Barry Strugatz

Biography

Barry Strugatz is an American screenwriter, director, and producer known for his work in independent cinema. He began his film career in production and later established himself as a screenwriter and filmmaker.

Early Career

Strugatz began working in the film industry as a production assistant. His early credits included Hair (1979), directed by Miloš Forman, and The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985), directed by Woody Allen. He also worked as a location scout during the early part of his career.

Screenwriting Career

Strugatz gained major recognition as a screenwriter with Jonathan Demme's Married to the Mob (1988), a crime comedy starring Michelle Pfeiffer, Matthew Modine, and Dean Stockwell. The film follows a gangster's widow whose attempt to escape her late husband's criminal world becomes complicated by the attention of a mob boss and an undercover FBI agent.

He subsequently co-wrote the screenplay for She-Devil (1989), starring Meryl Streep and Roseanne Barr. He later wrote From Other Worlds (2004) and Furlough (2018).

Directing Career

Strugatz eventually moved into directing. His first directing credit was the short film The Transformation (2000), which he also wrote. The film starred Paul Lazar and received audience awards at the Newport International Film Festival and Stony Brook Film Festival.

He followed it with From Other Worlds (2004), a science-fiction comedy about a Brooklyn housewife whose encounter with an unusual extraterrestrial phenomenon changes her life. Strugatz wrote and directed the film.

In 2016, he directed and co-produced The Professor: Tai Chi's Journey West, his first documentary. The film explores the history and practice of tai chi and its development in the West.

Notable Works

Some of Strugatz's notable credits include:

• Married to the Mob (1988) — Writer
• She-Devil (1989) — Screenwriter
• The Transformation (2000) — Writer and Director
• From Other Worlds (2004) — Writer and Director
• The Professor: Tai Chi's Journey West (2016) — Director and Producer
• Furlough (2018) — Writer