Jerry Bruckheimer | |
---|---|
Born | Jerome Leon Bruckheimer September 21, 1943 |
Alma mater | University of Arizona (BA) |
Occupations |
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Years active | 1972–present |
Organization | Jerry Bruckheimer Films |
Notable work | |
Political party | Republican [1] |
Spouses |
Jerome Leon Bruckheimer (born September 21, 1943) is an American film and television producer. He has been active in the genres of action, drama, comedy, fantasy, horror and science fiction. After working in advertising out of college, Bruckheimer moved into film production in the 1970s. In the 1980s and 1990s, he partnered with fellow producer Don Simpson. Bruckheimer and Simpson's partnership continued until Simpson's death in 1996. Bruckheimer has produced films including Flashdance , The Rock , Crimson Tide , Con Air , Armageddon , Enemy of the State , Pearl Harbor , Black Hawk Down , and Kangaroo Jack , as well as the Beverly Hills Cop , Top Gun , Bad Boys , Pirates of the Caribbean , and National Treasure franchises.
At the helms of his self-titled production company, his films have been distributed by Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures and Disney, while his television works have been co-produced by Warner Bros. Television and CBS Studios. In July 2003, Bruckheimer was honored by Variety as the first in Hollywood history to produce the first and second highest-grossing films of a single weekend: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and Bad Boys II . [2] In 2023, Top Gun: Maverick earned him a nomination for Best Picture at the 95th Academy Awards.
His best known television series are television dramas CSI: Crime Scene Investigation , CSI: Miami , CSI: NY , CSI: Cyber , Without a Trace , Cold Case , Lucifer, and reality competition series The Amazing Race , which would spawn a franchise with international versions. For the latter, he won ten Primetime Emmy Awards. In 2003, three of his television productions—CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Without a Trace and CSI: Miami—ranked among the top ten in the U.S. ratings, making him the first producer to achieve this. [3] [4]
Bruckheimer is also the co-founder and co-majority owner (with David Bonderman) of the Seattle Kraken, the 2021 expansion team of the National Hockey League.
Bruckheimer was born on September 21, 1943, [5] [6] in Detroit, Michigan, the son of German Jewish immigrants. [7] He graduated from Mumford High School in 1961 [8] in Detroit, at age 17, before moving to Arizona for college. Bruckheimer was also an active member of the Stamp Collecting Club. [9] He graduated with a degree in psychology from the University of Arizona. He was a member of the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity. A film buff at an early age with an interest in photography, Bruckheimer would take snapshots when he had the opportunity. After college, Bruckheimer worked in advertising in Detroit (creative producer) and New York City. At the Detroit agency he worked on a one minute ad spot for the new Pontiac GTO. [10] Early in his career, Bruckheimer produced television commercials, including one for Pepsi.
Bruckheimer started producing films in the 1970s after leaving his job in advertising, with director Dick Richards. They worked together on the films The Culpepper Cattle Company , Farewell, My Lovely , and March or Die . Bruckheimer then worked with Paul Schrader on two films, American Gigolo and Cat People , which began to give him notice in Hollywood.
During the 1980s and 1990s, he was a co-producer with Don Simpson of a string of highly successful films for Paramount Pictures. He first met Simpson at a screening of 1973's The Harder They Come at Warner Brothers. The two worked together and created Bruckheimer's first big hit, 1983's Flashdance , which brought in $95 million. [11] He had a number of other hits during that time period, including the Beverly Hills Cop films, Top Gun , and Days of Thunder . Top Gun marked his first collaboration with English director Tony Scott, who directed six films for Bruckheimer. [12] The first Beverly Hills Cop movie, which was supposed to star Sylvester Stallone, launched Eddie Murphy's career and in just five days, became the highest grossing winter release in Paramount's history. [13] On August 9, 1983, Bruckheimer and Simpson struck a three-year agreement with Paramount to produce theatrical and television projects through his new Simpson/Bruckheimer Productions company. [14]
While working with Simpson, Bruckheimer became known as "Mr. Outside" because of his experience with filmmaking, while Simpson became known as "Mr. Inside" because of his film industry contacts. The Rock was the last film in which Bruckheimer collaborated with Simpson. After Simpson's death in 1996, Bruckheimer stipulated that The Rock be dedicated to the memory of Simpson.
