| Jerry Bruckheimer |
| Born |
Jerome Leon Bruckheimer
September 21, 1945 (1945-09-21) (age 64)
Detroit, Michigan, United States |
| Occupation |
Producer |
| Years active |
1972–present |
Jerome Leon "Jerry" Bruckheimer (born September 21, 1945) is an American film and television producer. He has achieved great success in the genres of action, drama, and science fiction. His best known television series are CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CSI: Miami, CSI: NY, Without a Trace, Cold Case, The Amazing Race, and Dark Blue. His best known movies include Beverly Hills Cop, Top Gun, The Rock, Con Air, Crimson Tide, Armageddon, Enemy of the State, Gone in Sixty Seconds, Black Hawk Down, Pearl Harbor, Pirates of the Caribbean, King Arthur, and the National Treasure franchise.
Many of his films were produced by Paramount and Disney, while many of his television series were co-produced by Warner Bros.
Early life
The son of German Jewish immigrants,[1] Bruckheimer was born in Detroit, Michigan. He attended Mumford High School in Detroit until moving to Arizona for college at age 17. Bruckheimer was also an active member of the Stamp Collecting Club and the water polo team, in which he was awarded the title of "Hardest Worker". He graduated with a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Arizona with an algebra minor. He was a member of the Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity. While at the U of A, he started the musical career of Manny Freiser, whose recordings of Let's Talk About Girls and Cry A Little Longer are considered a forerunner of 80's punk/new wave. A film buff at an early age with an interest in photography, Bruckheimer would take snapshots when he had the opportunity. After college, Bruckheimer moved to Chicago where he worked in the mail room of an advertising agency. Eventually, Bruckheimer segued into commercial producing when he got wind of an opportunity to produce a motion picture. Subsequently, Bruckheimer moved to Los Angeles.
Film production
As of 2007, Bruckheimer has produced over 30 feature films, and is regarded in the industry as one of the most successful movie producers of all time.
Bruckheimer started producing films in the 1970s, after leaving his job in advertising, with director Dick Richards. They had worked together on the films The Culpepper Cattle Company, Farewell, My Lovely, and March or Die. Bruckheimer then worked with Paul Schrader on two movies, 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 Hollywood films for Paramount Pictures. He originally met Don 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 US$95 million, an incredible sum for an R-rated movie[2]. He had a number of other hits including the Beverly Hills Cop films, Top Gun, and Days of Thunder.
While working with Simpson, Bruckheimer became known as "Mr. Outside" because of his experience with film making, 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, due to Simpson's untimely death. Bruckheimer stipulated that The Rock be dedicated to the memory of Simpson (this fact is mentioned at the end of the movie).
Despite the setback of the untimely death of Simpson in 1996, Bruckheimer has continued to produce a large number of action movies often working with director Michael Bay for several hits including Armageddon. His other hit movies produced include Remember the Titans, Black Hawk Down and the Pirates of the Caribbean series.
One of his well-known trademarks is that his films often feature a car being flipped over during an action sequence.
He has also acquired the rights to produce a movie based on the popular role playing game by Palladium Books, Rifts.
Television production
Early in his career, Bruckheimer produced television commercials, including one for Pepsi. Since 1997 he has branched out into television, creating a number of police dramas of which CSI: Crime Scene Investigation has been the most successful. He has 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.[3]
Bruckheimer currently has six television shows on the air: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CSI: Miami, CSI: NY, Cold Case, The Amazing Race, Dark Blue, The Forgotten and his newest show Miami Trauma.
At one point, three of his TV series ranked among the top 10 in the ratings—a unique feat in television.[4]
It was announced on September 10, 2009 that NBC has picked up an action procedural from Jerry Bruckheimer. The as-yet-untitled show "tells the stories of a team charged with making sure fugitive criminals don't evade justice," reports The Hollywood Reporter.[5]
Financial success
One of the most successful producers of all time, Bruckheimer has been nicknamed "Mr. Blockbuster", due to his track record of commercially successful, high-grossing films. Overall, his films have brought in over $13 billion to Hollywood[6], and have launched the careers of numerous actors and directors.
In 2007 he was ranked #39 on Forbes Celebrity 100 List, up from #42 in 2006. With reported annual earnings of $120 million[7], he was the 10th highest money-earner on the 2006 Forbes Celebrity 100 List.
Notable box-office grosses
In July 2003, Bruckheimer was honored by Variety magazine as the first producer in Hollywood history to field the top two highest-grossing movies in a single weekend, the buddy-cop fender-bender Bad Boys II and the Disney theme-park spin-off, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.
