Description
Joel T. Schumacher (; August 29, 1939 – June 22, 2020) was an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Raised in New York City by his mother, Schumacher graduated from Parsons School of Design and originally became a fashion designer. He first entered filmmaking as a production and costume designer before gaining writing credits on Car Wash , Sparkle , and The Wiz.
Schumacher received little attention for his first theatrically released films, The Incredible Shrinking Woman and D.C. Cab , but rose to prominence after directing St. Elmo's Fire , The Lost Boys , and The Client. Schumacher was selected to replace Tim Burton as director of the Batman franchise and oversaw Batman Forever and Batman & Robin. Later, after his career declined following the failures of Batman & Robin, Schumacher directed smaller-budgeted films, including Tigerland and Phone Booth. In 2004, he directed The Phantom of the Opera , which was released to mixed reviews. His final directorial work was two episodes of House of Cards.
