Photo: Gorup de Besanez / CC BY-SA 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
What floors me about James Ivory is the sheer longevity of his craft, winning an Oscar for adapted screenplay in his late eighties. Merchant Ivory turned Forster and Henry James into films that feel refined yet never stuffy, alive with the quiet ache of repressed feeling. There are no explosions, no chases, just composed frames and restrained glances that somehow leave you breathless. I find myself returning to that kind of patient, literate cinema again and again. A Berkeley-born artist who simply kept making beautiful work decade after decade earns my deep respect.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- James Ivory
- Name (Japanese)
- ジェームズ・アイヴォリー
- Reading
- じぇーむず・あいゔぉりー
- Born
- June 7, 1928 (age 98)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Gemini / Dragon
- Origin
- Berkeley, California, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- film director / screenwriter / film producer / director
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Klamath Union High School
- University
- University of Southern California
Awards & achievements
- 1974 Guggenheim Fellowship
- 2018 Academy Award for Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay
- 1996 Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres
- 2018 European Film Award – People's Choice Award for Best European Film
- National Board of Review Award for Best Film
- David di Donatello for Best Foreign Director
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was James Ivory born?
Born June 7, 1928 (age 98).
Where is James Ivory from?
James Ivory is from Berkeley, California, United States.
What does James Ivory do?
James Ivory works as film director, screenwriter, film producer, director.
Film director — see all → · Screenwriter — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-20
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.