• Adventures of a Brown Man in Search of Civilization (documentary),New Yorker, 1971
• (With James Ivory) Savages, Angelika, 1972
• Helen, Queen of the Nautch Girls, 1973
• The Wild Party, American International Pictures, 1975
• (With Ivory) Sweet Sounds, 1976
• Roseland, Cinema Shares, 1977
• Hullabaloo over Georgie and Bonnie's Pictures, Contemporary, 1979
• The Europeans, Levitt-Pickman, 1979
• The Five Forty-Eight, Films, Inc., 1979
• Jane Austen in Manhattan, Contemporary, 1980
• Quartet, New World Pictures, 1981
• Heat and Dust, Universal, 1982
• (With Ivory) The Courtesans of Bombay (documentary), New Yorker, 1983
• The Bostonians, Almi, 1984
• A Room with a View, Cinecom International, 1986
• Maurice, Cinecom International, 1987
• The Deceivers, Cinecom International, 1988
• (With Gary Hendler) Slaves of New York, TriStar, 1989
• Mr. & Mrs. Bridge, Miramax, 1990
• The Ballad of the Sad Cafe, Angelika, 1991
• Howards End, Sony Picture Classics, 1992
• (With Mike Nichols and John Calley) The Remains of the Day, Columbia, 1993
• Jefferson in Paris, Buena Vista, 1995
• Surviving Picasso, Warner Bros., 1996
• A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries, October Films, 1998
• Cotton Mary, 1999 Artistic License, 2000
• The Golden Bowl (also known as La coupe d'or), Miramax, 2000 Lions Gate Films, 2001
• Film Executive Producer
• My Little Girl, Starmaker, 1986
• Sweet Lorraine, Angelika Films, 1987
• The Perfect Murder, 1988
• Feast of July, Buena Vista, 1995
• Side Streets, Cargo Films/nuMedien, 1997
• Film Director
• The Creation of Woman, Trident Films, 1960
• The Courtesans of Bombay (documentary), New Yorker, 1983
• In Custody (also known as Hifazaat), Sony Picture Classics,1993
• Lumiere et compagnie (documentary; also known as Lumiere and Company and Lumiere y compania), Pierre Grise Distribution, 1995
• The Proprietor (also known as La proprietaire), Warner Bros., 1996
• Cotton Mary, 1999 Artistic License, 2000
• The Mystic Masseur, Merchant-Ivory Productions, 2001
• Film Appearances
• Master of ceremonies, The Guru, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1969
• Fate machine producer, Bombay Talkie, Merchant-Ivory Productions,1970
• Tipoo sultan's ambassador, Jefferson in Paris, Buena Vista, 1995
• Television Producer
• Movies
• (With James Ivory; and director) Mahatma and the Mad Boy, 1973
• The Autobiography of a Princess, 1975
• Television Work
• Episodic
• (With James Ivory) Executive producer, "Noon Wine," American Playhouse, PBS, 1985
• Television Appearances
• Episodic
• Appeared on 60 Minutes.
• RECORDINGS
• Albums
• Participated in the recording Merchant Ivory Productions: 25th Anniversary, 1962-1987, 1988.
• WRITINGS
• Film Scripts
• The Courtesans of Bombay (documentary), New Yorker, 1983
• Other Writings
• Ismail Merchant's Indian Cuisine, St. Martin's (New York City), 1986
• Hullabaloo in Old Jeypore: The Making of "The Deceivers," Doubleday (New York City), 1989
• Ismail Merchant's Vegetarian Cuisine, 1991
• Ismail Merchant's Florence: Filming and Feasting in Tuscany, Abrams (New York City), 1993
• Ismail Merchant's Passionate Meals: The New Indian Cuisine for Fearless Cooks and Adventurous Eaters, Hyperion Press (Westport, CT), 1994
• Once Upon a Time ... The Proprietor, 1996
• Ismail Merchant's Paris: Filming and Feasting in France, Abrams, 1999

Further Reference

ADAPTATIONS

• The film The Proprietor is based on a story by Merchant.

OTHER SOURCES

Books

• Pym, John, The Wandering Company: Twenty-One Years of Merchant Ivory Films, Museum of Modern Art (New York City), 1983

Periodicals

• Biography, November, 1998