Writing

Joe Eszterhas

Born November 23, 1944 · Csakanydoroszlo, Hungary (age 81)

József Antal Eszterhás (Hungarian: [ˈjoːʒɛf ɒntɒl ˈɛstɛrhaːʃ]; born November 23, 1944), credited as Joe Eszterhas, is a Hungarian-American writer. Born in Hungary, he grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, in the United States. After an early career as a journalist and editor, he entered the film industry. His first screenwriting credit was for the film F.I.S.T. (1978). He co-wrote the script for Flashdance,…

Known For

Basic Instinct

Basic Instinct · 1992

MovieThrillerMystery

Catherine, a novelist with an insatiable sexual appetite, becomes a prime suspect when her boyfriend is brutally murdered -- a crime she had described in her latest story.

Showgirls

Showgirls · 1995

Fresh to Las Vegas with no connections, Nomi Malone takes a job as an exotic dancer. Her talents are quickly noticed by Cristal, a headlining dancer who senses an opportunity to bolster her own act. But Nomi won’t play second fiddle and soon begins her venomous path to the top, ruthlessly backstabbing anyone who gets in her way.

Sliver

MovieDramaThriller

A woman moves into a Manhattan apartment, where she learns that the previous tenant's life ended under mysterious circumstances.

Flashdance

Flashdance · 1983

MovieDramaRomance

Alex Owens, a young woman juggling between two odd jobs, aspires to become a successful ballet dancer. Nick, who is her boss and lover, supports and encourages her to fulfil her dream.

Basic Instinct 2

Basic Instinct 2 · 2006

Basic Instinct 2

MovieCrimeMystery

Novelist Catherine Tramell is once again in trouble with the law, and Scotland Yard appoints psychiatrist Dr. Michael Glass to evaluate her. Though, like Detective Nick Curran before him, Glass is entranced by Tramell and lured into a seductive game.

Nowhere to Run

Nowhere to Run · 1993

MovieActionDrama

Escaped convict Sam Gillen single-handedly takes on ruthless developers who are determined to evict a widow with two young children.

Jagged Edge

Jagged Edge · 1985

After a wealthy heiress is murdered in her beach house, her devastated husband becomes the prime suspect. He hires a lawyer who hasn’t taken a criminal case in years, and as they work together, a complicated romance develops amidst the trial.

Betrayed

Betrayed · 1988

MovieThrillerCrime

An FBI agent posing as a combine driver becomes romantically involved with a Midwest farmer who lives a double life as a white supremacist.

Filmography

Sort

Basic Instinct

Basic Instinct · 1992

MovieThrillerMystery

Catherine, a novelist with an insatiable sexual appetite, becomes a prime suspect when her boyfriend is brutally murdered -- a crime she had described in her latest story.

Screenplay

Showgirls

Showgirls · 1995

Fresh to Las Vegas with no connections, Nomi Malone takes a job as an exotic dancer. Her talents are quickly noticed by Cristal, a headlining dancer who senses an opportunity to bolster her own act. But Nomi won’t play second fiddle and soon begins her venomous path to the top, ruthlessly backstabbing anyone who gets in her way.

Writer

Sliver

MovieDramaThriller

A woman moves into a Manhattan apartment, where she learns that the previous tenant's life ended under mysterious circumstances.

Screenplay

Flashdance

Flashdance · 1983

MovieDramaRomance

Alex Owens, a young woman juggling between two odd jobs, aspires to become a successful ballet dancer. Nick, who is her boss and lover, supports and encourages her to fulfil her dream.

Screenplay

Basic Instinct 2

Basic Instinct 2 · 2006

Basic Instinct 2

MovieCrimeMystery

Novelist Catherine Tramell is once again in trouble with the law, and Scotland Yard appoints psychiatrist Dr. Michael Glass to evaluate her. Though, like Detective Nick Curran before him, Glass is entranced by Tramell and lured into a seductive game.

Characters

Nowhere to Run

Nowhere to Run · 1993

MovieActionDrama

Escaped convict Sam Gillen single-handedly takes on ruthless developers who are determined to evict a widow with two young children.

Screenplay

Jagged Edge

Jagged Edge · 1985

After a wealthy heiress is murdered in her beach house, her devastated husband becomes the prime suspect. He hires a lawyer who hasn’t taken a criminal case in years, and as they work together, a complicated romance develops amidst the trial.

