Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox person
Brian Thomas Grazer (born July 12, 1951) is an American film and television producer. He founded Imagine Entertainment in 1986 with Ron Howard. The films they produced have grossed over $15 billion.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Grazer was personally nominated for four Academy Awards for Splash (1984), Apollo 13 (1995), A Beautiful Mind (2001), and Frost/Nixon (2008).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> His films and TV series have been nominated for 47 Academy Awards and 217 Emmy Awards.
In 2002, Grazer won an Oscar for Best Picture for A Beautiful Mind (shared with Ron Howard). In 2007, he was named one of TimeTemplate:'s "100 Most Influential People in the World".<ref name=autogenerated2 />
Early lifeEdit
Grazer was born in Los Angeles, California, to Arlene Becker Grazer and criminal defense attorney Thomas Grazer.<ref name="latimes1992">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="yahoo1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He is the older brother of Nora Beth Grazer (b. 1952) and actor/director Gavin Grazer (b. 1961).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He was raised in Sherman Oaks and Northridge, in Los Angeles's San Fernando Valley.<ref name="yahoo1"/>
Grazer's father was Catholic and his mother is Jewish.<ref name="latimes1992"/><ref name="Newsweek">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> His parents divorced when he was in high school.<ref name="xaluan1">Template:Cite news</ref> Grazer said "My best buddy, the most important person in my growing up, was my little 4-foot-10 [147 cm] Jewish grandmother, and she'd say, 'In order to get it, you got to do it. No one's going to get it for you, Brian.'"<ref name="latimes1992"/>
While in school, Grazer struggled with dyslexia. Grazer got through school by reading other students' papers and arguing his grades with his teachers.<ref name="yale-grazerdyslexia">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
His nephew is actor Jack Dylan Grazer.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
EducationEdit
Grazer won a scholarship to the University of Southern California (USC) as a psychology major. He graduated from USC's School of Cinema-Television in 1974.<ref name="yahoo1"/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He then attended USC Law School for one year, but quit in 1975 to pursue a life in Hollywood.<ref name="latimes1992"/><ref name="yahoo1"/><ref name="xaluan1"/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
CareerEdit
Grazer began his career as a producer developing television projects. While executive-producing TV pilots at Paramount Pictures in the early 1980s, he met current long-time friend and business partner Ron Howard.<ref name=autogenerated2>Imagine Entertainment Brian Grazer Biography Template:Webarchive. Retrieved January 1, 2012.</ref>
He produced his first feature-film, Night Shift, in 1982, directed by Howard.<ref name=autogenerated2 /> Grazer and Howard teamed up again for Splash in 1984, which Grazer produced and co-wrote. Splash earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay of 1984.<ref name=autogenerated2 /> Grazer went on to become an independent producer, teaming up with Tri-Star Pictures to set up plans for a film to star Richard Pryor, and had a continuing relationship with The Walt Disney Studios, and has plans to develop projects for Paramount Pictures.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In November 1985, Grazer and Howard co-founded Imagine Entertainment, which became one of Hollywood's most prolific and successful production companies. Over the years, Grazer's films and TV shows have been nominated for a total of 43 Academy Awards, and 198 Emmys. At the same time, his movies have generated over $15 billion in worldwide theatrical, music, and video grosses.<ref name=autogenerated2 />
Grazer's early film successes include Parenthood (1989) and Backdraft (1991).<ref name=autogenerated2 /> He produced Apollo 13 (1995), for which he won the Producers Guild of America's Daryl F. Zanuck Motion Picture Producer of the Year Award, as well as an Oscar nomination for Best Picture of 1995.<ref name=autogenerated2 />
In 1998, he earned two major honors: he was given his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and made a cameo appearance on the animated series The Simpsons.<ref name=autogenerated3>Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref>
In 2001, Grazer won an Academy Award for Best Picture for A Beautiful Mind, which also took home Oscars for Best Supporting Actress (Jennifer Connelly), Best Director (Ron Howard), and Best Adapted Screenplay (Akiva Goldsman).
