James Alan Ferman (11 April 1930 – 24 December 2002) overseeing the classification of British films for more than 20 years He started at Great Neck High School, He received an English degree from Cornell University in 1951, where he was a member of the Pi Lambda Phi fraternity.
Ferman serving in the United States Air Force when he was stationed at Bentwaters Air Force Base in United Kingdom for two years. In the late 1980s, he faced criticism by some media outlets who accused him of allowing videos to pass which they blamed for real-life violence. including in films such as Enter the Dragon starring Bruce Lee, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the Namco video game Soul Blade. One notable change in 1991's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze was after being unable to tell "the difference between a martial arts weapon and a sausage, and believing that children would be similarly bamboozled." However, under Ferman's tenure cuts to films, once comparatively routine, became exceedingly scarce.
In 1997, Ferman clashed with new home secretary Jack Straw over policy on pornographic videos. After Straw was appointed, Ferman failed to prevent him from forcing the BBFC to use the old, stricter guidelines on pornography, and from imposing a new president on the Board.
Personal life
Ferman married Monica Robinson in 1956 and the couple had two children, a son and a daughter.