Settling Down

It would be too glib to say that life began at 40 for actor Robert Ginty. However, he senses he is at the peak of his craft and on the verge of a major breakthrough as a film director.

Currently on screen in Tri-Star’s comedy “Loverboy,” the action-film veteran recently completed directing and starring in two pictures--”The Bounty Hunter” and “Vietnam, Texas.”

“What’s changed is my decision to call the shots,” says the gangly, self-confessed incessant talker. “Until recently I took a lot of films because of where they were being filmed. The scripts, I’m not proud to say, were secondary.”

Ginty became a hot international property from the success of the 1980 vigilante film “The Exterminator.” The forgettable, if exotic, productions that followed included “Gold Raiders” (Thailand), “The Retaliator” (Israel), “White Fire” (Turkey) and “The Executioner” (Mexico). But the globe-trotting took both a personal and professional toll.

“When I was interviewed for ‘Loverboy,’ it seemed obvious no one quite knew who I was, which probably worked to my benefit,” he recalls. “Ironically, I think they thought of me as a fresh face.”

From an Irish political family, Ginty was a rock music drummer for Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin, but after his band appeared in an early John Avildsen film he was encouraged to study acting. Subsequently his stage performance in “The Indian Wants the Bronx” led to a television contract and such series as “The Rookies” and “Baa Baa Black Sheep.”

However, he says his work in director Hal Ashby’s “Bound for Glory” and “Coming Home” had the most lasting effect on his career.

“I learned how important it is to be very precise--to know exactly what you want. As a director my job is to entertain, but I’m also looking for stories with substance.

“Acting, pardon the analogy, is like dating, and directing is more like being married--it’s long-term. You better be real certain you’re ready before taking the plunge.”