---
name: "James Toback"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/james-toback"
fi1m_id: "james-toback"
imdb_id: "nm0864812"
tmdb_id: 56381
wikidata_id: "Q1387412"
roles: ["Writer"]
born: "23 November 1944"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
average_as: "writer"
average_over: 1
updated: "2026-09-17T21:49:40.022993+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# James Toback

## Identity

James Toback

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/james-toback
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** james-toback
- **IMDb ID:** nm0864812
- **TMDB ID:** 56381
- **Wikidata ID:** Q1387412
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Toback, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1387412, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0864812/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/56381

Writer. Born 23 November 1944 in New York City, New York, USA.

## Details

- **Work:** Writer
- **Born:** 23 November 1944, New York City, New York, USA
- **Academy Awards:** 1 Oscar nomination
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Toback, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1387412, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0864812/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/56381

## Streaming the US now

- **Tubi:** [*Bugsy*](https://film.one/film/bugsy.md) (76)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

James Toback is an American screenwriter and film director. Born in New York City on 23 November 1944, he graduated summa cum laude from Harvard University in 1966 and later taught English at the City College of New York.

Toback wrote the screenplay for the 1974 film *The Gambler* and made his directorial debut with *Fingers* (1978). He wrote the screenplay for *Bugsy* (1991), for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay. His other directorial credits include *The Pick-up Artist* (1987), *Two Girls and a Guy* (1997) and *Black and White* (1999).

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *Bugsy* (1991), Fi1m 76, Writer — [page](https://film.one/film/bugsy.md)

## Complete filmography (22)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *An Imperfect Murder* (2017), as Franklin (uncredited) · Director, Writer
- *Mississippi Grind* (2015), as Tony Roundtree
- *The Gambler* (2014), Executive Producer, Original Film Writer
- *River of Fundament* (2014), as Wake Guest
- *Seduced and Abandoned* (2013), Director, Writer, Producer
- *Tyson* (2008), Director, Writer, Producer
- *The Beat That My Heart Skipped* (2005), Original Story
- *When Will I Be Loved* (2004), as Professor Hassan Al-Ibrahim Ben Rabinowitz · Director, Writer
- *Death of a Dynasty* (2003), as Lyor Cohen
- *Harvard Man* (2001), Director, Writer
- *Black and White* (1999), as Arnie Tishman · Director, Writer
- *Giving It Up* (1999), as Dr. Hubbins
- *Two Girls and a Guy* (1998), Writer, Director
- *Bugsy* (1991), Writer — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/film/bugsy.md)
- *Alice* (1990), as Professor
- *The Big Bang* (1990), as Interviewer / Narrataor · Director
- *Point of View* (1988), series, Director
- *The Pick-up Artist* (1987), Director, Writer
- *Exposed* (1983), as Leo Boscovitch · Director, Writer, Producer
- *Love & Money* (1981), Director, Screenplay
- *Fingers* (1978), Director, Writer
- *The Gambler* (1974), Writer

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 0 won, 1 nominated

- 1992: Best Writing, Original Screenplay (nominated), for *Bugsy*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/james-toback