Schumacher was born in New York City and studied at the Parsons School of Design. 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 low-budget hit Car Wash (1976) and a number of other minor successes. He also wrote The Wiz (1978). His film directorial debut was The Incredible Shrinking Woman (1981), starring Lily Tomlin, and he quickly made more successful films, include three "brat pack" works. Working solidly and building his reputation he had his first large budget feature when he took over from Tim Burton on the Batman franchise - Batman Forever was a major summer success but Batman & Robin was a commerical disappointment, the proposed fifth movie in the series was stalled and Schumacher returned to less ambitious projects. He has also directed two adaptions of the books of John Grisham, the second as the personal choice of the author.
Filmography (direction, incomplete)