In 1990, Bruckheimer and Simpson struck a $500 million deal with Paramount to produce five movies, entirely of their choice. [15] However, his 1990 production of the film Days of Thunder, which starred Tom Cruise, did not perform as well as expected, which was a step backwards in the Bruckheimer-Simpson success story. The duo made a come-back in 1994, however, with the low-budget film ($12 million) The Ref . [16]
Despite Simpson's untimely death, Bruckheimer continued to produce a large number of action films, often working with director Michael Bay on several box office hits, including Armageddon . Other popular films he produced include Remember the Titans , Black Hawk Down, and the Pirates of the Caribbean series. Bruckheimer has also acquired the rights to produce a film based on the popular role playing game by Palladium Books, Rifts . In the late 1990s, he started Technical Black Films to produce non-action films, with Remember the Titans being the only film produced. [17]
Since 1996, Bruckheimer has branched out into television, creating a number of police dramas of which CSI: Crime Scene Investigation has been the most notable on daytime television. He also produced the reality game show The Amazing Race . In May 2008, CBS announced it had picked up Bruckheimer's newest series, Eleventh Hour , for the 2008–2009 broadcast television season. The science fiction drama follows a government agent and a professor as they investigate strange scientific and medical activity. [18]
From 2004 (beginning of CSI: NY ) to 2009 (end of Without a Trace ), Bruckheimer had six hit television shows on the air: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation , CSI: Miami , CSI: NY, Cold Case , Without a Trace and The Amazing Race . At one point, three of his TV series ranked among the top 10 in the ratings. [3]
In December 2007, Bruckheimer announced plans to partner with MTV to create a new game studio. [19] The same year, [20] Bruckheimer joined the ZeniMax Media board of directors and has since showed up at several launch parties for Bethesda Softworks titles, including Fallout 3 , Fallout: New Vegas , and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim . [21] In 2009, Bruckheimer unveiled Jerry Bruckheimer Games, headed by former Microsoft Studios Publishing Executive Producer Jim Veevaert, as President of Production, and Jay Cohen, previously Ubisoft's Vice President of US Publishing, as President of Development. [22]
It was announced on September 10, 2009, that NBC had picked up an action procedural from Bruckheimer. The show, titled Chase , [23] "tells the stories of a team charged with making sure fugitive criminals don't evade justice," reports The Hollywood Reporter. [24] It was canceled in May 2011, however. Skin , which was another Bruckheiner production, was cancelled in 2003, after only three episodes.
In 2011, it was rumored that Jerry Bruckheimer Games was working on three titles, but nothing came to fruition. [25] In March 2013, Jerry Bruckheimer Games was closed. [26] Although Jerry Bruckheimer Games is closed, Bruckheimer still remained a ZeniMax Board Member, mostly due to being a close associate of former ZeniMax President Ernest Del, until ZeniMax was purchased by Microsoft in 2021. [27] [28]
In 2014, after the disappointment of The Sorcerer's Apprentice [29] and The Lone Ranger , [30] Bruckheimer and the Disney Studios chose to part ways by not renewing their first-look deal that expired that year. [31] He signed a new first-look deal with Paramount that same year and mentioned a new Beverly Hills Cop and a Top Gun 2 as potential production ventures with his new partner. [32]
In June 2016, Jerry Bruckheimer Television became an independent outfit, ending a 15-year run exclusive pact with Warner Bros Television. [33] The next year, the production company signed a deal with CBS Television Studios. [34]
Bruckheimer was named as one of the investors of a proposed sports arena in Las Vegas, [35] and he had been rumored to be the leading choice by the National Hockey League (NHL) to own an expansion hockey team that would play in the arena. Bruckheimer was also named as one of the investors of a proposed Seattle-based NHL expansion team, whose application was submitted in early 2018. [36] The NHL Board of Governors voted to approve the team, named the Seattle Kraken, on December 4, 2018, which started to play in the 2021–22 season. [37] Bruckheimer was part of an investment group that also included Tim Leiweke (Oak View Group) and David Bonderman (minority owner NBA's Boston Celtics). [38] In 2020, it was reported that his first look deal with Paramount was not renewed. [39]
The movie Top Gun was produced in collaboration with the Pentagon to rebrand the US Navy's image after the Vietnam War and attract new Navy recruits. Top Gun was the first full-blown collaboration between Hollywood and the Navy. [40] [41] The model, which was developed by Bruckheimer, launched a new trend of military movies in the 1990s and onward. [41]
In July 2003, Bruckheimer was honored by Variety as the first producer in Hollywood history to produce the top two highest-grossing films of a single weekend, the buddy-cop Bad Boys II and the Disney theme-park spin-off, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl . [2] According to Variety, the "Bruckheimer touch" is characterized by a "consistently edgy, high-octane visual dynamic and equally distinctive storytelling driven by the triumphalism so popular with Madison Avenue". [10]
The Pirates of the Caribbean film series, produced through Walt Disney Pictures, was enormously profitable and demonstrated Bruckheimer's ability to create lucrative projects. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl , which was the first film in the franchise, was released on July 9, 2003. A box office hit, the film was well received by both critics and filmgoers. After the unexpected success of the first film, Disney revealed that a trilogy was in the works. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest was released on July 7, 2006. The sequel proved to be very successful, breaking records worldwide on the day of its premiere. In the end, the film acquired a total of $1,066,179,725 at the worldwide box office, becoming the third and fastest film to reach this amount. The third film in the series, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End , was released worldwide on May 25, 2007. Two more films, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales , were released, in 2011 and 2017, respectively. Altogether, the film franchise has grossed over $4.5 billion worldwide.
