Samuel

garza bernstein author  playwright performer screenwriter

Samuel Garza Bernstein is a screenwriter, author, and playwright whose writing reflects the wild intersections of modern life. His stories build layered, character-driven worlds where personal histories, cultural identity, and often LGBTQ+ themes converge. From film and television to theater  and books on silver screen legends, Samuel’s work reflects his deep affection, sharp curiosity, and precise storytelling that is fearless, fabulous, and full of life.

CESAR ROMERO

Cesar Romero: The Joker Is Wild is an in-depth study of a Hollywood star whose six-decade career as an actor, dancer, and singer made him a true icon. Batman made him immortal, but his backstory as the grandson of a Cuban national hero, a gay man, and a Latino role model is just as fascinating.

AFTER FOREVER

Season three co-showrunner and co-executive producer of the 6-time Emmy Award-winning series, After Forever, A funny, heartbreaking, heartwarming, and empowering series that resonates with audiences of all ages and sexual identities as it explores relationships, healing and new beginnings. Stream Season 3 on Amazon

RODDY McDOWALL

Roddy McDowall: An Actor’s Life – From How Green Was My Valley to Lassie to Planet of the Apes is a look into the life and career of a tireless actor, photographer, producer, and director. He flourished in a Hollywood not yet ready to confront the reality of LGBTQIA+ celebrities, remaining discreet, but never pretending to be straight, and never compromising who he was. 

COMING 2026

the secret world

of danny lopez

A hidden Latina history, pop music fantasies, sex, war, black-market cheese & child-snatching … In his award-winning solo-show, The Secret World of Danny Lopez, Samuel channels his ten-year-old self. with tales of the shifting realities of a gender non-conforming tween in 1970’s Texas navigating his mondo-beyondo life and family.

Stage and CInema
Stage and CInema
Great writing and a juicy story well told! I love Samuel Garza Bernstein’s gobsmacking true-life tale, told by his childhood alter-ego Danny Lopez.
Broadway World
Broadway World
A coming-of-age story from the past that says everything about the way we live now.
Out Front Magazine
Out Front Magazine
Always upbeat and positive, with childhood nostalgia and trauma, that encourages you to find laughter and healing through musical performances, interactive fantasies, and inspired drag.

Before & After

JOAN CRAWFORD

Starring Joan Crawford: The Films, The Fantasy, and the Modern Relevance of a Silver Screen Icon is a rollicking exploration of the powerful women Joan Crawford brings to life in her films – and the lasting impact she continues to have on popular culture. She is a lodestar to LGBTQIA+ audiences, model of feminist self-determination, and an unforgettable icon for all.

San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
Samuel Garza Bernstein has given us a 21st century approach to decoding how Crawford held the attention of movie fans for half a century.
Provincetown Magazine
Provincetown Magazine
Joan Crawford: The Films, The Fantasy and the Modern Relevance of a Screen Icon is a complete and nuanced picture of this legendary Hollywood icon.
Dallas Voice
Dallas Voice
Samuel's new book reveals a strong, complicated, driven woman and talented actress who refused to conform to gender expectations or let others define her.

mr. confidential the musical

A giddy vibrant tale set in New York and Hollywood at their most glamorous and dangerous … and almost all of it is true. Fast, fluid and sexy—with just a touch of burlesque. A sexy, swinging score with a modern take on the Big Broadway sound. Music by David Snyder and lyrics by Samuel Garza Bernstein.

the books

IN STORES NOW Cesar Romero: The Joker Is Wild    |   COMING IN 2026  Roddy McDowall

the theater television films work

at work author playwright lyricist screenwriter producer director performer

US | EU

Manager | Film & TV
Jeff Aghassi
Aghassi
Literary Management
(310) 403-5148
jeffaghassi@mac.com

Literary Agent | Books
Lee Sobel Literary Agency
917-553-4991
leesobel15@gmail.com

Attorney | Legal
David Bondy
David Bondy Law

dbondy@bondylaw.com
(212) 602-9662

Samuel Garza Bernstein’s life and writing reflect the wild intersections of modern life. He was born to an undocumented Mexican mother who passed as white, and a Jewish father who passionately supported the Palestinian cause in Egypt, where the family lived for a year when he was a kid. “I was six-years old in Cairo, surrounded by hot Egyptians, spinning fantasies and inventing myself.” The family traveled the world – occasionally on the lam – living in Cairo, Honolulu, Austin, Phoenix, New York, Los Angeles, and Ft. Collins, Colorado.

Founded in 1997 by partners Samuel Garza Bernstein and Ronald Shore, Babyhead Productions develops and creates projects of individual and idiosyncratic vision. The company has produced feature films, theater productions, television and new media, projects, and published a number of books under the Walford Press imprint.

at home husband dogs travel advocate play

Sam and husband Ron, have been together more than thirty years and split their time between Los Angeles and Porto, Portugal. They are currently the hostages of a pack of incorrigible dachshunds.

As a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA), Sam has been made an impact in the lives of trans foster children in Los Angeles County and involved in the following projects, Fixing A Broken System and the Emmy winning documentary by Pamela Tom Finding Home: A Foster Youth Story.

Scroll to Top