Biographie
Ira Barmak was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1936 to Russian immigrant parents, Ilya and Ronia Barmak. He studied medicine at Cornell University and earned his MD, but soon realized he wanted to pursue a career in television, leaving medicine behind to "get show business out of his system," as he described it.
After appearing in minor acting roles on TV series such as Ben Casey (1965) and The Fugitive (1966), Barmak shifted his focus to writing. He achieved modest success with projects like Brenda Starr and The Other Side of Victory, eventually moving to California in the 1970s. He is best remembered as the producer of the 1984 slasher film Silent Night, Deadly Night, which was harshly criticized by Siskel and Ebert on their show At The Movies. The critics publicly condemned the film company, the director, and Barmak himself. Barmak responded on Entertainment Tonight, calling the critics hypocrites, arguing that if they were truly offended by the film, they wouldn’t have given it so much attention, which only provided it with significant free publicity.
Throughout his career, Barmak managed three television corporate divisions—CBS Enterprises, Filmways, and Bigstick/Columbia—and wrote and/or produced four movies, three television films, three pilots, three game shows, and three stage plays. He also produced two television specials that earned seven Emmy nominations, winning a 1975 Emmy as Executive Producer for Julie Kavner’s The Girl Who Couldn’t Lose.
In addition, Barmak produced the documentaries Bells from the Deep: Faith and Superstition in Russia, written and directed by Werner Herzog, and Hollywood Uncensored, which explored the history of movie decency standards.
Ira Barmak passed away in 1993 at his Manhattan home. His ashes were laid to rest on Martha’s Vineyard.
