Robert Mark Kamen

Last updated

Robert Mark Kamen
Born (1947-10-09) October 9, 1947 (age 77)
Alma mater New York University (BA)
University of Pennsylvania (PhD)
Occupation(s)Screenwriter, producer, winemaker
Known for The Karate Kid
Transporter
Taken

Robert Mark Kamen (born October 9, 1947) is an American screenwriter, best known as the creator of The Karate Kid franchise as well as for his later collaborations with French filmmaker Luc Besson, which include the screenplay for The Fifth Element (originally devised by Besson) and the Transporter and Taken franchises. He now produces wine from his vineyards near Sonoma, California.

Contents

Early life and education

Kamen was born in 1947. He grew up in the Bronx in New York City. [1] He graduated from New York University in 1969. [2] He received his Ph.D. in American Studies from the University of Pennsylvania. [3]

Career

Kamen is a frequent collaborator of French writer and director Luc Besson, who co-created The Fifth Element , The Transporter, and the Taken series. The two first worked together on the Natalie Portman and Jean Reno thriller The Professional . After the success of The Fifth Element, Besson invited Kamen to join him in his goal of creating a "mini-studio" in Europe, making "movies that would travel, international movies, you know, action movies." [4]

The Karate Kid

The Karate Kid is a semi-autobiographical story based on Kamen's life. When Kamen was 17, he was beaten up by a gang of bullies after the 1964 New York World's Fair. He thus began to study martial arts in order to defend himself. [5] Kamen was unhappy with his first teacher, who taught martial arts as a tool for violence and revenge. [5] He moved on to study Okinawan Gōjū-ryū Karate under a teacher who did not speak English but himself was a student of Chōjun Miyagi. [5]

As a Hollywood screenwriter, Kamen was mentored by Frank Price, who told him that producer Jerry Weintraub had optioned a news article about the young child of a single mother who had earned a black belt to defend himself against neighborhood bullies. Kamen then combined his own life story with the news article and used both to create the screenplay for The Karate Kid. [5]

DC Comics had a character called "Karate Kid." The filmmakers received special permission from DC Comics in 1984 to use the title for the first film (and subsequent sequels). [6]

Vineyards

In 1980, after being paid $135,000 for his first screenplay (which was never produced), Kamen used the check to buy 280 acres of rocky land on the western slopes of the Mayacamas mountains north of Sonoma in Sonoma County, California. He hired winegrower Phil Coturri to turn 46 acres into a vineyard in 1981. In 1984, the first grapes were sold to local winemakers. Half the vineyard was destroyed in a fire in 1996. Kamen replanted the vineyard, and in 1999, he bottled his first Kamen-branded wine, a Cabernet Sauvignon. In 2002, Kamen hired Mark Herold to craft his wines. [7]

Filmography

Writer

Uncredited rewrites

Special thanks

Artistic consultant

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luc Besson</span> French filmmaker (born 1959)

Luc Paul Maurice Besson is a French filmmaker. He directed or produced the films Subway (1985), The Big Blue (1988), and La Femme Nikita (1990). Associated with the Cinéma du look film movement, he has been nominated for a César Award for Best Director and Best Picture for his films Léon: The Professional (1994) and The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999). He won Best Director and Best French Director for his sci-fi action film The Fifth Element (1997). He wrote and directed the sci-fi action film Lucy (2014) and the space opera film Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017).

<i>The Karate Kid</i> 1984 film by John Avildsen

The Karate Kid is a 1984 American martial arts drama film written by Robert Mark Kamen and directed by John G. Avildsen. It is the first installment in the Karate Kid franchise, and stars Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue, and William Zabka. The Karate Kid follows the story of Daniel LaRusso (Macchio), an Italian-American teenager from New Jersey who moves with his widowed mother to the Reseda neighborhood of Los Angeles. There, LaRusso encounters harassment from his new bullies, one of whom is Johnny Lawrence (Zabka), the ex-boyfriend of LaRusso's love interest, Ali Mills (Shue). LaRusso is taught karate by a handyman and war veteran named Mr. Miyagi (Morita) to help LaRusso defend himself and compete in a karate tournament against his bullies.

