Ismail Merchant (25 December 1936 – 25 May 2005) was an Indian-born film producer and director. He worked for many years in collaboration with Merchant Ivory Productions which included director (and Merchant's longtime professional and domestic partner) James Ivory as well as screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. Their films won six Academy Awards.
Ismail Merchant was a film producer and director who was born in India and was fortunate enough to be able to collaborate with his partner in business and in life , the director James Ivory, who had the nickname of Ivory due to his former time in the illegal ivory trade