As a student, Byrum interned with Jim Henson on early appearances of The Muppets and was later hired by Henson as one of the original writers of Sesame Street. Henson took a special interest in Byrum's talent, and hired him to write freelance projects. Byrum left New York for Hollywood after Byrum's original script Inserts received positive reaction, and he was tapped to write the script Harry and Walter Go to New York by producers and mentors Don Devlin, Tony Bill, and Harry Gittes.
After that script was sold for a then-record-breaking amount, Byrum was hired to write the Diana Ross vehicle Mahogany. He passed on the chance to write the script for Jaws to work on Mahogany with one of his idols, director Tony Richardson, only to have Richardson leave the film midproduction after clashing with producer Berry Gordy of Motown fame. Berry took over directing chores, and the true drama of Mahogany was said to be the behind-the-camera relationship between Gordy and Ross.[3]
Byrum teamed with Mahogany producer Rob Cohen, which resulted Scandalous and The Razor's Edge, the 1984 film directed by Byrum based on the W. Somerset Maugham novel starring Bill Murray in his first dramatic role as Larry Darrell, and co-starring Catherine Hicks, Theresa Russell, Denholm Elliott, and James Keach. Byrum and Murray co-wrote the screenplay. The film faltered with critics and audiences, as most were not ready to accept Murray in a noncomedic role. In later years, the film achieved cult status and many fans have traveled to its international locations, to replicate Larry's spiritual journey.
Byrum was scheduled to direct his original script of karaoke road-trip dramedy Duets when he was felled by a serious case of Lyme disease that had gone long undiagnosed. Byrum's friend Bruce Paltrow wanted to direct Duets with his daughter Gwyneth Paltrow as one of the six ensemble characters. Brad Pitt was attached to co-star with Paltrow, his fiancée at the time, but when their engagement ended, the film's financing faltered once again. Duets was filmed several years later with Scott Speedman in the role originally chosen by Pitt, along with Paul Giamatti, Maria Bello, Andre Braugher, and Huey Lewis.
Personal life
John Byrum married actress Linda Fiorentino on June 23, 1992. Byrum and Fiorentino worked together on the movie The War at Home,[8] which began filming April 15, 1988; the two were in a relationship at that point. Byrum wrote the script, which was loosely based on the life of model and actress Edie Sedgwick; however, the film was never completed. The couple divorced in 1993, after a year of marriage, for reasons not known. In 1997, Byrum married his current wife, American screenwriter Karin Reznack.
