James Udel

• Feature Writer of "Footnotes"

  Below The Line Magazine

• Archivist

  While It Was A Craft

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james Udel is a third generation portrait photographer of actors.Born in baltimore in 1959,he followed his father's footsteps(difficult as that is when one's parent has a wooden leg),into the photographic profession.His first "industry' job came at age eleven.From then untill a miserable stab at college consisting of a year at a prominant photojournalism school,he worked along side his father(Master Pho-tog G.Udel)in the family studio as well as expanding his horizons into television and film production.Ultimately,Udel moved to New York City three weeks before his 19th birthday,to see if he could "make-it',in the big apple on his own terms.Supporting himself with stints at occupations like stagehand,longshoreman,body guard,high steel construction,production assistant,special effects shop mechanic,and jazz roadie,he photographed Manhattan from a "street-level".Early on,Jim found out how tough New York could be.Down to his last $132 bucks(a weeks rent then at his room at the Chelsea Hotel),James "lucked-out" by securing a long term position at one of Manhattan's premiere production companies,Nadel and Associates.Over the next ten years,everything happened for Jimi Udel.Beginning as a location P.A. on a two hour Miami Vice(being shot in town),to the design,construction and filming of Pee wee's Playhouse(working in the trenches with Production genius-art-physco-director Sidney J. Bartholomew).Photographically,Jim's work reached a pinnacle shooting stills for a series of one act plays produced by Nederlander Television.The talent for these works were superb(James E. Jones,Tony Quinn,Jose Ferrier',Ed Herman,etc...),and it was Jim's great fortune to have been able to take advantage of it.After meeting,falling in love and marrying his future wife,Maryann Rozsas,James was blessed with the birth of a son,Douglas Sean udel.Soon after,his talents were called to Hollywood.By the early ninties,he was able to obtain his I.A. membership,while working as a grip with Local 80.Over the course of the next decade,James Udel concentrated on building a career in the Motion Picture and Television Industry.Working on shows like The Rockford Files,Party of Five,Mad About You,Dream On,Quinn Medicine Woman,and Married with Children)and Features like Starship Troopers,Children of the Corn,Dante's peak,Rush Hour,Eraser,and a dozen years more of others too numerous(an boring!),to list fully...Jimi Udel often had a camera in his hand,while standing on set,to record the doings of the "below the line community"...Often hiding the lens in black cloth,it was a job risking "shooter",who would photograph on the closed sets.All the while(when the gripping was done),Udel photographed the actors and directors from these Films ans shows,on what ever terms he could arrange.With images of such greats as Douglas Fairbanks Jr.,George C.Scott,James caan,Jack Lemmon,Charlton Heston,Jim Garner,and John Malkovich(just a partial sampling of nearly 100 folks photographed),one can begin to form an idea of just how driven Mr.Udel was to obtain his images of these Directors and actors as well.Currently Udel studios are undertaking several exciting archival projects.One,for IATSE Local 80,is a historical perspective of it's membership,from it's beginnings in 1938,to present.Additionally,the studio is also producing a series of Archival interviews,called "While It Was A Craft".A celebratory "hat's off"to the great technicians of the golden age of television an film,in Hollywood.A feature column by Udel may be seen each month in Below The Line Magazine,as well."Footnotes"(as its called),is an interview with a differant department (and crew person),each writing that pays hommage and gets details of "how is was done,by whom,back then in the hay-day of Hollywood.In addition to PR lensing for L.A. theatre groups like Open Fist,James also still enjoys photographing directors and actors,for professional head shots..Residing in Southern California with his wife of 20 years,Maryann,and their son of 16,Douglas....James also works one day a week for the Union,that he so greatly loves...