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Stuart Benjamin | |
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| Born | Stuart Benjamin April 25, 1946 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
Stuart Benjamin (born April 25, 1946) is an American film producer.
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Stuart Benjamin | |
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| Born | Stuart Benjamin April 25, 1946 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
Stuart Benjamin (born April 25, 1946) is an American film producer.
Benjamin was born in Los Angeles. He attended North Hollywood High School where he lettered in Varsity basketball and served on the student council. He went on to graduate from the University of Southern California in 1967 with a degree in finance, where he played basketball and served as the President of Associated Men, was a Rhodes Scholar candidate, and was a recipient of the prestigious Man of Troy award. He also attended Harvard Law School, and graduated in 1970. He is the son of Gerald Benjamin, a corporate executive, and Victorine Benjamin, a housewife.
He began his career in 1970 with the law firm of Wyman, Bautzer, Finell, Rothman and Kuchel. He became a partner in 1975, specializing in business, securities and entertainment litigation, as well as sports law, and was chairman of the firm's entertainment department at the time he left the firm in January 1988. From 1975 to 1978, Benjamin served on the board of directors of the Boston Celtics and received a championship ring when the Celtics won a World Championship in 1976. In 1978, Benjamin was involved in the formation of the San Diego Clippers and served on their board until 1981.
In 1971, Benjamin and director Taylor Hackford formed a production company called New Visions, Inc. Throughout most of the 70's, they produced documentaries, docu-dramas and a great number of music-concert shows. Their short film Teenage Father garnered Hackford an Oscar in 1979 for the short film. Benjamin and Hackford went on to produce several other films under the New Visions banner: Against All Odds , White Nights , La Bamba , Everybody's All-American . [1]
Outside of New Visions, Benjamin was actively involved in the production of the highly acclaimed Testament . The film tells the story of how one small Bay Area town near San Francisco slowly falls apart after a nuclear war destroys outside civilization. Jane Alexander was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance. He also produced the highly acclaimed film for American Playhouse , Billy Galvin , starring Karl Malden.
In 1988, Benjamin and Hackford formed New Visions Pictures, a joint venture between New Visions Entertainment and Cineplex Odeon. Benjamin served as president and chief operating officer of New Visions Pictures from 1988 through 1991, during which time the venture produced six films: The Long Walk Home , Defenseless , Sweet Talker , Queen's Logic , [2] Mortal Thoughts , and Rooftops . Benjamin served as the executive producer on all of these films.
As a principal in New Visions Music Group along with Taylor Hackford and Joel Sill, Benjamin has been involved in a number of sound track albums, several of which have achieved gold or platinum status. New Visions Music Group was responsible for nine number one singles.
In 1991, Benjamin formed Benjamin Productions. Together with partner Alise Benjamin Mauritzson, he produced films for both network television and cable including Betrayal of Trust for NBC, The Abduction for Lifetime Television and Sodbusters for Showtime. The company also produced Corduroy , an animated series for Viacom and the USA Network, which became a Saturday morning series on CBS, and Safe House , starring Patrick Stewart and Kimberly Williams for Showtime.
In 2000, Benjamin was involved in the formation of Crusader Entertainment, a film and motion picture company financed by Philip Anschutz, and served as Executive Vice President of the company from its formation until July 2001, when he became a consultant/independent producer to Crusader with specific responsibilities on a number of Crusader's projects. It was while he was an executive at Crusader that his pet project, The Ray Charles Story was put into development. [3] Benjamin was first introduced to Ray Charles in the late 1980s and had tried for years to get Charles' story made into a movie. During the course of those efforts, Benjamin and Charles developed a friendship, resulting in Charles agreeing to make the picture and with Charles fully participating in its development. Benjamin produced Ray , which was released in late 2004 by Universal Pictures. The picture garnered six Academy Award Nominations including a Best Picture, [4] which gave Benjamin his first Academy Award Nomination. The film went on to receive two Academy Awards. Benjamin also produced the soundtrack album from the movie which has sold over four million units and which has garnered Benjamin a Grammy Award. Benjamin was also one of the Executive Producers of the Ray Charles Tribute Concert which took place on October 8, 2004, at the Staples Center and was a CBS Television special. [5] That program received a number of awards, including the prestigious NAACP Image Award.
