James Ivory

James Ivory was born in Berkeley, California. After attending the University of Oregon, where he majored in Architecture and Fine Arts, he received his Master's degree in Film from the University of Southern California. His first film, which he wrote, photographed, and produced, was "Venice: Theme and Variations," a half-hour documentary made as his thesis for his Master's degree. The New York Times named Ivory's evocation of the city in 1957 as one of the ten best non-theatrical films of the year.