Toby Ross is an American film director who made gay hardcore films in the 1970s and 80s. Before Ross made feature films he made loops which were shot on silent 8mm or 16mm. His earliest feature films were partially composed of some of his loops with added soundtracks. Some of his later films were very successful in underground gay film circles. These films include Do Me Evil, Cruisin' 57, and Schoolmates.
His earlier theatrical fearures were released under Cinema Mirage. In 1980 He started a company called Hornbill Films which he used to release his hard core films onto VHS and in 1995 his regular general audience films some shown in various festivals.
In the early 80s he began making movies on video instead of film.
On October 8, 2008 a Canadian film maker and experimental Kletzmer/Hip Hop musician Josh Dolgin showed Cruising 57 a 1975 Ross film in Pop Monteral, the film was accompanied by a live band with Dolgin at the helm of this nostalgic love boat. (www.ottawaxpress.ca/film/film.aspx?iIDArticle=19874) (http://blogs.villagevoice.com/music/archives/2008/10/montreal_pop_fi.php)
In the Winter of 2010 Josh Dolgin released his Film "Socalled The Movie" in which parts of a documentary he made with Ross profiles Toby Ross as one of his influences.(http://www.montrealgazette.com/entertainment/Review+interview+Socalled+Movie/3109907/story.html)
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In 2005 s he began making regular comedy films which include Bowser Makes a Movie, Get a Life, and Father Knows.... In 2007, he and Joe Rubin directed the movie Live For Sex, Die For Love which was a departure from Ross' comedies into dark and semi-surreal drama. It was a success. In the spring of 2008 he started working on a spy thriller called "Moon over Hong Kong", an all male homage to the James Bond genre. "Like a Moth to a Flame" in 2009 has reunited Ross with Rubin and was available on DVD November 30, 2009. One of the trilogies of Moth was shot on 16mm and directed by Joe Rubin. 2011 was the year he released his dark erotic crime documentary "Payton Collins Serial Rapist", the film spent 3 weeks as #1 best seller on www.tla.com and was a success.
Father Knows... is a 2007 American film starring Cort Donovan as Brad, who has just completed his memoirs. The film then goes into an extended flashback about Brad's relationship with his childhood friend Ira and the ups and downs which follow. Their romance takes them from Chicago to San Francisco and back and along the way they both learn a lot about life and each other. The film was shot in Chicago, Illinois on digital video.
| GayVN Awards Hall of Fame 2003 |
| Life Achievement Award Grabbys 2008 |