Damski grew up in Roslyn, Long Island, New York and attended Colgate University on a football scholarship.
[3] He was a reporter for Long Island Newsday before moving to Los Angeles to attend the AFI Conservatory in 1972.
[5] In addition to his long directing career, including 29 movies and scores of episodes, he has taught film and television at NYU, USC and AFI.
In 1998, Damski, along with Andrea Blaugrund, was nominated for an Oscar for Best Short Documentary for the film Still Kicking: The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies.
[7][8] In 1981, Damski was nominated for an Emmy Award for outstanding directing in a drama series for American Dream.