Jerry Bruckheimer
Jerome Leon Bruckheimer (born September 21, 1943)[1][2] is an American film and television producer. He has been active in the genres of action, drama, fantasy, and science fiction.
Jerry Bruckheimer | |
|---|---|
 Bruckheimer at a ceremony to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in June 2013 | |
| Born | Jerome Leon Bruckheimer September 21, 1943 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Arizona |
| Occupation | Producer Director at ZeniMax Media Co-founder/co-majority owner of the Seattle Kraken |
| Years active | 1972–present |
Notable work | Beverly Hills Cop, CSI, Flashdance, Top Gun, The Rock, Con Air, Coyote Ugly, Crimson Tide, Armageddon, Enemy of the State, Gone in 60 Seconds, Black Hawk Down, Pearl Harbor, Bad Boys, Pirates of the Caribbean, King Arthur, Prince of Persia, National Treasure, Remember the Titans, Lucifer, Without a Trace |
| Spouse(s) | Bonnie Fishman (divorced) Linda Cobb |
Some of his best-known films include Flashdance, Top Gun, The Rock, Crimson Tide, Con Air, Armageddon, Enemy of the State, Black Hawk Down, Pearl Harbor, and the Beverly Hills Cop, Bad Boys, Pirates of the Caribbean, and National Treasure franchises. He also serves as a Director at ZeniMax Media. Many of his films have been produced by Disney and Paramount, while many of his television series have been co-produced by Warner Bros. and CBS Studios. 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, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and Bad Boys II.[3]
His best known television series are CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CSI: Miami, CSI: NY, CSI: Cyber, Without a Trace, Cold Case, and the American version of The Amazing Race. At one point, three of his TV series ranked among the top 10 in the U.S. ratings—a unique feat in television.[4]
He is also the co-founder and co-majority owner (along with David Bonderman) of the new Seattle Kraken expansion team of the National Hockey League.
Biography
Early life
Bruckheimer was born in Detroit the son of German Jewish immigrants.[5] He graduated from Mumford High School in 1961[6] in Detroit, at age 17, before moving to Arizona for college. Bruckheimer was also an active member of the Stamp Collecting Club.[7] 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 1-minute ad spot for the new Pontiac GTO.[8]
Early in his career, Bruckheimer produced television commercials, including one for Pepsi.
1970s & 80s: from advertising to film production
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 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 Hollywood 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 US$95 million.[9] 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.[10] The first Beverly Hills Cop movie, which was supposed to star Sylvester Stallone launched Eddie Murphy's career and became Paramount's highest grossing winter release in the company's history in just five days.[11]
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. After Simpson's death in 1996, Bruckheimer stipulated that The Rock be dedicated to the memory of Simpson.
1990s: Big-budget films
In 1990, Bruckheimer and Simpson struck a $500-million deal with Paramount to produce 5 movies of their entire choice.[12] However, his 1990 production Days of Thunder starring Tom Cruise did not perform well, a step backwards in the Bruckheimer-Simpson's success story. The duo made a come-back in 1994 with the low-budget film ($12 million) The Ref.[13]
Despite Simpson's untimely death, Bruckheimer has continued to produce a large number of action films often working with director Michael Bay for several hits including Armageddon. His other hit films produced include Remember the Titans, Black Hawk Down and the Pirates of the Caribbean series. He 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 out Technical Black Films to produce non-action films, with Remember the Titans being the only film produced.[14]
2000s: Franchises, TV, video games
Since 1996 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.[15]
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.[4]
In December 2007 Bruckheimer announced plans to partner with MTV to create a new game studio.[16] The same year 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.[17] 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 U.S. publishing, as president of development.[18]
It was announced on September 10, 2009 that NBC had picked up an action procedural from Jerry Bruckheimer. The show, titled Chase,[19] "tells the stories of a team charged with making sure fugitive criminals don't evade justice," reports The Hollywood Reporter.[20] It was canceled in May 2011. Bruckheimer's most notable flop was Skin, which was cancelled after three episodes in 2003.