In 2002, Grazer's 8 Mile was released.<ref name=autogenerated2 /> It proved not only to be a huge box office hit, but also the first film with a rap song to win a Best Original Song Oscar, for Eminem's "Lose Yourself".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Grazer also produced the film adaptation of Peter Morgan's play Frost/Nixon (2008). Frost/Nixon was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture.<ref name=autogenerated2 />
Grazer's productions span over a quarter-of-a-century, and almost the full spectrum of movie genres. His comedies include Boomerang (1992), The Nutty Professor (1996), Liar Liar (1997), Life (1999), How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), Intolerable Cruelty (2003) and The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018). He has also produced many dramatic thrillers including Inside Man (2006), The Da Vinci Code (2006), American Gangster (2007), Changeling (2008), Angels & Demons (2009), Robin Hood (2010), and Cowboys & Aliens (2011). His recently released films include J. Edgar, the Clint Eastwood-directed biopic of J. Edgar Hoover, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Tower Heist, starring Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy, and Restless, directed by Gus Van Sant.
Grazer's Imagine Entertainment's television series include Sports Night, Felicity, Arrested Development, 24 with Kiefer Sutherland, Friday Night Lights, Parenthood, Lie to Me, Empire, Genius: Einstein, Genius: Picasso, and Wu-Tang: An American Saga.<ref name=autogenerated2 />
Grazer's recent productions includes Rebuilding Paradise, Dads, the 2017 Grammy awarding winning Best Music Film The Beatles: Eight Days a Week (2016), American Made (2017), Rush (2013), directed by Ron Howard, and starring Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and Made in America.
Grazer produced Get on Up, a biopic of the legendary "Godfather of Soul" James Brown, and In the Heart of the Sea, directed by Ron Howard and starring Chris Hemsworth, about the American whaleship the Essex.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In 2015, Grazer published his book A Curious Mind: The Secret to a Bigger Life, a #1 NY Times Bestseller, in which he discusses conversations with interesting people, many of whom inspired his work.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2019, Grazer released his second book Face to Face: The Art of Human Connection.
In January 2024, it was announced that Scar Tissue, the autobiography of Anthony Kiedis, singer for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, will be turned into a theatrical movie with Grazer, Kiedis and Guy Oseary producing the film for Universal Pictures.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Personal lifeEdit
Grazer has been married three times: Corki Corman (1982–92; they have two children), and novelist and screenwriter Gigi Levangie (1997–2007; they have two sons).<ref name="yahoo1" /><ref name=autogenerated3 /> In April 2014, Grazer became engaged to Veronica Smiley, chief marketing officer of SBE, a hotel management company.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> They married on February 20, 2016.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Grazer currently resides in Santa Monica, California.<ref>"Holiday Surprise: Hollywood is at Work," Template:Webarchive The New York Times, December 28, 2011</ref> He also has a home in Hawaii on Sunset Beach, on the Banzai Pipeline on O'ahu's North Shore.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> He is a keen user of jump ropes.<ref>Archived at GhostarchiveTemplate:Cbignore and the Wayback MachineTemplate:Cbignore: {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}Template:Cbignore</ref>
FilmographyEdit
FilmEdit