The Pirates of the Caribbean film trilogy, produced through Walt Disney Pictures was enormously profitable, and demonstrates Bruckheimer's ability to create lucrative projects. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, the first film in the franchise, was released on July 9, 2003. A surprisingly popular box office hit, it was well-received by critics and moviegoers alike. After the unexpected success of the first film, Walt Disney Pictures 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 the day of its premiere. In the end it acquired a total of $1,066,179,725 at the worldwide box office, becoming the third and fastest film to reach this staggering amount. The last film in the trilogy, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End was released worldwide on May 25, 2007. Altogether, the film franchise has grossed over $2.79 billion worldwide.
For 19 years, the 1984 film Beverly Hills Cop (estimated earnings $234 million) stood as Bruckheimer's highest-grossing film until August 12, 2003, when it was pushed to the number two spot by Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, then to the number three spot by Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, and then to the number four spot by Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.
Professional honors and awards
The editors of Entertainment Weekly named Bruckheimer the #1 most-powerful person in Hollywood in 2003. He was ranked #10 on Premieres 2006 "Power 50" list, and had also ranked #10 on the 2005 list. He ranked #19 on Premieres 2003 annual Hollywood Power List, and had ranked #22 in 2002.
His projects have been honored with 35 Academy Award nominations (five wins), eight Grammy Award nominations (five wins), 23 Golden Globe nominations (four wins), 30 Emmy Award nominations (six wins), eight People's Choice nominations (four wins), and numerous MTV Awards, including one for Best Picture of the Decade[6].
Bruckheimer received the ShoWest Producer of the Year Award in 1998 and in 2000 the Producers Guild honored him with the David O. Selznick Award for Lifetime Achievement.
In May 2006, he was honored with a doctor of fine arts degree (DFA) from the University of Arizona's College of Fine Arts.
Views on cinema
When asked about his favorite films, he named 1972's The Godfather, 1971's The French Connection, 1997's Good Will Hunting, and The 400 Blows.[4]
- "We are in the transportation business. We transport audiences from one place to another."—Bruckheimer on the film industry's obligation to its audience.
- "If I made films for the critics, or for someone else, I'd probably be living in some small Hollywood studio apartment."—Jerry Bruckheimer on why he makes movies[8]
Personal life
Bruckheimer has been married twice. His first wife was Bonnie Bruckheimer. The couple had one son, Blake Dallan Makar (b. 27 May 1988). He currently lives in Burbank with his second wife, novelist Linda Bruckheimer. He also has one stepdaughter, Alexandra. The couple also owns a 110-acre (0.45 km2) farm in Bloomfield, Kentucky, about 20 miles (32 km) southeast of Louisville, Linda Bruckheimer's hometown, as well as another in Ojai, south of Santa Barbara. As a teenager, Linda moved from Kentucky to Los Angeles, where she has been a writer, producer and West Coast editor for Mirabella, and where she married Jerry Bruckheimer. She regularly spends time as a preservation activist, restoring and preserving historic buildings in small rural U.S. towns.[9]
His film company, Jerry Bruckheimer Films, is located at 1631 10th Street in Santa Monica, California.
Religion
When asked by a reporter about his spirituality, Bruckheimer stated that God is "important" to him, and is an "overseeing quality that we all need and have to look up to." He also stated that his novelist-wife Linda keeps him "spiritually grounded."[10]
Philanthropic activities
Bruckheimer's philanthropic activities have included publicly supporting the fight against multiple sclerosis via his work with The Nancy Davis Foundation for MS. He has additionally pledged to help various causes by establishing the Jerry Bruckheimer Foundation.[8] However, according to The Smoking Gun, the last time the Jerry Bruckheimer Foundation made a contribution was in 1995, when it gave $9,350 to Van Nuys prep school.[11]
Bruckheimer has aided in the repair and restoration of the historic clipper ship Cutty Sark, which is similar to the ships seen in the Pirates of the Caribbean films. 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.[12]
Political contributions
Bruckheimer is one of the few Hollywood personalities who supported President George W. Bush outspokenly. He donated funds to John McCain's 2008 presidential election campaign. In 2007 it was reported the he donated 29% of his $20,700 in political contributions to Republican candidates.[13] He gave $5,000 to a joint fundraising committee on John McCain’s behalf.[14] Bruckheimer has donated more than $50,000 to Republican campaigns and committees.[15]
Sports ownership
Bruckheimer has been named as one of the investors of a new sports arena in Las Vegas, Nevada and has been rumored to be the leading choice by the National Hockey League to own an expansion hockey team that would play in the proposed arena.[16]
Filmography (producer)
Films
Upcoming:
Released:
Television
TV movie
Reality television
Comedy
Drama
Pilots
- The Legacy was shot for UPN's 2002-2003 season, written by Simon Kinberg and directed by Jim Gillespie.[17] The Legacy is a science fiction drama that tells the story of a young assistant District Attorney Sam (Matthew Marsden) who inherits superpowers and must juggle the responsibility with his existing job and girlfriend Jess.
References
External links