In the fall of 2007, Benjamin successfully launched a live theatrical production based upon the life of Ray Charles, "Unchain My Heart...The Life and Music of Ray Charles" [6]
In March 2009, Benjamin produced Louis & Keely Live at the Geffen Playhouse in Westwood, Los Angeles, California. This theatrical production, based on Las Vegas lounge act Louis Prima and Keely Smith, went on to become the longest running show in the history of the Geffen. On January 11, 2010, Benjamin and his fellow producers of the show received an Ovation Award given out by the Los Angeles Stage Alliance for Best Production of a Musical – Large Theatre.
As a music producer, Benjamin not only produced the soundtrack album for the film Ray , but also executive produced the Sam Moore comeback album, Overnight Sensational . [7]
In addition, Benjamin was the Managing Partner of Capstone Entertainment, which was in the business of producing specialized non-theatrical projects. [8] Those projects include a reunion of the 1960s Vince Lombardi Green Bay Packers, which aired on ESPN Classics in January 2002, and a series of Comedy Roasts with Shaquille O'Neal, shot at the MGM Grand Hotel [9] in Las Vegas, which aired on OnDemand as Pay Per View Specials. Capstone promoted and produced a Ray Charles Holiday/Gospel Concert in December 2002 which Benjamin produced and directed. Benjamin also produced the album from that concert.
Benjamin produced an album for soul singer Tasha Taylor, who is the daughter of Johnnie Taylor, a blues and soul musician from Dallas Texas.
Benjamin is currently co-producing a Broadway play with Concord Music Group about the history and music of Stax Records. The book is written by Matthew Benjamin. In March 2016, Benjamin and Concord Music Group produced a four-week showcase in Memphis, Tennessee. [10]
Benjamin has two children. His son Matthew Benjamin is a playwright and screenwriter. His daughter Jennifer Benjamin Teeman is also a successful writer and was a senior editor for Cosmopolitan .
John Robert "Joe" Cocker was an English singer known for his gritty, bluesy voice and dynamic stage performances that featured expressive body movements. Most of his best known singles, such as "Feelin' Alright?" and "Unchain My Heart", were recordings of songs written by other song writers, though he composed a number of songs for most of his albums as well, often in conjunction with songwriting partner Chris Stainton.
Ray Charles Robinson Sr. was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential musicians in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Genius". Among friends and fellow musicians he preferred being called "Brother Ray". Charles was blinded during childhood, possibly due to glaucoma.
Randy Bruce Traywick, known professionally as Randy Travis, is an American country music and gospel music singer and songwriter, as well as a film and television actor. Active since 1979, he has recorded over 20 studio albums and charted over 50 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, including sixteen that reached the number-one position.
Stephen Lawrence Schwartz is an American musical theatre composer and lyricist. In a career spanning over five decades, Schwartz has written such hit musicals as Godspell (1971), Pippin (1972), and Wicked (2003). He has contributed lyrics to a number of successful films, including Pocahontas (1995), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), The Prince of Egypt, and Enchanted (2007).
Barry Manilow is an American singer and songwriter with a career that spans seven decades. His hit recordings include "Could It Be Magic", "Looks Like We Made It", "Mandy", "I Write the Songs", "Can't Smile Without You", "Weekend in New England", and "Copacabana ".
David William Sanborn was an American alto saxophonist. Though Sanborn worked in many genres, his solo recordings typically blended jazz with instrumental pop and R&B. He released his first solo album Taking Off in 1975, but had been playing the saxophone since before he was in high school and was a session musician long before its release. He was active as a session musician, playing on several albums by various artists.