<i>The Fifth Element</i> 1997 film by Luc Besson

The Fifth Element is a 1997 English-language French science fiction action film conceived and directed by Luc Besson, as well as co-written by Besson and Robert Mark Kamen. It stars Bruce Willis, Gary Oldman, Ian Holm, Milla Jovovich, and Chris Tucker. Primarily set in the 23rd century, the film's central plot involves the survival of planet Earth, which becomes the responsibility of Korben Dallas (Willis), a taxicab driver and former special forces major, after a young woman (Jovovich) falls into his cab. To accomplish this, Dallas joins forces with her to recover four mystical stones essential for the defence of Earth against the impending attack of a malevolent cosmic entity.

<i>Lethal Weapon 3</i> 1992 American film directed by Richard Donner

Lethal Weapon 3 is a 1992 American buddy cop action film directed by Richard Donner and written by Jeffrey Boam and Robert Mark Kamen. The sequel to Lethal Weapon 2 (1989), it is the third installment in the Lethal Weapon film series and stars Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci, Rene Russo, and Stuart Wilson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Éric Serra</span> French film composer

Éric Serra is a French composer. He is a frequent collaborator of film director Luc Besson.

<i>The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc</i> 1999 film by Luc Besson

The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc is a 1999 English-language French epic historical drama film directed by Luc Besson and starring Milla Jovovich, John Malkovich, Faye Dunaway and Dustin Hoffman. The screenplay was written by Besson and Andrew Birkin, and the original score was composed by Éric Serra.

<i>The Karate Kid Part III</i> 1989 American martial arts drama film

The Karate Kid Part III is a 1989 American martial arts drama film, the third entry in the Karate Kid franchise and a sequel to The Karate Kid Part II (1986). It stars Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Robyn Lively, and Thomas Ian Griffith in his film debut. As was the case with the first two films in the series, it was directed by John G. Avildsen and written by Robert Mark Kamen, with stunts choreographed by Pat E. Johnson and music composed by Bill Conti. In the film, the returning John Kreese, with the help of his former army friend Terry Silver, attempts to gain revenge on Daniel and Mr. Miyagi which involves recruiting a ruthless martial artist and harming their relationship.

<i>Transporter 2</i> 2005 French film

Transporter 2 is a 2005 English-language French action film directed by Louis Leterrier and written by Luc Besson & Robert Mark Kamen. It is the sequel to The Transporter (2002) and the second installment in the Transporter franchise, followed by Transporter 3 (2008) and The Transporter Refueled, also called Transporter 4 (2015). It stars Jason Statham as Frank Martin, with Alessandro Gassmann, Amber Valletta, Kate Nauta, François Berléand, Matthew Modine, and Jason Flemyng. In the film, Frank Martin (Statham) is tasked with protecting the young son of politician Jefferson Billings (Modine) from an international drugs cartel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fumio Demura</span> Japanese karateka and kobudoka (1940–2023)

Fumio Demura was a Japanese karateka and kobudoka, based in the United States since the mid-1960s. A 9th dan in Shitō-ryū karate, he was Pat Morita's martial arts stunt double in the first, third and fourth Karate Kid films, and was one of the inspirations for the character Mr. Miyagi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alessandro Gassmann</span> Italian actor (born 1965)

Alessandro Gassmann is an Italian actor and film director.

Marc Shmuger is an American entertainment executive and film producer. From 1998 to 2009 he was working for Universal Pictures, where he became chairman in 2006. From February 2016 to December 2017 he was the CEO of EuropaCorp.

Gundlach Bundschu Winery is a historic winery and an outdoor concert venue located in Sonoma County. It is California's oldest continuously family-owned winery, and is the second oldest winery after Buena Vista Winery. It is still owned and operated by the founder's heirs and today led by the sixth generation, Jeff Bundschu. The winery's 320-acre (130 ha) regenerative organic certified estate vineyard, named Rhinefarm by Bavarian-born Jacob Gundlach in 1858, is located within the Sonoma Valley AVA of Sonoma County, at the crossroads of the Sonoma Valley, Los Carneros AVA and Napa Valley AVA, along the Mayacamas Mountains. They specialize in estate-driven, organically farmed Bordeaux reds and cool climate varietal wines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EuropaCorp</span> French film production company

EuropaCorp S.A. is a French motion picture company headquartered in Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of Paris, and one of a few full-service independent studios that both produce and distribute feature films. It specializes in production, distribution, home entertainment, VOD, sales, partnerships and licenses, recording, publishing and exhibition. EuropaCorp's integrated financial model generates revenues from a wide range of sources, with films from many genres and a strong presence in the international markets.

