Taylor Hackford

Directing

Taylor Hackford

Born 1944-12-31 · Santa Barbara, California, U.S.

Taylor Edwin Hackford (born December 31, 1944 in Santa Barbara, CA) is an American film director and producer. He is best known for his work on films such as "An Officer and a Gentleman" (1982), "The Devil's Advocate" (1997) and "Proof of Life" (2000), and for directing Jamie Foxx to an Academy Award for Best Actor in "Ray" (2004). Hackford served as president of the Directors Guild of America from 2009 to 2013.

Acting credits

No artwork available
NR

Documentary about Stanley Kramer, included on the 40th anniversary edition of Guess Who's Coming to Dinner.

Stanley Kramer: A Man's Search for Truth

2008

King on Screen poster
7.0

1976, Brian de Palma directs Carrie, the first novel by Stephen King. Since, more than 50 directors adapted the master of horror's books, in more than 80 films and series, making him now, the most adapted author still alive in the world.

King on Screen

2023

Good Men poster
1.0

After the birth of his grandson, Bobby Roth undertakes a cinematic investigation as to what constitutes being a "good man" in today's world. This voyage of discovery leads him to interview more than fifty of his friends, both men and women who he considers to be "good people," about their views on everything from how they were parented to their thoughts on feminism, change, and regrets they might have. Their answers both surprises and enlighten both the viewers and Bobby, himself.

Good Men

2024

100 Greatest Sexy Moments poster
3.5

Documentary, based on a British poll, listing the 100 sexiest movie and TV moments. Supplemented by new interviews with performers, filmmakers, and authors/critics.

100 Greatest Sexy Moments

2003

First Works poster
7.0

It's a mixed bag in the age of illuminating DVD supplements, but First Works effectively demonstrates the early promise of 13 successful filmmakers. Culled from programs originally broadcast on Showtime in 1990, this crude compilation combines student films, early professional work, and interviews with now-famous directors at various stages of commercial and artistic achievement.

First Works

1989

American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez poster
NR

Against political resistance and industry skepticism, Luis Valdez pushes Chicano storytelling from the fields to the film screen with Zoot Suit and La Bamba, crafting iconic works that challenge, celebrate, and expand America’s story.

American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez

2026

Casting By poster
6.9

This essential new documentary pays tribute to the legacy of the late, legendary casting director Marion Dougherty and shines a light on one of the most overlooked and least understood crafts in filmmaking.

Casting By

2012

A Friend in New Orleans poster
NR

This highly-opinionated guide to eating, drinking, dancing, shopping and lodging in New Orleans was compiled by Chappy Hardy, John Goodman and their "friends" , seasoned New Orleans insiders- without the support of advertisers. Whether bound for Mardi Gras, the Jazz Festival or a meandering tour of one of the most unique cities in the world, A Friend In New Orleans will tell you what not to wear to Galatoire's, where to find crawfish pie (and how to pronounce it) which hotel has a basketball court and other such important miscellany.

A Friend in New Orleans

1992

Budd Boetticher: A Man Can Do That poster
7.0

Documentary about filmmaker Budd Boetticher.

Budd Boetticher: A Man Can Do That

2005

The Mystery of Dante poster
5.2

A journey in the footsteps of the most famous initiate of Italian Trecento, the author of the celebrated "Divine Comedy". A poet who has inspired some of the most outstanding minds in History.

The Mystery of Dante

2014

Doctor Zhivago: A Celebration poster
NR

Interviews analyzing and looking back at the making of, and the impact made by, of one of the greatest epic films ever produced.

Doctor Zhivago: A Celebration

2010

Bukowski: Born Into This poster
6.8

Director John Dullaghan’s biographical documentary about infamous poet Charles Bukowski, Bukowski: Born Into This, is as much a touching portrait of the author as it is an exposé of his sordid lifestyle. Interspersed between ample vintage footage of Bukowski’s poetry readings are interviews with the poet’s fans including such legendary figures such as Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Joyce Fante (wife of John), Bono, and Harry Dean Stanton. Filmed in grainy black and white by Bukowski’s friend, Taylor Hackford, due to lack of funding, the old films edited into this movie paint Bukowski’s life of boozing and brawling romantically, securing Bukowski’s legendary status.

Bukowski: Born Into This

2003

Becoming Iconic poster
5.3

Baker's journey in completing Nicolas Cage's "Inconceivable" and exclusive interviews with top directors recounting their experiences with their first films.

Becoming Iconic

2018

Brando: An Icon Is Born poster
7.0

A short retroperspective feature on Brando's influence on acting itself and the cultural impact of his role in "The Wild One".

