Photo: Wolkenjaeger / CC BY-SA 4.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
James Glickenhaus is one of those filmmakers I find fascinating precisely because he walked away. In the 1980s and early '90s he carved out a niche in gritty action with The Exterminator, The Soldier, and Shakedown, and he even directed Jackie Chan in The Protector. What strikes me most is that he didn't cling to Hollywood; he reinvented himself as a financier and automotive entrepreneur. That second act tells me he treated directing as one chapter rather than an identity. I respect people who can let go of a creative career on their own terms and chase a completely different obsession instead.
Overview
James Glickenhaus (born July 24, 1950) is an American financier, automotive entrepreneur, and former filmmaker. He is known to film audiences for having directed, written, and produced a number of action films during the 1980s and '90s, including The Exterminator (1980), The Soldier (1982), Shakedown (1988), and the Jackie Chan vehicle The Protector (1985).
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- James Glickenhaus
- Name (Japanese)
- ジェームス・グリッケンハウス
- Reading
- じぇーむす・ぐりっけんはうす
- Born
- July 24, 1950 (age 75)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Leo / Tiger
- Origin
- New York City, New York, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- film director / film producer / screenwriter
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Film director — see all → · Film producer — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.