Paul Morrissey

Paul Morrissey (born February 23, 1938) is an American film director, best known for his association with Andy Warhol. He was also director of the first film in which a transgender actress, Holly Woodlawn, starred as a cisgender woman and girlfriend of the main character played by Joe Dallesandro in Trash (1970).[1]

For other people named Paul Morrissey, see Paul Morrissey (disambiguation).
Paul Morrissey
Morrissey in 1967
Born (1938-02-23) February 23, 1938
New York City, New York, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
OccupationFilmmaker
Known forWarhol superstar
Paul Morrissey in 2016

Life and career

Of Irish extraction, Morrissey attended Ampleforth College and Fordham University, both Catholic schools, and later served in the United States Army.[2] A political conservative and self-described "right-winger",[3] who has publicly protested against immorality and anti-Catholicism, Morrissey's long-term collaboration with the low-keyed, apparently apolitical Warhol was viewed by many as "a successful mismatch", although both men did share some traits, e.g. both were practicing Catholics from ethnic backgrounds (Warhol was of Rusyn descent).[4]

Morrissey's bold, avant-garde direction in film making is often attributed to his relationship with Warhol and The Factory, although Morrissey claimed in his memoir, Factory Days, that this is not the case.[5]

Despite his conservative background, Morrissey was among the first film directors to cast transgender women from Warhol's inner circle as cisgender women in his films Trash (1970) and Women in Revolt (1971).

For an analysis of each of Morrissey's feature films see Maurice Yacowar, The Films of Paul Morrissey (Cambridge UP).

Filmography

References
  1. Stevens, Christopher (2010). Born Brilliant: The Life Of Kenneth Williams. John Murray. p. 406. ISBN 1-84854-195-3.
  2. "Film Reference's in-depth biography of Morrissey". Filmreference.com. Retrieved 2014-12-11.
  3. "Cinema is your symptom blogsite" Archived August 13, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  4. Paul R. Magocsi, Encyclopedia of Rusyn history and culture, University of Toronto Press, 2002, p. 71
  5. Factory Days: Paul Morrissey Remembers the Sixties (2006), imdb.com; accessed February 23, 2017.
  6. Scott, A. O. (14 December 2007). "A Walk Into the Sea - Movies - Review". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
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