Brando: An Icon Is Born

2007

No artwork available
NR

A documentary about American film director Budd Boetticher

Budd Boetticher: A Study in Self-Determination

1971

Melville, le dernier samouraï poster
7.4

Like nobody else Jean-Pierre Melville influenced modern filmmaking. This documentary follows his creative process step by step, showing him becoming the father of the Nouvelle Vague and one of the most iconic directors of French cinema.

Melville, le dernier samouraï

2020

Pas de Deux: Making 'White Nights' poster
8.0

DVD featurette about the 1985 film "White Nights," with interviews from Taylor Hackford, Helen Mirren and Isabella Rossellini.

Pas de Deux: Making 'White Nights'

2006

Behind the camera

The Devil's Advocate poster
7.5

Aspiring Florida defense lawyer Kevin Lomax accepts a job at a New York law firm. With the stakes getting higher every case, Kevin quickly learns that his boss has something far more evil planned.

The Devil's Advocate

1997

Bound by Honor poster
8.2

Based on the true life experiences of poet Jimmy Santiago Baca, the film focuses on half-brothers Paco and Cruz, and their bi-racial cousin Miklo. It opens in 1972, as the three are members of an East L.A. gang known as the "Vatos Locos", and the story focuses on how a violent crime and the influence of narcotics alter their lives. Miklo is incarcerated and sent to San Quentin, where he makes a "home" for himself. Cruz becomes an exceptional artist, but a heroin addiction overcomes him with tragic results. Paco becomes a cop and an enemy to his "carnal", Miklo.

Bound by Honor

1993

Bound by Honor poster
8.2

Based on the true life experiences of poet Jimmy Santiago Baca, the film focuses on half-brothers Paco and Cruz, and their bi-racial cousin Miklo. It opens in 1972, as the three are members of an East L.A. gang known as the "Vatos Locos", and the story focuses on how a violent crime and the influence of narcotics alter their lives. Miklo is incarcerated and sent to San Quentin, where he makes a "home" for himself. Cruz becomes an exceptional artist, but a heroin addiction overcomes him with tragic results. Paco becomes a cop and an enemy to his "carnal", Miklo.

Bound by Honor

1993

An Officer and a Gentleman poster
7.0

Zack Mayo is an aloof, taciturn man who aspires to be a navy pilot. Once he arrives at training camp for his 13-week officer's course, Mayo runs afoul of abrasive, no-nonsense drill Sergeant Emil Foley. Mayo is an excellent cadet, but a little cold around the heart, so Foley rides him mercilessly, sensing that the young man would be prime officer material if he weren't so self-involved. Zack's affair with a working girl is likewise compromised by his unwillingness to give of himself.

An Officer and a Gentleman

1982

Dolores Claiborne poster
7.3

Dolores Claiborne was accused of killing her abusive husband twenty years ago, but the court's findings were inconclusive and she was allowed to walk free. Now she has been accused of killing her employer, Vera Donovan, and this time there is a witness who can place her at the scene of the crime. Things look bad for Dolores when her daughter Selena, a successful Manhattan magazine writer, returns to cover the story.

Dolores Claiborne

1995

Dolores Claiborne poster
7.3

Dolores Claiborne was accused of killing her abusive husband twenty years ago, but the court's findings were inconclusive and she was allowed to walk free. Now she has been accused of killing her employer, Vera Donovan, and this time there is a witness who can place her at the scene of the crime. Things look bad for Dolores when her daughter Selena, a successful Manhattan magazine writer, returns to cover the story.

Dolores Claiborne

1995

Ray poster
7.5

Born on a sharecropping plantation in Northern Florida, Ray Charles went blind at seven. Inspired by a fiercely independent mom who insisted he make his own way, He found his calling and his gift behind a piano keyboard. Touring across the Southern musical circuit, the soulful singer gained a reputation and then exploded with worldwide fame when he pioneered coupling gospel and country together.

Ray

2004

Ray poster
7.5

Born on a sharecropping plantation in Northern Florida, Ray Charles went blind at seven. Inspired by a fiercely independent mom who insisted he make his own way, He found his calling and his gift behind a piano keyboard. Touring across the Southern musical circuit, the soulful singer gained a reputation and then exploded with worldwide fame when he pioneered coupling gospel and country together.

Ray

2004

Parker poster
6.1

A thief with a unique code of professional ethics is double-crossed by his crew and left for dead. Assuming a new disguise and forming an unlikely alliance with a woman on the inside, he looks to hijack the score of the crew's latest heist.

Parker

2013

Parker poster
6.1

A thief with a unique code of professional ethics is double-crossed by his crew and left for dead. Assuming a new disguise and forming an unlikely alliance with a woman on the inside, he looks to hijack the score of the crew's latest heist.

