Abel Ferrara

Abel Ferrara’s first marriage was to Nancy Ferrara. He is presently married to Christina. He has three children, two of them adopted.

Even though he was raised a Catholic, he converted to Buddhism in 2007.

Abel Ferrara was born on July 19, 1951, in the Bronx, New York City. He is of Italian and Irish descent. Not much is known about his family, but it is known that he was raised Catholic.

He developed an early interest in films and attended the film conservatory at State University of New York to get professional training in the field. Soon after completing his studies he started making short films. Many of these were collected and compiled into the Short Films of Abel Ferrara collection.

Despite being talented and passionate about filmmaking, Abel Ferrara’s initial years in the field were a struggle. Desperate to make some money when he was unemployed, he directed a pornographic film titled ‘9 Lives of a Wet Pussy Cat’ in 1976. He also featured in it as an actor, under the pseudonym Jimmy Boy L.

In 1979, he directed and starred in a black comedy horror film ‘The Driller Killer.’ It was a slasher thriller about a struggling artist who turns insane from stress and goes on a killing spree. The movie was extremely violent and bloody.

His next film, released in 1981, was an even darker one, revolving around the theme of “rape revenge.” The movie ‘Ms. 45’, also known as ‘Angel of Vengeance’, told the story of a mute woman who becomes a spree killer after being raped twice in one day.

While the dark themes of his movies shocked the conservative cinema audience, it also gained him popularity. Following the release of ‘Ms. 45’, Abel Ferrara was hired to direct another thriller ‘Fear City’ (1984) which featured Billy Dee Williams and Tom Berenger in the lead roles. Like his other films, this too was about a deranged murderer.

He remained active throughout the remainder of the 1980s, making crime thrillers and mafia movies. Some of his movies from this era are ‘China Girl’ (1987), ‘The Gladiator’ (1987) and ‘Cat Chaser’ (1989).

His 1992 neo-noir crime drama film ‘Bad Lieutenant’ is one of his best known ones. The movie had Harvey Keitel in the title role as a drug-addicted lieutenant who sexually molests young women. The film also featured a controversial rape scenario. Despite its provocative content—or maybe because of it—the movie earned a cult status.

Another one of his well-known films is ‘The Funeral’ (1996). Starring Christopher Walken, Chris Penn, and Annabella Sciorra in leading roles, the story is about the funeral of one of three brothers in a family of gangsters. Like his other films, this one too contains extreme bloodshed and violence.

*Ferrara explored the themes of feminism and trinity in the 2005 drama thriller film ‘Mary’ which he wrote and directed. The film premiered at the 2005 Venice Film Festival where it won the Special Jury Prize. It also played at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival, Deauville Film Festival and San Sebastián International Film Festival.