<i>The Karate Kid</i> (2010 film) 2010 film directed by Harald Zwart

The Karate Kid is a 2010 American and Chinese martial arts drama film directed by Harald Zwart and produced by Jerry Weintraub, Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith, James Lassiter, and Ken Stovitz, from a screenplay written by Christopher Murphey, based on a story conceived by Robert Mark Kamen, the writer of the first three Karate Kid films. It serves as the fifth film in The Karate Kid franchise, and stars Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan in the lead roles, with Taraji P. Henson, Wenwen Han, Zhenwei Wang, Luke Carberry, Zhensu Wu, Zhiheng Wang, and Yu Rongguang in supporting roles.

<i>Colombiana</i> 2011 film by Olivier Megaton

Colombiana is a 2011 French English-language action thriller film co-written and produced by Luc Besson and directed by Olivier Megaton. The film stars Zoe Saldaña with supporting roles by Michael Vartan, Cliff Curtis, Lennie James, Callum Blue, and Jordi Mollà. The film is about Cataleya, a nine-year-old girl in Colombia whose family is killed by a drug lord. Fifteen years later, a grown Cataleya seeks her revenge.

<i>No Limit</i> (TV series) French TV series (2012-2015)

No Limit is a 2012 French television action-adventure series created by filmmaker Luc Besson with Franck Philippon through Besson's EuropaCorp company. Along with Transporter: The Series, it represents one of Besson's first forays into television, although this time as a writer as well as a producer.

<i>Taken</i> (franchise) Series of action films

Taken is a series of English-language French action films, beginning with Taken in 2008, created by producer Luc Besson and American screenwriter Robert Mark Kamen. The dialogue of all three films is primarily English, and all three feature Liam Neeson as Bryan Mills. The first film received mixed reviews from critics but a positive response from audiences with commercial success. The series grossed a combined $929,451,015 worldwide.

The Karate Kid is an American martial arts drama franchise created by Robert Mark Kamen. The series follows the journey of various coming-of-age teenagers who are taught in the ways of martial arts by an experienced mentor in order to stand up for themselves after being bullied, or assert their dominance towards others.

Camille Delamarre is a French film editor and director, best known for directing The Transporter Refueled and Brick Mansions. He edited films including Transporter 3 and Taken 2, among others.

Phil Coturri is an American viticulturalist. As a vineyard manager, Coturri has been recognized as pioneering organic and biodynamic farming in California. He is the chief executive officer of Enterprise Vineyard Management and co-owner of Winery Sixteen 600.

References

  1. ↑ Hartlaub, Peter (March 11, 2004). "Robert Mark Kamen established his roots in Hollywood. But his heart is in the hills of Sonoma, where he tends to his vineyard". San Francisco Chronicle . Archived from the original on May 11, 2015.
  2. ↑ "College News, CAS Alumni Relations" (PDF). NYU College of Arts & Science. 2016. On October 22, RobertKamen (ARTS '69) received the CAS Alumni Achievement Award from Dean Gabi Starr for his work as a screenwriter.
  3. ↑ "Robert Mark Kamen". Kamen Estate Wines.
  4. ↑ Gotshalk, Shira, "The Script Assassin", Writers Guild of America, February 2009.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Prewitt, Alex (May 1, 2018). "The Crane Kick Is Bogus: A Karate Kid Oral History". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  6. ↑ Hodges, Christopher (July 30, 2019). "20 Crazy Details Behind the Making of The Karate Kid". TheThings . Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  7. ↑ Brown, Sunny (2008). "Kamen Estate Wines". Winegeeks. Retrieved March 14, 2017.
  8. 1 2 Goldstein, Patrick (March 10, 2009). "Screenwriter Kamen is taken with director Besson". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
  9. ↑ Bowman, James (April 1, 1997). "Devil's Own, The". Ethics & Public Policy Center (EPPC). Retrieved January 24, 2017.
  10. ↑ Pfeiffer, Lee; Lewis, Michael (January 1, 2002). The Films of Harrison Ford. Citadel Press. ISBN   9780806523644.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.