When asked on what the film industry's obligation to an audience was, he responded, "We are in the transportation business. We transport audiences from one place to another." [42] When asked why he makes films, he stated, "If I made films for the critics, or for someone else, I'd probably be living in some small Hollywood studio apartment." [43]
In a 1984 interview with the Los Angeles Times , Bruckheimer said, "We [he and Don Simpson] put together all the elements. We decide what aesthetic is right for a picture. We are as much a part of the process as the director." [10]
Bruckheimer has been married twice. His first wife was Bonnie Fishman Bruckheimer. As of 2006, he resides in Los Angeles with his second wife, novelist Linda Cobb Bruckheimer. [44] He has one stepdaughter, Alexandra. The couple own a farm in Bloomfield, Kentucky, about 20 miles (32 km) southeast of Louisville, as well as another in Ojai, east of Santa Barbara. [45]
When asked about his favorite films, Bruckheimer named The Godfather (1972), The French Connection (1971), Good Will Hunting (1997), and The 400 Blows (1959). [3]
In May 2006, he was honored with a Doctorate of Fine Arts degree (DFA) from the University of Arizona's College of Fine Arts.
Bruckheimer's philanthropic activities have included publicly supporting the fight against multiple sclerosis via his work with The Nancy Davis Foundation for MS. Additionally, throughout his career, he has pledged to help various causes by establishing the Jerry Bruckheimer Foundation. [46] According to The Smoking Gun, however, the last time the Jerry Bruckheimer Foundation made a contribution was in 1995, when it gave $9,350 to Van Nuys Prep School. [47]
Bruckheimer has aided in the repair and restoration of the historic clipper ship, Cutty Sark . A collection of photos taken by Bruckheimer went on display in London in November 2007 to help raise money for the Cutty Sark Conservation Project. The exhibition featured more than thirty pictures taken on set during the filming of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End . [48]
Bruckheimer has donated more than $50,000 to Republican campaigns and committees. [49] He donated funds to John McCain's 2008 presidential election campaign. He gave $5,000 to a joint fundraising committee on John McCain's behalf. [50] He donated $25,000 to the 2012 Mitt Romney Victory Fund. [51]
All films were produced by him, unless otherwise noted.
As producer, except where noted:
Year | Title | Director | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1980 | American Gigolo | Paul Schrader | |
1983 | Flashdance | Adrian Lyne | |
1984 | Beverly Hills Cop | Martin Brest | |
Thief of Hearts | Douglas Day Stewart | ||
1986 | Top Gun | Tony Scott | |
1987 | Beverly Hills Cop II | ||
1990 | Days of Thunder | ||
2019 | Gemini Man | Ang Lee | |
2022 | Top Gun: Maverick | Joseph Kosinski | |
Secret Headquarters | Henry Joost Ariel Schulman | Via Paramount+ | |
2024 | Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F | Mark Molloy | Via Netflix [52] |
Year | Title | Director |
---|---|---|
1995 | Bad Boys | Michael Bay |
2001 | Black Hawk Down | Ridley Scott |
2003 | Bad Boys II | Michael Bay |
2014 | Deliver Us from Evil | Scott Derrickson |
2020 | Bad Boys for Life | Adil El Arbi Bilall Fallah |
2024 | Bad Boys: Ride or Die |
Year | Title | Director | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1975 | Rafferty and the Gold Dust Twins | Dick Richards | Associate producer |
2003 | Kangaroo Jack | David McNally | |
2018 | 12 Strong | Nicolai Fuglsig | With Lionsgate Films |
Year | Title | Director | Distribution | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1972 | The Culpepper Cattle Co. | Dick Richards | 20th Century Fox | Associate producer |
1975 | Farewell, My Lovely | Avco Embassy Pictures | ||
1977 | March or Die [53] | Columbia Pictures | ||
1980 | Defiance | John Flynn | American International Pictures | |
1981 | Thief | Michael Mann | United Artists | |
1982 | Cat People | Paul Schrader | Universal Pictures | Executive producer |
Young Doctors in Love | Garry Marshall | 20th Century Fox | ||
2024 | The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare | Guy Ritchie | Lionsgate | |
2025 | Untitled Joseph Kosinski film | Joseph Kosinski | Apple Original Films | Via Apple TV+ |
Co-producer
Executive producer
Year | Title | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|
1996–97 | Dangerous Minds | ||
1998–99 | Soldier of Fortune, Inc. | ||
1998 | Max Q | TV films | |
1999 | Swing Vote | ||
2000–15 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | ||
2001–present | The Amazing Race | ||
2002–09 | Without a Trace | ||
2002–12 | CSI: Miami | ||
2002–03 | The Legacy | ||
2003 | Profiles from the Front Line | ||
2003–04 | Skin | ||
