Joel Schumacher (born August 29, 1939) is an American film director, writer, and producer. Career Schumacher was born in New York City. His mother Marian, of Swedish descent, was widowed when Schumacher was 4. He studied at Parsons The New School for Design. After first working in the fashion industry, he began his media work as a costume designer and developed his skills with television work. He wrote the screenplay for the 1976 low-budget hit movie Car Wash and a number of other minor successes.