Arthur Marks, a renowned writer, director, and producer, was born on August 2, 1927, in Los Angeles, California. His grandparents had a background in silent films, and his father, Dave Marks, was an assistant director and production manager at MGM, with credits including The Wizard of Oz (1939) and Easter Parade (1948).
As a young boy, Arthur began his film career by working as an extra and bit actor in movies during the 1930s. He later attended the University of Southern California and secured a job in the production department at MGM. However, it was in the 1950s that his career truly took off.
Arthur served as an assistant director for several TV shows, including Broken Arrow (1956),The 20th Century-Fox Hour (1955),and Treasury Men in Action (1950). He also worked on the popular Perry Mason (1957) TV series as both a producer and director. In the 1970s, he started directing low-budget drive-in exploitation features, making his theatrical film debut with Togetherness (1970).
Arthur's career gained momentum with several successful blaxploitation films, including the crime thriller Detroit 9000 (1973),the Pam Grier vehicle Friday Foster (1975),the Fred Williamson action flick Bucktown (1975),the horror film J.D.'s Revenge (1976),and the comedy The Monkey Hu$tle (1976). He also directed films like Bonnie's Kids (1972),The Roommates (1973),and Class of '74 (1972),and produced many of the films he directed.
In addition to his work in film, Arthur served as production manager on The Centerfold Girls (1974) and Wonder Women (1973). He founded the independent film company General Film Corp. in the 1970s, which distributed films like The Get-Man (1974) and The Candy Snatchers (1973).
Arthur also directed episodes of several TV shows, including The Dukes of Hazzard (1979),Starsky and Hutch (1975),and I Spy (1965). He was married to Phyllis Marie Lehman and had four children, including sons Beau Marks and Paul Marks, who are both successful film and television producers.
Arthur Marks passed away at the age of 92 on November 13, 2019, at his home in Woodland Hills, California.
