Born in Tehran, Iran to a Swiss geologist father and a German-born, non-practicing physician mother, Barbet Schroeder spent his formative years traveling with his family, spending a key part of his childhood in Colombia. When his parents divorced when he was 11, he settled in France and gradually became enamored of motion pictures. Before age 30, he had had several careers, including film critic (for Cahiers du Cinema), photojournalist, and jazz impresario. In 1962, he and Eric Rohmer formed Les Films du Losange, a production company that oversaw the Rohmer's films, beginning with the as-yet-unreleased short, "La Boulangere de Monceau" (1962), which Schroeder narrated. After producing, appearing in and assisting with several other New Wave films (i.e., Godard's "Les Carabiniers" 1962) Schroeder directed his first feature, "More" (1969), a powerful depiction of heroin addiction. After "La Vallee/The Valley" (1972), in which a Frenchwoman goes native in New Guinea, the filmmaker earned acclaim for his feature-length documentaries, notably "General Idi Amin Dada" (1974), a portrait of the former Ugandan despot, and "Koko, the Talking Gorilla" (1977). While continuing to serve as producer for such now-classics as Rohmer's "My Night at Maud's" (1969) and Jacques Rivette's "Celine and Julie Go Boating" (1974), Schroeder continued to add to his own growing reputation as a director of note. "Maitresse" (1976) was a delicious comedy about a dominatrix (portrayed by the director's wife Bulle Ogier) who decides to quit her profession when she meets her true love, while "Tricheurs" (1983) profiled a gambler (Jacques Dutronc).
Schroeder is perhaps best-known in the USA for "Barfly" (1987), an engaging account of a low-life, alcohol-sodden writer not too loosely modeled on Charles Bukowski, and "Reversal of Fortune" (1990), a complex, multi-layered account of the Claus/Sunny von Bulow scandal starring Jeremy Irons and Glenn Close. His "The Charles Bukowski Tapes" (1982-84), a series of fascinating and highly entertaining "interviews" with the author made during early work on "Barfly", were shown on French TV and at New York's Public Theatre in 1989.
Following his Academy Award nomination for his direction of "Reversal of Fortune", Schroeder helmed the intriguing and well-acted thriller "Single White Female" (1992), in which Jennifer Jason Leigh starred as a disturbed woman who begins to adopt the persona of her roommate (Bridget Fonda). The director next took on the 1995 "Kiss of Death", loosely based on the 1947 drama directed by Henry Hathaway, which divided critics. Some felt it had improved on the earlier version, while others felt it was inferior. The director retained the themes of crime and punishment for his next few features. "Before and After" (1996) told the story of a couple (Liam Neeson and Meryl Streep) coping with the arrest of their teenage son (Edward Furlong) for murder. "Desperate Measures" (1998) was a pallid thriller about a cop (Andy Garcia) who while searching for a potential bone marrow donor for his dying daughter locates a perfect match in a criminal (Michael Keaton). "Our Lady of the Assassins" (2000) was perhaps Schroeder's most personal feature in years. Filmed on location in Medellin, Colombia and based on the book by Fernando Vallejo, it told of a gay writer who returns to his hometown and discovers it is overrun with criminals and drug dealers. The author, though, begins a love affair with one of these young thugs with tragic results. Schroeder's next film was "Murder by Numbers" (2002), about a pair of high school students who commit what they think is the perfect murder and the novice FBI profiler out to track them down.
Profession(s):
producer, director, screenwriter, critic, Actor, photojournalist, jazz impresario
Sometimes Credited As:
Venice Film Festival Award "La Virgen de los Sicarios/Our Lady of the Assassins" 2000
2007 Directed "Terror's advocate" about terrorism in the last 50 years seen trough the eyes of a lawyer, Jacques Vergès, and his clients; earned a DGA nomination for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in
2002 Directed "Murder by Numbers", about two high school students who commit a murder and are tracked by an FBI profiler
2000 Garnered praise and accolades for helming "Our Lady of the Assassins/La Virgen de los Sicarios"
1998 Helmed the thriller "Desperate Measures"
1996 Teamed Liam Neeson and Meryl Streep in the family drama "Before and After"
1996 Portrayed the president of France in "Mars Attacks!"
1995 Helmed "Kiss of Death"
1994 Acted in Patrice Chereau's "La Reine Margot/Queen Margot"
1992 Directed the "roommate-from-hell" thriller "Single White Female"
1990 Directed Jeremy Irons in "Reversal of Fortune"; based on Claus von Bulow's trial for the attempted murder of his socialite wife; nominated for a Best Director Academy Award
1987 Directed and produced "Barfly," based on Bukowski's life
1981 Was producer of Rivette's film "Le Pont du Nord"
1978 Acted in "Roberte"; Schroeder has claimed this is favorite performing job
1978 Produced Rohmer's "Perceval le Gallois/Perceval"
1976 Directed and co-wrote "Maitresse"
1974 Served as producer of Jacques Rivette's "Celine and Julie Go Boating"; also acted in film
1974 Wrote and directed the fascinating documentary "General Idi Amin Dada"
1972 Reteamed with Rohmer as producer of "Chloe in the Afternoon"
1972 With Gegauff, co-wrote "La Vallee/The Valley"; also directed
1969 Produced Rohmer's acclaimed "Ma Nuit Chez Maud/My Night at Maud's"
1969 Feature directing and co-writing (with Paul Gegauff) debut, "More"
1965 First feature as producer, "Paris vu par.../Six in Paris", an omnibus film with segments by Douchet, Rouch, Pollet, Rohmer, Godard and Chabrol; acted in Rouch's sequence "Gare du Nord"
1963 Was production assistant to Jean-Luc Godard on "Les Carabiniers"; acted in one scene in the film
1962 Formed production company, Les Films du Losange, with Eric Rohmer
1962 First short film as producer, Rohmer's "La Boulangere de Monceau"
Born in Iran
Raised in Colombia (from ages six to 11) and in France (from age 11 on)
Traveled to India to work on a project for director Fritz Lang; arrived to learn that film had been cancelled; remained in India traveling the countryside for six months working as an assistant photog
Contributed articles to Cahiers du Cinema and L'Air de Paris
Worked as an assistant jazz tour operator in Europe
Made 52 short films "The Charles Bukowski Tapes"
