Conrad Rooks

Who is Conrad Rooks?

Conrad Rooks was an American writer, director and producer most renowned for his 1972 filmed adaptation of Hermann Hesse's novel Siddhartha.

Rooks was an heir to the Avon Products cosmetics fortune, where his Father Russel Rooks was one of the founding Presidents, who came up with the now famous phrase "Ding Dong Avon calling"

By the time he was eighteen, Rooks became a troubled substance abuser. After years of addiction, he traveled to Europe seeking a new "sleeping cure" being offered by a medical doctor at a clinic in Zurich, Switzerland. According to Rooks, the cure was successful and he never abused substances again.

Conrad spent much of his life traveling the globe, living abroad for many years in such places as New Delhi, India and Pattaya, Thailand [citation needed]. He was married to Indian director and screenwriter Pamela Rooks and the couple had a son Ryan, before they divorced in 1985.

In 1966 Rooks wrote, directed and starred in his first film, Chappaqua, a semi-autobiographical exploration of the perils of drug addiction, the agony of withdrawal, and the author's journey to Europe and success with the aforementioned "sleeping cure." The film won second prize at the Venice Film Festival in competition against works from established directors François Truffaut and Roger Vadim. He died on December 27, 2011 in Massachusetts.