Producer Template:Colbegin
- Night Shift (1982)
- Splash (1984)
- Real Genius (1985)
- Spies Like Us (1985)
- Armed and Dangerous (1986)
- Like Father Like Son (1987)
- Parenthood (1989)
- Kindergarten Cop (1990)
- My Girl (1991)
- Far and Away (1992)
- Housesitter (1992)
- Boomerang (1992)
- For Love or Money (1993)
- My Girl 2 (1994)
- Greedy (1994)
- The Paper (1994)
- The Cowboy Way (1994)
- Apollo 13 (1995)
- Sgt. Bilko (1996)
- Fear (1996)
- The Nutty Professor (1996)
- The Chamber (1996)
- Ransom (1996)
- Liar Liar (1997)
- Inventing the Abbotts (1997)
- Mercury Rising (1998)
- Psycho (1998)
- EDtv (1999)
- Life (1999)
- Bowfinger (1999)
- Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000)
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
- A Beautiful Mind (2001)
- Undercover Brother (2002)
- Blue Crush (2002)
- 8 Mile (2002)
- Intolerable Cruelty (2003)
- The Cat in the Hat (2003)
- The Missing (2003)
- Friday Night Lights (2004)
- Cinderella Man (2005)
- Flightplan (2005)
- Fun with Dick and Jane (2005)
- Inside Man (2006)
- The Da Vinci Code (2006)
- American Gangster (2007)
- Changeling (2008)
- Frost/Nixon (2008)
- Angels & Demons (2009)
- Robin Hood (2010)
- The Dilemma (2011)
- Restless (2011)
- Cowboys & Aliens (2011)
- Tower Heist (2011)
- J. Edgar (2011)
- Rush (2013)
- Get On Up (2014)
- The Good Lie (2014)
- In the Heart of the Sea (2015)
- Pelé: Birth of a Legend (2016)
- Lowriders (2016)
- Inferno (2016)
- American Made (2017)
- The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018)
- Pavarotti (2019)
- Dads (2019)
- Rebuilding Paradise (2020)
- Breakthrough: Virus Fighters (2020)
- Hillbilly Elegy (2020)
- Tick, Tick... Boom! (2021)
- Thirteen Lives (2022)
- We Feed People (2022)
- Candy Cane Lane (2023)
- Jim Henson Idea Man (2024)
- Music by John Williams (2024)
- After the Hunt (2025)
- Scar Tissue (TBA)
Template:Colend Executive producer Template:Colbegin
- Cry-Baby (1990)
- The Doors (1991)
- Closet Land (1991)
- Backdraft (1991)
- CB4 (1993)
- Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey! (2009) (Direct-to-video)
- Curious George 3: Back to the Jungle (2015) (Direct-to-video)
- Rock the Kasbah (2015)
- Cop and a Half: New Recruit (2017) (Direct-to-video)
- Backdraft 2 (2019) (Direct-to-video)
- Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band (2019)
- Curious George: Royal Monkey (2019) (Direct-to-video)
- Breakthrough: Virus Fighters (2020)
- Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel (2021)
- Julia (2021)
- Frida (2024)
- Music by John Williams (2024)
- Pets (2025)
- Barbara Walters Tell Me Everything (2025)
Template:Colend Story writer Template:Colbegin
- Splash (1984)
- Armed and Dangerous (1986)
- Housesitter (1992)
- Music department
Year | Film | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1995 | Apollo 13 | Executive music producer | check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }} |
- Thanks
Year | Film | Notes |
---|---|---|
2015 | The Haunting of Pearson Place | Inspired by |
TelevisionEdit
Template:Col-float-begin Executive producer
Year | Title | Notes |
---|---|---|
1985−86 | Shadow Chasers | |
1987−88 | Ohara | |
1988 | Smart Guys | |
Poison | TV movie | |
Mutts | TV movie | |
1997 | Hiller and Diller | |
1999 | Mulholland Dr. | TV pilot |
2000 | Thirty | TV movie |
1998−2000 | Sports Night | |
2000 | Wonderland | |
Rat Bastard | TV movie | |
1999−2001 | The PJs | |
2001 | The Beast | |
Silicon Follies | TV movie | |
1998−2002 | Felicity | |
2002 | B.S. | TV movie |
2003 | The Snobs | TV movie |
The Break | TV movie | |
Miss Match | ||
2004 | The Big House | |
2005 | Queen B | TV movie |
Fertile Ground | TV movie | |
2005−06 | The Inside | |
2006 | Beyond | TV pilot |
2007 | 24: Day Six - Debrief | |
Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office | TV movie | |
