New York City native Harold Becker studied art and photography at the prestigious Pratt Institute and began his career as a designer and stills photographer. He segued to directing TV commercials and short films, including the award-winning "Ivanhoe Donaldson". In 1972, Becker made his feature debut as co-director and co-producer (with Souter Harris) with "The Ragman's Daughter", a superb, if somewhat forgotten, low-budget romance set in England and featuring strong performances from Victoria Tennant and Simon Rouse. Indeed, eliciting fine work from actors would become a hallmark of Becker's