James Foley

James Foley (born December 28, 1953) is an American film director.

He graduated from the State University of New York at Buffalo, a flagship school of the SUNY system, in 1978.

He continued his education earning an M.F.A in film study and production from the University of Southern California.

During his final year there, acclaimed director Hal Ashby noticed his student film when it was projected on the wall during a film-school projection party and urged him to write something for Ashby's newly formed production company.

Unfortunately the company went broke before Foley finished writing, but the stamp of approval was enough to get his career started with his first directing gig on the low budget 1984 teen drama Reckless.

In his own assessment Foley says “Because Hal Ashby had hired me, I became viable in that weird calculus of Hollywood just because someone else who was respected thought that I was viable”.

In 1984, Foley made his directorial debut with Reckless, which starred Aidan Quinn and Daryl Hannah.

His 1986 film At Close Range was entered into the 36th Berlin International Film Festival.

Other films he has directed include Glengarry Glen Ross, based on the play of the same name by David Mamet, and The Chamber, based on the novel of the same name by author John Grisham.

Besides the film Who's That Girl (1987), Foley directed the following music videos for Madonna (under the pseudonym "Peter Percher"):

Foley was also the best man at Madonna's wedding to Sean Penn.

He directed Glengarry Glen Ross in 1992.

The Corruptor, his action film starring Chow Yun-Fat and Mark Wahlberg, was released in 1999.

His 2003 film, Confidence, starred Edward Burns.

He directed Perfect Stranger, a thriller film starring Halle Berry, in 2007.

He has also directed for television, including 12 episodes of the Netflix series House of Cards.

Films

Television

He also directed the two sequels to Fifty Shades of Grey: Fifty Shades Darker (2017) and Fifty Shades Freed (2018).

Foley was born in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, New York, the son of a lawyer.