Philip Rabinowitz, better known as Phil Ramone, was a South African-born American recording engineer, record producer, violinist and composer, who in 1958 co-founded A & R Recording, Inc., a recording studio with business partner Jack Arnold at 112 West 48th Street, New York, upstairs from the famous musicians' watering hole, Jim & Andy's, and several doors east of Manny's Music. The success of the original A & R Recording allowed it to expand into several studios and a record production company. He was described by Billboard as "legendary", and the BBC as a "CD pioneer".
Frank Wilton Marshall is an American film producer and director. He often collaborates with his wife, film producer Kathleen Kennedy, with whom he founded the production company Amblin Entertainment, along with Steven Spielberg. In 1991, he founded, with Kennedy, The Kennedy/Marshall Company, a film production company. Since May 2012, with Kennedy taking on the role of President of Lucasfilm, Marshall has been Kennedy/Marshall's sole principal.
David Allan Stewart is an English musician, songwriter and record producer, best known for Eurythmics, his successful professional partnership with Annie Lennox. Sometimes credited as David A. Stewart, he won Best British Producer at the 1986, 1987 and 1990 Brit Awards. Stewart was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2020 and the duo were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022. Outside of Eurythmics, Stewart has written and produced songs for artists such as Ringo Starr, Stevie Nicks, Mick Jagger and Tom Petty.
Ray is a 2004 American biographical musical drama film focusing on 30 years in the life of soul musician Ray Charles. The independently produced film was co-produced and directed by Taylor Hackford; it was written by James L. White from a story by Hackford and White. It stars Jamie Foxx in the title role, along with Kerry Washington, Clifton Powell, Harry Lennix, Terrence Howard, Larenz Tate, Richard Schiff, and Regina King in supporting roles. Along with Hackford, the film was also produced by Stuart Benjamin, Howard Baldwin, and Karen Baldwin.
Andrew Lippa is an American composer, lyricist, book writer, performer, and producer. He is a resident artist at the Ars Nova Theater in New York City.
Taylor Edwin Hackford is an American film director and former president of the Directors Guild of America. He won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film for Teenage Father (1979). Hackford went on to direct a number of highly regarded feature films, most notably An Officer and a Gentleman (1982) and Ray (2004), the latter of which saw him nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director and the Academy Award for Best Picture.
White Nights is a 1985 American musical drama film directed by Taylor Hackford and starring Mikhail Baryshnikov, Gregory Hines, Jerzy Skolimowski, Helen Mirren and Isabella Rossellini. It was choreographed by Twyla Tharp. The title refers to the sunlit summer nights of Leningrad, the setting for the majority of the film, situated just a few degrees below the Arctic Circle.
Robert Kraft is an American songwriter, film composer, recording artist and record producer. As president of Fox Music from 1994 to 2012, he supervised the music for more than 300 Fox feature films, as well as dozens of TV shows. He co-produced the 2016 Score: A Film Music Documentary about film composers and the evolution of Hollywood film music.
Arthur Gorson, also known as Arthur H. Gorson, is an American film producer. He also has experience as a cinematographer, screenwriter, cameraman and record producer. He is currently (2021) active in TV, film and commercial production. As a record producer, he produced over 20 albums for major labels with artists such as Golden Earring, Phil Ochs and Tom Rush. His photographic work with artists such as Bob Marley is widely published. A series of his photos were included in the authorized documentary Marley directed by Kevin Mcdonald.
Joel Moss is an American record producer, sound engineer and mixer.
Stuart Piper is a Teacher and Educator, and former Producer of Feature Films, Theatre and Entertainment, Talent Agent & Actor.
Here We Go Again: Celebrating the Genius of Ray Charles is a live tribute album by country singer Willie Nelson and jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis. It was recorded during concerts at the Rose Theater in New York City, on February 9 and 10, 2009. The album received mixed reviews, in which the instrumentation of Marsalis' orchestra was praised by the critics.
Deric Michael Angelettie, also known by his stage names D-Dot, Papa Dot, and the Madd Rapper, is an American record producer. He served as executive producer and A&R for the album No Way Out (1997) by Puff Daddy & the Family, which won a Grammy Award. He has since done so for three other albums nominated for the award, and won the BMI Urban Award in 2001.
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