Richard Glatzer

Richard Glatzer's entry into show business seemed to take place in phases. He spent the early 1980s tackling projects sporadically, assisting in film production and writing episodes of television series. Even after making his directorial debut in 1993, Glatzer wasn't sold on the lifestyle; he wouldn't write or direct another feature for eight years. Later in his career, he worked behind the scenes of the fashion programming mainstay 'America's Next Top Model' (UPN/CW 2003- ) which the multi-hyphenate began producing in 2006 alongside his creative partner and husband Wash Westmoreland. Glatzer worked his way up the Hollywood ladder from early gigs as a PA on the set of films like Sidney Lumet's 1980 romantic comedy 'Just Tell Me What You Want.' After a few small-screen writing gigs in the years to follow, Glatzer wrote and directed his first feature film, 'Grief,' in 1993. The comedy reflected Glatzer's own budding interests in television production, setting its story behind the scenes of a daytime soap that suffers due to the politics and drama brewing backstage. Glatzer's second feature credit came eight years later, when he united with writing/directing partner Wash Westmoreland for the first time. The two co-helmed the 2001 satirical porn dramedy 'The Fluffer' from a script Westmoreland wrote. (Glatzer and Westmoreland married in 2013.) The two teamed up once again on 2006's 'Quinceañera,' this time sharing both writing and directing responsibilities. But their partnership was solidified in earnest when they both signed on as producers of 'America's Next Top Model,' remaining guiding creative forces for the program from 2006 through 2013. Following their leave from 'ANTM,' Glatzer and Westmoreland continued to collaborate on big screen projects. In 2013, they brought Errol Flynn biopic 'The Last of Robin Hood' to the Toronto International Film Festival; the following year, they graced the festival with 'Still Alice' (2014) a drama about Alzheimer's disease that earned critical acclaim and an Academy Award for star Julianne Moore. In 2011, just as Glatzer was beginning work on "Still Alice," he was diagnosed with ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, aka Lou Gehrig's Disease), a disease he battled throughout the movie's filming and promotion. Richard Glatzer died on March 10, 2015 in Los Angeles. He was 63.