User:Hearty perennial/Armondo Linus Acosta

Armondo Linus Acosta new article content ... Armondo Linus Acosta (born September 23, 1938) is an American film director, screenwriter, cinematographer and producer (also credited as Armondo Acosta and Armand Acosta), primarily known for his feature length film, Romeo.Juliet.

Theatrical beginning
Acosta was born in Bradford, Pennsylvania on September 23, 1938, the eldest of three children, to theatrical parents. Both parents were popular Big Band era musicians; his mother, Kay Bratton, was a charismatic jazz singer and his father, Alex Acosta, a drummer. The first eleven years of his life was spent traveling all over the country, accompanying his parents from engagement to engagement.

At the age of eight, Acosta began his education in music, art and theater. He later went on to study at the Tomlison Technical Institute, Ringling College of Art and Design in St. Petersburg, Florida and the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA.

The graphic arts and visual consulting
Blending his formal art education with assignments from prestigious clients, Acosta rapidly established himself as a motion picture visual-design consultant and international graphic designer in a number of media, including the record business. He directed, created and lit over 250 major award-winning commercials for institutions, companies and organizations. Assignments and clients included Ford Motor Company, NASA, MGM, ABC, CBS, NBC, Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros., Eastman Kodak, Chanel N°5, Herman Miller, The New York World’s Fair, Alka-Seltzer and The Peace Corps. His work is represented in the Television Hall of Fame and the International Design Annuals.

During this time, Acosta also designed several album covers for producer Richard Bach, founder of Pacific Jazz Records (also known then as World Pacific Records) whose artist stable included Annie Ross, Benny Barth, Art Blakey and Chico Hamilton (on a compilation entitled "Drums on Fire!"), the Paul Horn Four, Gil Evans and Ravi Shankar ("India's Master Musician").

Involvement in movies
With a passion for film, Acosta became part of Hollywood's ‘maverick’ film world in the 1960’s. Specifically, from 1958 through 1963, he shared the distinction of being a part of the Roger Corman stable of up-and-coming filmmakers. There, Acosta learned the business first-hand from Corman’s production genius. Acosta worked with Francis Ford Coppola, among many others, on Corman’s The Young Racers and Battle Beyond the Sun. Wearing many hats, Acosta also worked on other Corman film projects including The Haunted Palace.

A protégé of entrepreneurial icon, Walter Blake, Acosta quickly moved into the world of cinema as consultant (also referred to as a movie doctor), writer and cinematographer-director. His style was known to be elegant and 'quiet', bringing him onto the set of many 1960s films. He worked officially, and unofficially, with virtually every iconic director of Hollywood including, Alfred Hitchcock, Blake Edwards, Vittorio De Sica, Stanley Kramer, David Lean, Vincente Minnelli, Robert Aldrich, Shirley Clarke, James B. Harris and Orson Welles.

The Vatican commissioned Acosta to create a series of 15 short feature films illustrating the Psalms. The provocative films were produced in part by Father Patrick Peyton’s Family Theater Productions and screened at the Vatican Pavilion during the 1964 New York World’s Fair. Among the films was The Soldier, featuring a young William Shatner. The Soldier won several important film festival prizes.

After submitting his first screenplay, Acosta was represented for over three decades by agent Dennis Selinger of ICM London, considered by many to be the most influential in show business. Selinger’s client list included Michael Caine, Peter Sellers, Sir Ben Kingsley, Marlon Brando, Bette Davis and Barbra Streisand. Acosta’s long time legal representative was Lee Steiner of Loeb & Loeb.

Romeo.Juliet
In 1988, Acosta began working on an independent film project as director, writer, cinematographer and producer. World-renowned Romeo.Juliet, Acosta’s first feature film, held it’s world premiere at the 1990 Venice Film Festival. The film stars John Hurt and the award-winning voice-over cast of Sir Ben Kingsley, Dame Maggie Smith, Vanessa Redgrave, Robert Powell, Francesca Annis, Victor Spinetti and Quentin Crisp.

Television work
Acosta was the filmic designer for the Emmy nominated, avant-garde variety show “The Lively Ones,” which aired on NBC in 1962 and 1963; the show starred Vic Damone, was directed by Barry Shear and featured the music of Jerry Fielding.

Recent activities
Acosta is currently working on several motion picture projects including Shooting Stars (in post production), The Legend of Laila and Majnun (musical), Stealing Angels (drama), Joy (musical drama) and The Last Supper According to Judas.

Mr. Acosta is the director, mentor and founder of The Academy of Film and The Arts, an international studio and film school.

On November 14, 2009, Armondo Linus Acosta attended the Governor’s Award Ball honoring his mentor, Roger Corman.

Filmography (general)
Touch of Evil (1958), Orson Welles, director

Two Women, or La Ciociara (1960), Vittorio De Sica, director

El Cid (1961), Anthony Mann, director

Judgment at Nuremberg (1961), Stanley Kramer, director

Days of Wine and Roses (film) (1962), Blake Edwards, director

Experiment in Terror (1962), Blake Edwards, director

Lawrence of Arabia (film) (1962), David Lean, director

The Connection (1962), Shirley Clarke, director

Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962), Robert Aldrich, director

War Hunt (1962), Denis Sanders, director

The Soldier (1962), from the PSALMS

Wonder (1962), from the PSALMS

The Young Racers (1963), Roger Corman, director

The Haunted Palace (1963), Roger Corman, director

The Birds (film) (1963), Alfred Hitchcock, director

The Pink Panther (1963), Blake Edwards, director

Battle Under the Sun (1967), Roger Corman, director

Filmography (director)
Romeo.Juliet (1990)

Shooting Stars (post-production)

Joy (pre-production)

The Last Supper According to Judas (pre-production)

Television (graphic art / title design)
"Follow the Sun" (1961-1962), series, USA

"The Bob Newhart Show" (1961), series, USA

"The Lively Ones" (1962 - 63), series, USA

ABC (promotional designer)

Graphic design (movie posters)
Lolita (POSTER, 1962, Stanley Kubrick, director)

One, Two, Three (POSTER, 1961, Billy Wilder, director)

Judgment at Nuremberg (1961), Stanley Kramer, director

Days of Wine and Roses (film) (1962), Blake Edwards, director

Television press coverage information (Romeo.Juliet), partial listing
KLASTV (CBS) Las Vegas, "The Morning Show", June 20, 2000, interview with Acosta

NDTV (New Delhi), May 12, 1998, interview with Acosta

"The Joe Franklin Show", January 27, 1993, interview with Acosta

"Entertainment Tonight", January 22, 1993

E! NEWS DAILY, December 23, 1992, Romeo.Juliet Premiere (US)

KTLA NEWS Los Angeles, December 21, 1992 Channel 5, Romeo.Juliet premiere (US) at the Academy Theatre with Olivia Hussey, Cesar Romero, Anne Jeffries and Shirley Jones

KNBC NEWS Los Angeles, December 21, 1992 Channel 4, Romeo.Juliet Premiere (US)

"CBS This Morning", Charles Osgood on The Osgood File, March 11, 1991 (profile of the film)

BRT (Belgium) October 10 and September 19, 1990 (Ghent Film Festival)

BBC 4 (London), September 17, 1990 (Venice Film Festival)

Antenne 2 (France), September 12, 1990, reported by Henri Chapier

RAI (Italy), ORF Kulturjournal (Austria) and ZDF (Germany), September 6, 1990

Recent press coverage (other films)
Fox News interview with Director Acosta for Shooting Stars, Fox 5 News (San Diego) April 1, 2009