Zalman

www.zalmanking.com
Zalman King has firmly established himself as the inventor and pioneer of the sensual/romantic genre in motion pictures and television. Beginning with “9½ WEEKS,” King has gone on to write and direct a series of films which explore the hidden passions and desires of his characters with an elegant style that has become his signature.
King’s motion picture projects have been extremely successful in the international marketplace. “9½ WEEKS” generated over $200 million in worldwide revenues; “WILD ORCHID” earned over $110 million worldwide and “WILD ORCHID II” more than $60 million. Labeled “the high priest of erotic filmmaking” by Premiere magazine, King’s signature is unmistakable in its lush visual style, quality and content.
King then successfully turned his trademark style to the television screen with “RED SHOE DIARIES,” the highest rated original series in Showtime’s history, which has played consistently for the last ten consecutive years. Sixty-six episodes have been produced.
King began his career as an actor. He quickly landed a starring role in a breakthrough television series of the early 1970’s, “THE YOUNG LAWYERS”. He then went on to star in many films, ranging from “THE SKI BUM”, opposite Charlotte Rampling, to playing Jesus Christ in the controversial “PASSOVER PLOT”.
He began his writing and producing career at the same time. Among his earlier credits are “ROADIE” and “ENDANGERED SPECIES,” both directed by Alan Rudolf. Often working in collaboration with his wife, Patricia Louisianna Knop, King went on to produce “SIESTA,” starring Ellen Barkin, Gabriel Byrne and Jodie Foster and directed by Mary Lambert. Soon afterwards came King’s directing debut in “WILDFIRE”, starring Steven Bauer and Linda Fiorentino. King and Knop then wrote and King produced “9½ WEEKS”, which has become an icon of the erotic/romantic genre. The film was directed by Adrian Lyne and starred Mickey Rourke and Kim Basinger. Since then, King has gone on to write, direct and produce a series of films which have established box office and video records as well as discovering major new acting talents. David Duchovny, Mickey Rourke, Kim Basinger, Sherilyn Fenn, Steven Bauer, Linda Fiorentino, Costas Mandylar, Richard Tyson and Carré Otis have all achieved star status with King.
In 1994, King wrote and directed his acclaimed version of Anais Nin’s controversial erotic masterpiece “DELTA OF VENUS.” Hailed by the Los Angeles Times as “A sweepingly romantic celebration of a woman’s sexual awakening… an elegant stylish film of shadowy beauty and a fine example of a film that looks more expensive than it surely cost…” the film was released by New Line Cinema throughout the world.
King then went on location in Bali, Mexico and Hawaii to direct the theatrical film he co-wrote for Sony Pictures/Triumph Films, “IN GOD’S HANDS.” This dramatic surfing epic about riding 40-foot waves brought together many of the top competitive titleholders in the surfing community and was released by Triumph in 1998.
King then moved into the network television mainstream creating “WIND ON WATER,” a one-hour prime-time series for NBC. He also directed and executive produced “CHROMIUMBLUE.COM,” an original half-hour series for Showtime Networks. He is currently the creator and Executive Producer of “FORTY DEUCE,” a reality television series which chronicles the expansion of this very successful Hollywood nightclub into the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas.
Zalman’s new website, www.zalmanking.com launches on February 14. Check it out!