Bolivia RPCV Taylor Hackford is movie director and producer



Bolivia RPCV Taylor Hackford is movie director and producer

Taylor Hackford

by Georgina Porter - December 1998

A political science major from the University of Southern California, Taylor Hackford began his career making documentaries for KCET public television in Los Angeles where he received two Emmy Awards for investigative reporting.Taylor Hackford

After a 1979 Academy Award for his live action short film Teenage Father, he turned his attention to the big screen and has become a major Hollywood player directing such hits as Against All Odds, Delores Clairborne, Everybody's All American, and White Nights in which his future wife starred as Russian ballerina Galina Ivanova.

Hackford has stated that he prefers to make "middle-class" films about real people dealing with real problems. He is particularly interested in making films with an underlying moral message, as in the Devil's Advocate.

Hackford's efforts have resulted in numerous awards including a 1983 ShoWest Convention award for Director of the Year. He received a nomination from the Directors' Guild of America and in 1993 he was named Best Director at the Tokyo Film Festival for Blood In, Blood Out (Bound By Honour).

While working as a Peace Corps member in the 1960's, Taylor developed a fascination with the Latino culture and in 1987 he developed and produced the sleeper hit La Bamba. Since then, he's helped bring Defenseless, The Long Walk Home, and Queen's Logic to the screen. His recent film The Devil's Advocate with Al Pacino and Keanu Reeves was a commercial success, and his latest film Proof of Life is soon to be released. Taylor Hackford was born December 31, 1944 and has two sons.

When this story was posted in November 2004, this was on the front page of PCOL:

Your vote makes a difference Make a difference on November 2 - Vote. Then take our RPCV exit poll. See how RPCV's are voting and take a look at the RPCV voter demographic. Finally leave a message on why you voted for John Kerry or for George Bush. Previous poll results here.

Kerry reaches out to Returned Volunteers The Kerry campaign wants the RPCV vote. Read our interview with Dave Magnani, Massachusetts State Senator and Founder of "RPCVs for Kerry," and his answers to our questions about Kerry's plan to triple the size of the Peace Corps, should the next PC Director be an RPCV, and Safety and Security issues. Then read the "RPCVs for Kerry" statement of support and statements by Dr. Robert Pastor, Ambassador Parker Borg, and Paul Oostburg Sanz made at the "RPCVs for Kerry" Press Conference. RPCV Carl Pope says the key to winning this election is not swaying undecided voters, but persuading those already willing to vote for your candidate to actually go to the polls. Take our poll and tell us what you are doing to support your candidate. Finally read our wrap-up of the eight RPCVs in Senate and House races around the country and where the candidates are in their races.

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Director Gaddi Vasquez: The PCOL Interview PCOL sits down for an extended interview with Peace Corps Director Gaddi Vasquez. Read the entire interview from start to finish and we promise you will learn something about the Peace Corps you didn't know before. Plus the debate continues over Safety and Security.

Schwarzenegger praises PC at Convention Governor Schwarzenegger praised the Peace Corps at the Republican National Convention: "We're the America that sends out Peace Corps volunteers to teach village children." Schwarzenegger has previously acknowledged his debt to his father-in-law, Peace Corps Founding Director Sargent Shriver, for teaching him "the joy of public service" and Arnold is encouraging volunteerism by creating California Service Corps and tapping his wife, Maria Shriver, to lead it. Leave your comments and who can come up with the best Current Events Funny?

Peace Corps: One of the Best Faces of America Teresa Heinz Kerry celebrates the Peace Corps Volunteer as one of the best faces America has ever projected in a speech to the Democratic Convention. The National Review disagreed and said that Heinz's celebration of the PCV was "truly offensive." What's your opinion and can you come up with a Political Funny?

Read the stories and leave your comments.