James Francis Ivory (born June 7, 1928) is an award-winning American film director, best known for the results of his long collaboration with Merchant Ivory Productions, which included both Indian-born producer Ismail Merchant and screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. Their films won six Academy Awards.

Background

Ivory was born in Berkeley, California to Edward Patrick Ivory (Irish) and Hallie Millicent DeLoney (French-American) and grew up in Klamath Falls, Oregon. He was educated at the University of Oregon, majoring in Architecture and Fine Arts and then at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts, where he directed the short film "Four in the Morning" (1953).