James Paris

Batousa, Lesvos

James Paris (1921 – 26 May 1982), born Dimitris Paraschakis, was a Greek film producer. Born in 1921 in the village of Vatoussa, Lesvos, he studied at the Agricultural School of Thessaloniki and the Agricultural Institute of the University of Beirut in Lebanon. In 1948 he emigrated to America and during his first years in the US he studied at the 20th Century Fox Film School, obtained American citizenship and became director of the advertising department of United Artists (1948-1952). After working as a production manager on 20th Century Fox films, he returned to Greece in the late 1950s, giving a new lease of life to film productions. In about a decade, he produced 54 Greek films, many of which were distinguished at the Thessaloniki Film Festival (5 Best Film Awards) and were box office successes. His first film was The Company of Miracles (1963) directed by Stefanos Stratigos. James Parris, the producer thanks to whom the concept of "overproduction" became known in the Greek cinema, died in 1982 at the age of 61.