2003–10 | Cold Case | ||
2004–13 | CSI: NY | ||
2005–06 | Just Legal | ||
2005–06 | E-Ring | ||
2005–07 | Close to Home | ||
2006 | Modern Men | ||
2006–07 | Justice | ||
2008–09 | Eleventh Hour | ||
2009–10 | The Forgotten | ||
2009–10 | Dark Blue | ||
2010 | Miami Medical | ||
2010–11 | Chase | ||
2010–11 | The Whole Truth | ||
2013–14 | Hostages | ||
2015–16 | CSI: Cyber | ||
2016–21 | Lucifer | ||
2017 | Training Day | ||
2020 | Council of Dads | ||
2020–2024 | Hightown | ||
2021–2024 | CSI: Vegas | A sequel of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | |
2021 | Cocaine Cowboys | Inspired by the 2006 Cocaine Cowboys documentary | |
2022–present | Fire Country | ||
2022–2023 | American Gigolo | ||
2022 | National Treasure: Edge of History | ||
TBA | Family Crimes |
His productions collected the following:
Walt Disney Pictures is an American film production company and subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, a division of Disney Entertainment, which is owned by The Walt Disney Company. The studio is the flagship producer of live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Studios unit, and is based at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California. Animated films produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios are also released under the studio banner. Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures distributes and markets the films produced by Walt Disney Pictures.
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is a 2003 American fantasy swashbuckler film directed by Gore Verbinski. Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures, the film is based on Walt Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean attraction at Disney theme parks and is the first film in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series. The film stars Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom, and Keira Knightley. The story follows pirate Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp) and blacksmith Will Turner (Bloom) as they rescue the kidnapped Elizabeth Swann (Knightley) from the crew of the Black Pearl, captained by Hector Barbossa (Rush). Barbossa's crew attempts to retrieve the final pieces of a hoard of Aztec gold to break the curse laid on them when they stole it.
Touchstone Pictures was an American film production label of Walt Disney Studios, founded and owned by The Walt Disney Company. Feature films released under the Touchstone label were produced and financed by Walt Disney Studios, and featured more mature themes targeted at adult audiences than typical Walt Disney Pictures films. As such, Touchstone was merely a pseudonym label for the studio and did not exist as a distinct business operation.
Anthony David Leighton Scott was an English film director and producer. He made his theatrical film debut with The Hunger (1983) and went on to direct highly successful action and thriller films such as Top Gun (1986), Beverly Hills Cop II (1987), Days of Thunder (1990), The Last Boy Scout (1991), Crimson Tide (1995), Enemy of the State (1998), Man on Fire (2004), Déjà Vu (2006), and Unstoppable (2010).
Donald Clarence Simpson was an American film producer, screenwriter, and actor. Simpson and his producing partner Jerry Bruckheimer produced hit films such as Flashdance (1983), Beverly Hills Cop (1984), Top Gun (1986), and The Rock (1996). At the time of his death in 1996, Simpson's films' total gross was $3 billion worldwide.
Gregor Justin "Gore" Verbinski is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for directing Mouse Hunt, The Ring, the first three Pirates of the Caribbean films, and Rango. For his work on Rango, Verbinski won both the Academy Award and BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film.
Justin Haythe is an American novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter. He is best known for his book The Honeymoon, and the screenplay for the film Revolutionary Road, directed by Sam Mendes.
Joachim Rønning is a Norwegian film director who previously worked in a partnership with Espen Sandberg, both of whom came from Sandefjord, Norway. As a directing team, they went under the name of Roenberg. They co-own one of Scandinavia's largest production companies for commercials called Motion Blur. Rønning now develops and directs film and television as a solo director.
Pirates of the Caribbean is an American fantasy supernatural swashbuckler film series produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and based on Walt Disney's theme park attraction of the same name. The film series serves as a major component of the titular media franchise. Based on a fictionalized version of the Golden Age of Piracy, the films' plots are set primarily in the Caribbean.
