James Toback
Writer

James Toback Net Worth

James Toback was born in New York City in 1944 and graduated from Harvard College in 1966. He taught creative writing at City College of New York in the early 1970s and wrote the autobiographical screenplay for the Karel Reisz film The Gambler (1974). This success launched his career in movies, and he graduated to writer-director with his movie Fingers (1978). Toback's obsession with former football great and blaxploitation movie star Jim Brown was revealed in the film. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Bugsy (1991) and experienced a career renaissance at the turn of the millennium with Two Girls and a Guy (1997). He has since written and directed When Will I Be Loved (2004) and had an earlier screenplay adapted and filmed by French writer-director Jacques Audiard (De battre mon coeur s'est arrêté (2005). Despite a gambling compulsion that still plagues him, Toback has had a successful career in movies, writing and directing nine films and having his talent as a screenwriter recognized with an Academy Award nomination.
James Toback is a member of Writer

Age, Biography and Wiki

Who is it? Writer, Director, Actor
Birth Day November 23, 1944
Birth Place  New York City, New York, United States
Age 79 YEARS OLD
Birth Sign Sagittarius
Occupation Screenwriter, film director
Spouse(s) Consuelo Sarah Churchill Vanderbilt Russell (1968–1969; divorced) Stephanie Kempf (1992–present; 1 son)

💰 Net worth: $13 Million (2024)

James Toback is a renowned and multi-talented figure in the American entertainment industry. As a prolific and highly regarded writer, director, and actor, Toback has contributed significantly to the world of filmmaking. In 2024, his net worth is estimated to be an impressive $13 million, a testament to his successful career and numerous accomplishments. With a long list of critically acclaimed films under his belt, Toback has established himself as a highly respected and influential figure in the industry. His wealth is a reflection of his talent, hard work, and the impact he has made in the United States and beyond.

Biography/Timeline

1963

He graduated from The Fieldston School in 1963 and from Harvard College, magna cum laude, in 1966. While attending Harvard College, Toback took what he half-seriously claims to be the largest single dose of LSD in history. He remained under the influence of the drug for eight days before being administered an "antidote" by neuropsychiatrist Max Rinkel. According to Toback, he lost all fear of death due to this experience.

1968

Toback was married for one year (1968–1969) to Consuelo Sarah Churchill Vanderbilt Russell, the granddaughter of John Spencer-Churchill, 10th Duke of Marlborough. He is currently married to Stephanie Kempf, with whom he has one son.

1972

After graduating from Harvard, Toback worked as a Journalist. An assignment from Esquire on football player Jim Brown led to him living in Brown's house for a period of a couple years, where both Toback and Brown claim to have engaged in orgies with several women. It was after Toback grew tired of his hedonistic lifestyle in Brown's house that he came to the decision to make movies for a living. Toback wrote a book about his experiences with Brown entitled Jim: The Author's Self-Centered Memoir of the Great Jim Brown (1972). In the early 1970s Toback taught creative writing at the City College of New York. He drew on this experience when he wrote the screenplay for The Gambler.

1974

In 1974, Toback's screenplay The Gambler was produced. Much of the film was shot at City College. His directorial début was the 1978 film Fingers, remade 28 years later by Jacques Audiard as The Beat That My Heart Skipped. Toback followed Fingers with Love and Money in 1982. Toback wrote and directed Exposed in 1983; The Pick-up Artist in 1987; and the documentary The Big Bang in 1989. Toback wrote the original screenplay for Bugsy, which won the Golden Globe for Best Picture and was nominated for ten Academy Awards including Best Original Screenplay. Toback won the Los Angeles Film Critics' Award for Best Original Screenplay and a similar award from the readers of Premiere Magazine.

1989

An article in a 1989 issue of Spy magazine detailed how Toback would "hang out on the streets of the Upper West Side in New York City, and approach women. According to the story, he would in rapid-fire fashion tell them that he was a Hollywood Director and offer to show them his Directors Guild of America card. The pitch invariably ended up with an invite to meet privately—sometimes at an outlandishly late hour—to talk about appearing in one of his films".

1997

In 1997, Toback wrote and directed the comedy Two Girls and a Guy, and in 1999, he wrote and directed Black and White in collaboration with members of Wu-Tang Clan. He then wrote and directed Harvard Man starring Adrian Grenier in 2001. In 2004, Toback wrote and directed When Will I Be Loved and in 2008, Toback directed Tyson, a documentary about boxer Mike Tyson.

2008

In 2008 and 2015 Gawker articles described Toback as a "pick-up artist".

2011

In an August 2011 interview, Toback gave the story of the autobiographical background and development of The Gambler, and criticized the idea of the film being remade (as it was in 2014).

2013

Toback teamed with Alec Baldwin in 2013 to create and release a full-length movie called Seduced and Abandoned, which features a look into how movies are financed. Toback referred to the documentary style film as a cinematic romp. The HBO film shows Toback and Baldwin at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival searching for funding for a movie.

2017

On October 22, 2017, the Los Angeles Times reported that 38 women have accused Toback of sexual harassment or assault. Toback denied these allegations, saying he had not met the women, or that if he had, it "was for five minutes" about which he had "no recollection". The alleged harassment occurred at meetings framed as interviews or casting auditions in places such as hotel rooms, movie trailers, or a public park where Toback asked questions pertaining to the women's sex lives and rubbed his crotch on them or masturbated. Accusers include actresses Rachel McAdams, Selma Blair, Terri Conn, Caterina Scorsone, Julianne Moore, and musician Louise Post. Toback claimed he was taking medication at the time of the alleged assaults that made it "biologically impossible" for the alleged actions to occur.

2018

In April, 2018, Los Angeles County prosecutors declared they would not be pressing any charges against Toback. In one case the victim did not turn up for an interview, and the rest were beyond the statute of limitations. Two of the declined cases involved misdemeanors, three involved felonies.

Some James Toback images

About the author

Lisa Scholfield

As a Senior Writer at Famous Net Worth, I spearhead an exceptional team dedicated to uncovering and sharing the stories of pioneering individuals. My passion for unearthing untold narratives drives me to delve deep into the essence of each subject, bringing forth a unique blend of factual accuracy and narrative allure. In orchestrating the editorial workflow, I am deeply involved in every step—from initial research to the final touches of publishing, ensuring each biography not only informs but also engages and inspires our readership.