In 2011 it was rumored that Jerry Bruckheimer Games was working on three titles, but nothing came out of it ever since.[21] In March 2013 Jerry Bruckheimer Games was closed.[22] Although Jerry Bruckheimer Games is closed, Bruckheimer still remains a ZeniMax board member to this day, mostly due to being a close associate of ZeniMax President Ernest Del.[23]
2010s: Independent producer, sports
In 2014, after the disappointment of The Sorcerer's Apprentice[24] and The Lone Ranger,[25] Jerry Bruckheimer and the Disney Studios split up by not renewing their first-look deal that expired that year.[26] 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.[27]
In June 2016, Jerry Bruckheimer Television became an Independent outfit, ending a 15-year run exclusive pact with Warner Bros Television.[28] The next year, the production company signed a deal with CBS Television Studios.[29]
Bruckheimer was named as one of the investors of a proposed sports arena in Las Vegas,[30] and 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.[31] The NHL Board of Governors voted to approve the team, named the Seattle Kraken, on December 4, 2018, which will start play in the 2021–22 season.[32] Jerry Bruckheimer was part of an investment group that also included Tim Leiweke (Oak View Group) and David Bonderman (minority owner NBA's Boston Celtics).[33] More recently, his first look deal with Paramount was not renewed.[34]
Impact on the film industry
High-profit productions
The movie Top Gun was produced in collaboration with the Pentagon to rebrand the US Navy's image post-Vietnam war, and attract new Navy recruits. Top Gun was the first full-blown collaboration between Hollywood and the US Navy.[35][36] The model developed by Jerry Bruckheimer around the production of Top Gun launched a new trend of war movies in the nineties and onward.[36]
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.[3] 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".[8]
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, the first film in the franchise, was released on July 9, 2003. A popular box office hit, it was well received by critics and filmgoers 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 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.
Personal views
When asked about his favorite films, Bruckheimer named The Godfather (1972), The French Connection (1971), Good Will Hunting (1997), and The 400 Blows (1959).[4] 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."[37] 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."[38]
In a 1984 interview with the Los Angeles Times, he 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."[8]
In May 2006, he was honored with a doctor of fine arts degree (DFA) from the University of Arizona's College of Fine Arts.
Other commitments
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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.[39] 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.[40]
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.[41]
Political contributions
Bruckheimer has donated more than $50,000 to Republican campaigns and committees.[42] Bruckheimer donated funds to John McCain's 2008 presidential election campaign. He gave $5,000 to a joint fundraising committee on John McCain's behalf.[43] Bruckheimer donated $25,000 to the 2012 Mitt Romney Victory Fund.[44]
Filmography
All films were produced by him, unless otherwise noted.
Film
As producer, except where noted:
Television
| Year | Film | Type | Credit | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Max Q | TV films | Executive producer | |
| 1999 | Swing Vote | Executive producer | ||
| 2004 | Fearless | Executive producer Co-producer | ||
| 2001–present | The Amazing Race | Reality TV | Executive producer | |
| 2011 | Take the Money and Run | Executive producer Co-producer | ||
| 2006 | Modern Men | Comedy | Executive producer | |
| 1996–97 | Dangerous Minds | Drama | Executive producer | |
| 1998–99 | Soldier of Fortune, Inc. | Executive producer | ||
| 2000–15 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Executive producer | ||