2006−08 | Shark | |
2008 | 24: Redemption | TV movie |
2009 | Maggie Hill | TV movie |
2001−10 | 24 | |
2009−11 | Lie to Me | |
2006−11 | Friday Night Lights | |
2011 | Friends with Benefits | |
The Playboy Club | ||
2010−12 | Parenthood | |
2012 | The Great Escape | |
Susan 313 | TV movie | |
2013 | How to Live with Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life) |
|
2014 | Those Who Kill | |
Gang Related | ||
24: Live Another Day | ||
2006−2015 | Curious George | |
2015 | The Bastard Executioner | |
WTF America | TV movie | |
Problem Child | TV pilot | |
Nerd Herd | TV movie | |
The Clan of the Cave Bear | TV pilot | |
2016 | Chance | |
2016−17 | 24: Legacy | |
2015−17 | Breakthrough | |
2017 | Shots Fired | |
2017−18 | Genius | |
2016−18 | Mars | |
2003−19 | Arrested Development | |
2015−19 | Empire | |
2019 | Peanuts in Space: Secrets of Apollo 10 | TV short |
2019–2021 | Why Women Kill | |
2019 | Wu-Tang: An American Saga | |
2020 | 68 Whiskey | |
Filthy Rich | ||
2021 | Swagger | |
Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol | ||
The Ms. Pat Show | ||
Genius: Aretha | ||
2022 | Under the Banner of Heaven | |
2023 | The Super Models | |
The Slumber Party | TV Movie | |
2024 | The Truth About Jim | |
I Am Not a Monster: The Lois Riess Murders |
Template:Col-float-break Producer
Year | Title | Notes |
---|---|---|
1978 | Zuma Beach | TV movie |
Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery | TV movie | |
1988 | Poison | |
1998 | From the Earth to the Moon | |
1999 | Student Affairs | TV movie |
2005 | The WIN Awards | TV special |
2006 | Treasure Hunters | Co-producer |
Misconceptions | ||
2007 | Entourage | |
2012 | 84th Academy Awards | TV special; Co-producer |
- As an actor
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1998 | The Simpsons | Himself | Voice role |
2007 | Entourage | check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }} | |
2013 | Arrested Development | ||
2017 | This Is Us | ||
2024 | Everybody's in LA | check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }} |
- As writer
Year | Title | Notes |
---|---|---|
1985-86 | Shadow Chasers | Co-created with Kenneth Johnson Story with Johnson for episode "Pilot" |
- Thanks
Year | Title | Notes |
---|---|---|
2002 | The Clint Howard Variety Show | Special thanks |
Additional awardsEdit
- 1998 – Emmy Award for Outstanding Miniseries for From the Earth to the Moon
- 2001 – Producers Guild of America's David O. Selznick Lifetime Achievement Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures<ref name=autogenerated2 />
- 2003 – ShoWest Lifetime Achievement Award<ref name=autogenerated2 />
- 2004 – Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series for Arrested Development
- 2006 – Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series for 24
- 2007 – Named one of Time MagazineTemplate:'s "100 Most Influential People in the World"<ref name=autogenerated2 />
- 2008 – Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Animated Program for Curious George
- 2009 – Producers Guild of America Milestone Award, together with Ron Howard<ref name=autogenerated2 />
- 2009 – New York University's Tisch School of the Arts Big Apple Award, together with Ron Howard<ref name=autogenerated2 />
- 2010 – Simon Wiesenthal Center Humanitarian Award, together with Ron Howard<ref name=autogenerated2 />
- 2010 – Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Animated Program for Curious George
- 2011 – MPSE 2011 Filmmaker Award<ref name=autogenerated2 />
- 2017 – Grammy Award for Best Music Film for The Beatles: Eight Days a Week
- 2019 – Atlantic Council Global Citizen Award
- 2022 – Honorary degree from USC<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
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