Michael Elias

Michael Elias was born in upstate New York. He inherited his left-wing politics from his parents. His father was a doctor, the son of immigrants to the US from Hungary who spent some time in Spain in the 1930s during the Spanish Civil War. His mother was a librarian and trade union activist, whose parents came to the US from Russia. The family moved to Woodstock in the early 1960s. Elias attended Woodbourne Elementary School, Fallsburg High Central Junior and Senior High School. From there he went to St. John’s College in Annapolis, Md. graduating in 1962 with a degree in mathematics and philosophy. He was President of The Rogers Albritton Film Club and acted in The King William Players productions of Shakespeare, Brecht and Beckett. Elias is the brother of Ruth Rogers[1] (Lady Rogers) who is married to British born architect Richard Rogers[2](Lord Rogers) and Susan Elias[3], an artist living in Berlin who is married to artist Reinhardt Voigt[4].[5]

Elias has been married three times: Caroline Bielefelt 1963-1974, Laraine Mestman 1991-2001, and Bianca Roberts[6] former Executive Director of the Mona Bismarck American Center in Paris. Elias has one son with Laraine Mestman, Frederick Mestman and three step-sons Ernie Klein, Siggy Bodolai and James Bulliard.

After college Elias went to New York, studied with Bill Hickey, Uta Hagen at HB Studios and Lee Strasberg at The Actor’s Studio. At the same time Elias joined The Living Theatre where he appeared in Kenneth Brown’s The Brig 1963 and the 1964 film by Jonas Mekas. Elias ended up in London with The Living Theatre for a production of The Brig at The Mermaid Theatre, then returned to New York where he appeared in plays at the Judson Poets Theatre by Al Carmines, Rochelle Owens, and Maria Irene Fornes. In 1963 Elias, along with other members of the cast were arrested when Federal Marshalls seized the theatre[7].

In the late 60s Elias joined Frank Shaw[8] and formed the comedy team of Elias and Shaw[9]. They made their first appearance on The Tonight Show in 1967, then played New York nightclubs The Bitter End, Upstairs at the Downstairs, Bon Soir, The Village Gate. After another appearance on the Tonight Show they were seen by Ernest Chambers[10], a television producer who hired them to come to Hollywood as writers. They gave up the act and wrote for Leslie Ugams, Glen Campbell, and Bill Cosby. They also wrote The Frisco Kid starring Gene Wilder and Harrison Ford.

In 1971 Elias and Steve Martin were both staff writers on The Pat Paulsen Half A Comedy Show. When Martin decided to devote himself to stand-up he invited Elias to write material for him. This began a long collaboration that also included Martin’s comedy albums and two of his network TV specials A Wild and Crazy Guy (1978) Comedy is Not Pretty (1980) and the screenplay for The Jerk (1979)[11] .

In 1978 Elias partnered with Rich Eustis and began a 20 year collaboration in which they created and produced the hit sit-com "Head of the Class" starring Howard Hesseman about gifted but socially inept high school students that ran for five seasons on ABC. In the last year Hesseman was replaced by the Scottish comedian Billy Connolly. Two of the 115 episodes were filmed in the USSR (Mission to Moscow Pts 1, 2)[12]. It was the first American television show to be shot in Moscow,They wrote screenplays for Young Doctors in Love, The Serial, North Dallas, Back to School and television series including Eye to Eye, Tall Hopes, and numerous pilots for Warner Brothers.

In 1992 Elias and Eustis amicably dissolved their partnership. Elias went on to write and direct the award winning Showtime movie Lush Life[13] [14]with Forest Whitaker and Jeff Goldblum year. He was nominated for best Director at the CableACE Award and the TV movie has become a Jazz film classic.

In 2007 Paul Mazursky directed Elias's semi-autobiographical play The Catskill Sonata[15][16][17][18]. The LA Weekly named it one of the best ten plays of the year.[19]

In 2013 Elias' "The Last Conquistador[20]" was published by Open Road Media[21].

In July 2011 Michael Elias and Richard Eustis filed a lawsuit against CAA claiming the agency's package fee included an undisclosed "side deal" with Warner Bros. for 10% of profits making its own side deals that cut into their profits.[22][23]. CAA declined to comment. Shortly after they dropped Eustis and Elias as clients in 1995, around the time Ovitz left CAA.

• Michael Elias on IMDb