Biography: Hal Ashby

by Alyssa Kapelka

Ashby was born, William Hal Ashby. His early life was difficult as his parents divorced when he was five years old and at the age of twelve his father committed suicide. He dropped out of high school and hitchhiked to Los Angeles at the age of 17. By the time he was 21, Ashby had been married and divorced twice and worked, according to Ashby “about 50 or 60 jobs up to the time I was working…at good old Republic Studios.” 

As he launched into his studio career, Ashby was at first a film editor. He was nominated for the Academy Award in Film Editing for The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming, a film made in 1967. For Ashby, however, his big break arose in 1968 when he won the Oscar for Film editing for In the Heat of the Night.  Ashby often stated that film editing provided him with the best film school background outside of traditional university study and he carried the techniques learned as an editor with him when he began directing. Ashby’s first directing credit was for the 1970 film The Landlord. 

Ashby was part of what was considered the Hollywood Renaissance. He was part of the anti-war generation and was one of many during this time to embrace the “hippy lifestyle.” He became a vegetarian and grew his hair out long. Also during this year he married for the third time to actress Joan Marshall. Though they were married until Ashby’s death in 1988, the two had a period of separation after an incident during the filming of the film Shampoo.

Shampoo was released in 1975 and directed by Hal Ashby. The film is about a Beverly Hills hairstylist who's uncontrollable libido stands between him and his ambitions. He wants the security of a relationship but he also wants to be a hairdressing "star" and open his own salon. Shampoo is a tongue-in-cheek look at the sexual revolution during the 1960s and 1970s. Shampoo was considered one of Ashby’s greatest commercial successes and many of his other films at the time were in regards to sexuality and were often comedies. However, he also directed dramas, his most successful being the Vietnam War film, Coming Home in 1978. Starring Jane Fonda and Jon Voight, both in Academy Award-winning performances, it was for this film that Ashby earned his only Best Director nomination from the Academy for his work. 

During this time Ashby was a heavy drug user. After Coming Home, Ashby cleaned up his life and even cut his hair. He was reduced to directing small films and television shows. Ashby developed pancreatic cancer that spread to his lungs, liver and colon. He passed away in December of 1988. 
When analyzing the life of Ashby, it can be easy to sum up his career in his final works in the 1980’s that were not successful. However, Hal Ashby was an important contributor to the film industry and one of many that pioneered the rebirth and renaissance of New Age Hollywood. 

Hal Ashby Filmography:

As director:

The Landlord (1970)
Harold and Maude (1971)
The Last Detail (1973)
Shampoo (1975)
Bound for Glory (1976)
Coming Home (1978)
Being There (1979)
Second-Hand Hearts (1981)
Lookin’ to Get Out (1982)
Let’s Spend the Night Together (1982) documentary
The Slugger’s Wife (1985)
8 Million Ways to Die (1986)
Jake’s Journey (1988) television

As editor:

Friendly Persuasion (William Wyler, 1956) assistant
The Big Country (William Wyler, 1958) assistant
The Diary of Anne Frank (George Stevens, 1959) assistant
The Greatest Story Ever Told (George Stevens, 1965) assistant
The Loved One (Tony Richardson, 1965)
The Cincinnati Kid (Norman Jewison, 1965)
The Russians are Coming, the Russians are Coming (Norman Jewison, 1966)
In the Heat of the Night (Norman Jewison, 1967) Oscar for Best Editing
The Thomas Crown Affair (Norman Jewison, 1968)


Bibliography

“Hal Ashby” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 06 Feb. 2016. 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hal_Ashby>.
Hughes, Darren. "Hal Ashby." Senses of Cinema. Senses of Cinema, 11 Feb. 2004. Web. 04 Feb. 
2016. <http://sensesofcinema.com/2004/great-directors/ashby/>.
"Plot Summary-Shampoo." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 06 Feb. 2016.  
<http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073692/plotsummary?ref_=tt_stry_pl>.