Screenplay

Betrayed

Betrayed · 1988

MovieThrillerCrime

An FBI agent posing as a combine driver becomes romantically involved with a Midwest farmer who lives a double life as a white supremacist.

Writer

An Alan Smithee Film: Burn, Hollywood, Burn

An Alan Smithee Film: Burn, Hollywood, Burn · 1998

An Alan Smithee Film: Burn, Hollywood, Burn

Filmmaker Alan Smithee finds himself the unwilling puppet of a potentially bad big budget action film, for which he proceeds to steal the reels, and leaves the cast and crew in a frenzy.

Writer

Jade

MovieCrimeDrama

When a prominent art dealer is found murdered, the man's death leads to an intriguing investigation steeped in sex, corruption and crime. District Attorney David Corelli gets assigned to the case and discovers that a key suspect is his ex-lover Katrina Gavin, a beautiful psychologist who has settled down with his old friend and peer. As Corelli gets deeper into the case, he uncovers dark secrets with far-reaching implications.

Writer

F.I.S.T.

F.I.S.T. · 1978

MovieDramaAction

Johnny Kovak joins the Teamsters trade-union in a local chapter in the 1930s and works his way up in the organization. As he climbs higher and higher his methods become more ruthless and finally senator Madison starts a campaign to find the truth about the alleged connections with the Mob.

Writer

Jackie Chan: My Story

Jackie Chan: My Story · 1998

Jackie Chan: My Story

MovieDocumentary

Jackie Chan is one of the world's biggest action stars, famed for his wacky sense of humor, remarkable martial arts techniques, and willingness to perform incredible stunts without the use of doubles -- or a net. This video takes a personal look at Chan as he works on screen projects in Hollywood and Beijing and candidly discusses his life and work.

Thanks

Children of Glory

Children of Glory · 2006

Children of Glory

MovieDramaHistory

During the ill-fated Hungarian revolution of 1956, Karcsi Szabo, star player on the water polo team, is torn between his love for a revolutionary student and his training for the Melbourne Olympics.

Screenplay

Music Box

Music Box · 1989

MovieDramaThriller

A lawyer defends her father accused of war crimes, but there is more to the case than she suspects.

Screenplay

Telling Lies in America

Telling Lies in America · 1997

Telling Lies in America

A 17-year-old boy becomes friends with Billy Magic, the radio DJ he idolizes, and eventually slips into the payola and corruption of the entertainment world.

Screenplay

Carolco, un rêve hollywoodien

Carolco, un rêve hollywoodien · 2026

Carolco, un rêve hollywoodien

MovieDocumentary

Prüdes Hollywood - Laster, Lust und Leidenschaft im Film

Prüdes Hollywood - Laster, Lust und Leidenschaft im Film · 2025

Prüdes Hollywood - Laster, Lust und Leidenschaft im Film

MovieDocumentary

In recent years, Hollywood productions have turned away from sensuality. Is the sex scene on the verge of extinction or reinvention? Alongside film professionals and researchers, this documentary deciphers a trend that speaks volumes about the evolution of the industry and our societies.

Hearts of Fire

Hearts of Fire · 1987

MovieRomanceDrama

A reclusive musician, once a huge rock star, takes a young female protegee. While on a tour she meets a younger, more popular rocker and switches her loyalties.

Writer

Checking Out

Checking Out · 1988

When his best friend dies of a heart attack, Ray Macklin becomes a man obsessed with his own mortality. Convinced that all his aches and pains are an indication of his imminent death, Ray's life turns into a slapstick farce of health-crazed anxiety and hypochondria.

Writer

Big Shots

Big Shots · 1987

MovieAdventureComedy

Following the death of his father, a suburbanite runs away from home and winds up on Chicago's South Side. After being mugged, the boy befriends a young hustler and, after stealing a gangster's car, the two embark on an adventure down south in search of the hustler's estranged father.

Writer

The Impact

The Impact · 2022

MovieScience FictionDrama

The Impact is a fascinating tapestry of interwoven stories from diverse voices around the world; at times moving and profound, at others hilarious and irreverent, but always asking ‘what would we do in our final moments?’ A multi-cultural and global reflection of pop culture’s vision of the apocalypse…

Writer