Born in Berkeley, CA; educated at University of Oregan & USC School of Cinema-Television. Ivory began his career as a documentary filmmaker before teaming up with producer Ismail Merchant to make THE HOUSEHOLDER (1963). Based on a novel by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, the film marked the first of the trio's features centering on the people and culture of India. The team's second effort, SHAKESPEARE WALLAH (1965), attracted international attention for its sensitive portrayal of a family of British touring actors and its insights into the legacy of colonialism. Merchant and Ivory went on to earn a reputation for quality films made on shoestring budgets, with their best work -- heavily influenced by Satyajit Ray -- examining the interplay between different cultures (BOMBAY TALKIE, 1970, HEAT AND DUST, 1983). Merchant, Ivory and Jhabvala are also known for their adaptations of literary classics. THE EUROPEANS (1979) and THE BOSTONIANS (1984) are highly regarded translations of the works of Henry James; A ROOM WITH A VIEW (1985), adapted from the novel by E.M. Forster, was a huge success with both critics and public, earning eight Oscar nominations and taking in approximately $20 million at the box office. Ivory's shift to more contemporary ground, however, with an adaptation of Tama Janowitz's novel SLAVES OF NEW YORK (1989), was ill-conceived and unsatisfying. Praised throughout the film industry for the efficient organization of their productions, the Merchant-Ivory team returned to top form with their most recent succession of highly acclaimed films, beginning with MR. & MRS. BRIDGE (1990). Their second adaptation of an E.M. Forster novel was the superb HOWARDS END (1992), which won three Oscars (out of nine nominations) for Best Actress (Emma Thompson), Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Art Direction. After the similarly impressive success of THE REMAINS OF THE DAY (1993), adapted by Jhabvala from the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro, the Merchant-Ivory team began work on JEFFERSON IN PARIS (1995), the first film in their exclusive co-production partnership with the Walt Disney studio -- an arrangement that allowed wider distribution of Merchant-Ivory films while retaining the team's complete creative control over their work, an arrangement that evidently did not prove satisfactory. In 1996, Merchant-Ivory produced SURVIVING PICASSO, starring Anthony Hopkins and Julianne Moore, which was disbributed by Warner Bros. It was followed by Jhabvala's adaptation of Henry James' novel THE GOLDEN BOWL (2000), starring Uma Thurman, Anjelica Huston and Nick Nolte, and distributed in the US by Lions Gate. Ivory directed LE DIVORCE (2003), with Kate Hudson, Glenn Close, Stockard Channing, Mathew Modine and Sam Waterston. His last project with James Merchant was 2005's THE WHITE COUNTESS with Natasha Richardson, Lynn Redgrave, John Wood, Allan Corduner and Vanessa Redgrave. After Merchant's death in 2005, Ivory once again teamed with Jhabvala to adapt Peter Cameron's novel City of Your Final Destination. The film stars Anthony Hopkins, Omar Metwally, Laura Linney, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Norma Aleandro. It is scheduled for release in 2007.  Nominated for Directing 1986: A ROOM WITH A VIEW  Nominated for Best Achievement in Directing 1992: HOWARDS END  Nominated for Best Achievement in Directing 1993: THE REMAINS OF THE DAY 3 nominations