Parker

2013

Proof of Life poster
6.2

When Peter Bowman, an American engineer working in a South American country, is captured by anti-government forces, the rebels learn his identity and demand $5 million for his safe return. However, his US employer is on the verge of insolvency and will not provide the ransom. Peter's wife Alice is forced to deal with the matter on her own and she retains the services of freelance professional hostage negotiator Terry Thorne.

Proof of Life

2000

Proof of Life poster
6.2

When Peter Bowman, an American engineer working in a South American country, is captured by anti-government forces, the rebels learn his identity and demand $5 million for his safe return. However, his US employer is on the verge of insolvency and will not provide the ransom. Peter's wife Alice is forced to deal with the matter on her own and she retains the services of freelance professional hostage negotiator Terry Thorne.

Proof of Life

2000

White Nights poster
6.7

After his plane crashes in Siberia, a Russian dancer, who defected to the West, is held prisoner in the Soviet Union. The KGB keeps him under watch and tries to convince him to become a dancer for the Kirov Academy of Ballet again. Determined to escape, he befriends a black American expatriate and his pregnant Russian wife, who agree to help him escape to the American Embassy.

White Nights

1985

White Nights poster
6.7

After his plane crashes in Siberia, a Russian dancer, who defected to the West, is held prisoner in the Soviet Union. The KGB keeps him under watch and tries to convince him to become a dancer for the Kirov Academy of Ballet again. Determined to escape, he befriends a black American expatriate and his pregnant Russian wife, who agree to help him escape to the American Embassy.

White Nights

1985

La Bamba poster
7.3

Los Angeles teenager Ritchie Valens becomes an overnight rock 'n' roll success in 1958, thanks to a love ballad called "Donna" that he wrote for his girlfriend. But as his star rises, Valens has conflicts with his jealous brother, Bob, and becomes haunted by a recurring nightmare of a plane crash just as he begins his first national tour alongside Buddy Holly.

La Bamba

1987

The Comedian poster
5.7

An aging comic icon, Jackie Burke, has seen better days. Despite his efforts to reinvent himself and his comic genius, the audience only wants to know him as the former television character he once played. Already a strain on his younger brother and his wife, Jackie is forced to serve out a sentence doing community service for accosting an audience member. While there, he meets Harmony, the daughter of a sleazy Florida real estate mogul, and the two find inspiration in one another, resulting in surprising consequences.

The Comedian

2016

The Comedian poster
5.7

An aging comic icon, Jackie Burke, has seen better days. Despite his efforts to reinvent himself and his comic genius, the audience only wants to know him as the former television character he once played. Already a strain on his younger brother and his wife, Jackie is forced to serve out a sentence doing community service for accosting an audience member. While there, he meets Harmony, the daughter of a sleazy Florida real estate mogul, and the two find inspiration in one another, resulting in surprising consequences.

The Comedian

2016

Against All Odds poster
5.7

Terry Brogan, a cynical former football star, is hired to find Jessie Wyler, the runaway mistress of ruthless LA nightclub owner Jake Wise. But trouble brews when he tracks down and falls in love with the beautiful Jessie on a Mexican island—and Jake dispatches his henchman to bring the lovers back.

Against All Odds

1984

Against All Odds poster
5.7

Terry Brogan, a cynical former football star, is hired to find Jessie Wyler, the runaway mistress of ruthless LA nightclub owner Jake Wise. But trouble brews when he tracks down and falls in love with the beautiful Jessie on a Mexican island—and Jake dispatches his henchman to bring the lovers back.

Against All Odds

1984

When We Were Kings poster
7.6

It's 1974. Muhammad Ali is 32 and thought by many to be past his prime. George Foreman is ten years younger and the heavyweight champion of the world. Promoter Don King wants to make a name for himself and offers both fighters five million dollars apiece to fight one another, and when they accept, King has only to come up with the money. He finds a willing backer in Mobutu Sese Suko, the dictator of Zaire, and the "Rumble in the Jungle" is set, including a musical festival featuring some of America's top black performers, like James Brown and B.B. King.

When We Were Kings

1996

G:MT Greenwich Mean Time poster
5.6

Six London school-leavers attempt to make it in the world, balancing the challenge of trying to make a name for themselves in the music industry against the pressures and tragedies of everyday life.

G:MT Greenwich Mean Time

1999

The Idolmaker poster
5.6

Based on the life of rock promoter/producer Bob Marucci, who discovered, among others, Frankie Avalon and Fabian.

The Idolmaker

1980

Love Ranch poster
5.4

Story of a couple that starts the first legal brothel in Nevada and a boxer they own a piece of.

Love Ranch

2010

Love Ranch poster
5.4

Story of a couple that starts the first legal brothel in Nevada and a boxer they own a piece of.

Love Ranch

2010