Life
Katz's father was an immigrant from Budapest, Hungary.
He is a close friend of playwright David Mamet, with whom he attended Goddard College. Katz co-wrote House of Games with Mamet and had small roles in the Mamet-directed films Things Change, Homicide, The Spanish Prisoner and State and Main.
Katz and Mamet used to travel from college to college hustling people at ping-pong. Katz was the New York ping-pong champion in 1964. He would let Mamet beat him. They would pretend to play for money, and then Mamet would say to a mark, "If you want to play me, you have to beat my friend first." To keep the game moderately close, Katz would sometimes spot his opponents 15 points and during every point recall a painful experience from his childhood.
Originally a musician and songwriter, Katz fronted a rhythm and blues group called "Katz and Jammers" before serving as the musical director for Robin Williams's 1979 stand-up tour. In 1998, he released a blues album titled Brandon Project.
Read more about this topic: Jonathan Katz
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