A man known for stylish visuals and a subversive streak of humour in his early films, who switched careers from costume design to directing, has died. Joel Schumacher was 80.
Born in 1939 in New York, he grew up in Long Island City and his father died when Schumacher was four. With his mother working all hours to support the family, the young Schumacher found himself largely running on the streets taking care of himself, working creatively by making puppet shows and diving into movies and comic books – Batman in particular, which would play into his future career. He started drinking at age nine, and got into both drugs and sex at an early age, something he has been up front about in the past. Leaving home at 16, he was swept up in a whirlwind of party living while working in department stores to make ends meet.
After attending two art and design schools, Schumacher worked as a fashion designer, managed trendy boutique Paraphernalia and landed a job dreaming up packaging for Revlon. In 1971, he moved to Los Angeles and got his first film gig, designing costumes for Play It As It Lays and other movies, including Woody Allen's Sleeper. He built up contacts and started writing screenplays for movies such as 1976's Car Wash and 1978 musical The Wiz.
Schumacher got his first shot at directing via 1981's The Incredible Shrinking Woman, which led to other jobs, including DC Cab, and his first big hit, St. Elmo's Fire, which established the director's reputation as a talent spotter. The Lost Boys followed, along with Flatliners, Dying Young and Falling Down. He had success with legal dramas, including The Client and Time To Kill, which in turn led to Batman Forever. Taking over the Bat-reins from Tim Burton, Schumacher was criticised for pushing the franchise in a camp direction, though Forever proved to be a hit. Follow-up Batman And Robin was less successful and faced even stronger criticism.
Looking to switch up his career and style, Schumacher reverted to smaller scale with films including 8MM, Flawless, Phone Booth and Tigerland. He delivered a bigger spectacle in Phantom Of The Opera, which scored little love but was nominated for Oscars. His last film as a director was 2011's Trespass. And on the small screen, he tackled episodes of House Of Cards.
"I'm very lucky to be here," he told The Age in 2004. "I have a career beyond my wildest dreams. I've wanted to make movies since I was seven. I have my health, I conquered drugs and alcohol.… I've survived an awful lot." Schumacher was diagnosed with cancer last year and died peacefully today.