Scott Free Productions is a British-American independent film and television production company founded in 1970 by filmmakers and brothers Ridley Scott and Tony Scott. They formed the feature film development company Percy Main Productions in 1980, naming the company after the English village Percy Main, where their father grew up. The company was renamed Scott Free Productions in 1995. Scott Free has produced films ranging from the 2000 Hollywood blockbuster Gladiator (2000) to "smaller pictures" like Cracks (2009). Between the productions of White Squall (1996) and G.I. Jane (1997), Ridley Scott reorganised the company.
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is a 2011 American fantasy swashbuckler film directed by Rob Marshall. It is the first film in the series not to be directed by Gore Verbinski. Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and written by Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, the film is suggested by the 1987 novel On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers as a standalone sequel to At World's End (2007) and the fourth installment in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series. The film stars Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, and Kevin R. McNally, who reprise their roles from the previous films, alongside Penélope Cruz, Ian McShane, Sam Claflin and Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey. The story follows the eccentric pirate Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp) forced into a shaky alliance with Angelica (Cruz), a mysterious woman from his past, as they embark on a quest for the Fountain of Youth. Jack is forced aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge, contends with the infamous pirate Blackbeard (McShane), and enters an uneasy alliance with rival Hector Barbossa (Rush).
Jerry Bruckheimer Films Inc. (JBF) is an American independent film production company of Jerry Bruckheimer, formed in 1995, after cutting his ties with film producer Don Simpson before his death in 1996. It produces blockbuster films such as the Pirates of the Caribbean film series.
The Lone Ranger is a 2013 American Western action film directed by Gore Verbinski and written by Justin Haythe, Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio. Based on the title character of the same name, the film stars Johnny Depp as Tonto, the narrator of the events and Armie Hammer as John Reid, the Lone Ranger. The story tells through Tonto's memories of the duo's earliest efforts to subdue local villainy and bring justice to the American Old West. William Fichtner, Barry Pepper, Ruth Wilson, James Badge Dale, Tom Wilkinson, Helena Bonham Carter and Curtis Cregan are featured in supporting roles. This was the first theatrical film featuring the Lone Ranger and Tonto characters since William A. Fraker's 1981 film, The Legend of the Lone Ranger.
Andrew Form is an American film producer known for producing the films Friday the 13th, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and The Purge. He is the co-founder of company Platinum Dunes along with Michael Bay and Brad Fuller.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is a 2017 American swashbuckler fantasy film directed by Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg. It is written by Jeff Nathanson, from a story by Nathanson and Terry Rossio. Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, the film is the standalone sequel to On Stranger Tides (2011) and the fifth installment in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series. The film stars Johnny Depp, Javier Bardem, Geoffrey Rush, Brenton Thwaites, Kaya Scodelario, and Kevin McNally. The story follows Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp) as he searches for the Trident of Poseidon to defeat Armando Salazar (Bardem), who is determined to kill every pirate at sea and take revenge on Sparrow for imprisoning him and his crew of ghosts in the Devil's Triangle. Jack is joined by Hector Barbossa (Rush), young sailor Henry Turner (Thwaites), young astronomer Carina Smyth (Scodelario), and Jack's first mate Joshamee Gibbs (McNally) to defeat Salazar's ghostly crew.
George Watters II is an American retired sound editor with more than 80 feature film credits. He has won the Academy Award for Best Sound Editing twice, for The Hunt for Red October (1990) and for Pearl Harbor (2001).
Top Gun: Maverick is a 2022 American action drama film directed by Joseph Kosinski and written by Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer, and Christopher McQuarrie from stories by Peter Craig and Justin Marks. The film is a sequel to the 1986 film Top Gun. Tom Cruise reprises his starring role as the naval aviator Maverick. It is based on the characters of the original film created by Jim Cash and Jack Epps Jr. It also stars Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Glen Powell, Monica Barbaro, Lewis Pullman, Ed Harris and Val Kilmer, who reprises his role as Iceman. The story involves Maverick confronting his past while training a group of younger Top Gun graduates, including the son of his deceased best friend, for a dangerous mission.
Brigham Taylor is a film producer for Walt Disney Pictures. He has worked for Disney since 1994, and became a producer for the company in 2014. He co-produced the live-action films The Jungle Book and Christopher Robin.
The film industry and video game industry have a long and detailed common history – the two industries have collaborated many times since the 1980s. This includes collaboration between people from both industries and projects resulting in products such as video games, film adaptations of video games, among other things.
Jerry Bruckheimer's 70th birthday is tomorrow (Saturday, September 21).