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József A. "Joe" Eszterhas (born November 23, 1944) is a Hungarian-American writer, best known for his work on the pulp erotic films Basic Instinct and Showgirls. He has also written several non-fiction books, including an autobiography entitled Hollywood Animal. Eszterhas was born in Csákánydoroszló, Hungary, the son of Mária (née Bíró) and István Eszterhas. He was raised as a young child in a refugee camp in Austria. Eventually his parents moved to New York City, and then to poor immigrant neighborhoods in Cleveland, where he spent most of his childhood. His mother had a mental... MORE

József A. "Joe" Eszterhas (born November 23, 1944) is a Hungarian-American writer, best known for his work on the pulp erotic films Basic Instinct and Showgirls. He has also written several non-fiction books, including an autobiography entitled Hollywood Animal. Eszterhas was born in Csákánydoroszló, Hungary, the son of Mária (née Bíró) and István Eszterhas. He was raised as a young child in a refugee camp in Austria. Eventually his parents moved to New York City, and then to poor immigrant neighborhoods in Cleveland, where he spent most of his childhood. His mother had a mental illness which estranged her from the family while he was entering adolescence. His father was a Roman Catholic newspaper editor and author. Eszterhas attended Ohio University, but did not graduate. He was a reporter with Cleveland's The Plain Dealer, where he gained his first touch of notoriety due to his handling of color photos of Vietnam's My Lai Massacre, which depicted American soldiers murdering Vietnamese civilians. Although he was annoyed at his newspaper’s apparent lack of belief in the authenticity of the photos, the paper permitted Eszterhas to try and sell them for $125,000. Some media outlets, LESS