| 2002–09 | Without a Trace | Executive producer | ||
| 2002–12 | CSI: Miami | Executive producer | ||
| 2003 | Profiles from the Front Line | Executive producer | ||
| 2003–04 | Skin | Executive producer | ||
| 2003–10 | Cold Case | Executive producer | ||
| 2004–13 | CSI: NY | Executive producer | ||
| 2005–06 | Just Legal | Executive producer | ||
| 2005–06 | E-Ring | Executive producer | ||
| 2005–07 | Close to Home | Executive producer | ||
| 2006–07 | Justice | Executive producer | ||
| 2008–09 | Eleventh Hour | Executive producer | ||
| 2009–10 | The Forgotten | Executive producer | ||
| 2009–10 | Dark Blue | Executive producer | ||
| 2010 | Miami Medical | Executive producer | ||
| 2010–11 | Chase | Executive producer | ||
| 2010–11 | The Whole Truth | Executive producer | ||
| 2013–14 | Hostages | Executive producer | ||
| 2015–16 | CSI: Cyber | Executive producer | ||
| 2016–present | Lucifer | Executive producer | ||
| 2017 | Training Day | Executive producer | ||
| 2020 | Council of Dads | Executive producer | ||
| 2002–03 | The Legacy | Pilots | For UPN, written by Simon Kinberg and directed by Jim Gillespie. | |
| 2021 | Cocaine Cowboys | For HBO. Inspired by the 2006 Cocaine Cowboys documentary. In 2014, TNT took the project. In 2015, TNT ordered the pilot to be redeveloped. | ||
| Family Crimes | Created by David Ayer, passed over by Starz. | |||
| 2021 | Young Rock | For NBC. Project co-led by Dwayne Johnson. Norman Lear had failed to produce a similar show a few years before. |
Honors and awards
- 1998: ShoWest Producer of the Year Award
- 2000: Producers Guild of America
- 2000: David O. Selznick Award for Lifetime Achievement
- 2003: " No. 1 most-powerful person in Hollywood" by Entertainment Weekly
- 2006: #10 on Premiere's "Power 50" list
- 2013: Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, placed right by El Capitan Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard.[52]
His productions collected the following:
- Academy Award: 41 nominations, 6 wins
- Grammy Award: 8 nominations, 5 wins
- Golden Globe: 23 nominations, 4 wins
- Emmy Award: 77 nominations, 17 wins
- People's Choice Awards: 8 nominations, 4 wins
Personal life
Bruckheimer has been married twice. His first wife was Bonnie Fishman Bruckheimer. He currently lives in Los Angeles with his second wife, novelist Linda Cobb Bruckheimer.[53] He also has one stepdaughter, Alexandra. The couple owns a farm in Bloomfield, Kentucky, about 20 miles (32 km) southeast of Louisville, as well as another in Ojai, east 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. She married Bruckheimer in Los Angeles. She regularly spends time as a preservation activist, restoring and preserving historic buildings in small rural U.S. towns.[54]
His film company, Jerry Bruckheimer Inc. (doing business as Jerry Bruckheimer Films) is located in Santa Monica, California.
References
- David Poland. "Bruckheimer & Disney". MOVIE CITY NEWS. Archived from the original on November 18, 2018. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
Jerry Bruckheimer's 70th birthday is tomorrow (Saturday, September 21).
- "Birthdays". The Guardian. London. September 20, 2014. p. 56.
- DiOrio, Carl (July 20, 2003). "Bruck's boom-boom room". Variety. Retrieved July 20, 2003.
- Galloway, Stephen. "Jerry Bruckheimer, producer". The Hollywood Reporter, November 17, 2003. Accessed August 27, 2009. Archived August 8, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- Howell, Peter (December 22, 2007). "Jerry Bruckheimer". The Star. Toronto. Retrieved May 6, 2010.
- "1961 Mumford High School Yearbook". classmates.com.
- Smith, Raymond E. (March 13, 2012). How Did They Get So Rich?. BookBaby. ISBN 9781620954959.
- Steven Gaydos (June 24, 2013). "Walk of Fame Honoree Jerry Bruckheimer Established Film Blueprint in Advertising Trenches". Variety.com.
- "Movies: Biography forJerry Bruckheimer". The New York Times. Retrieved May 6, 2010.
- Rich, Katey (June 12, 2009). "Interview: Tony Scott". Cinema Blend. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
- Lindsey Gruson (December 16, 1984). "Exit Stallone, enter Eddie Murphy". Nytimes.com.
- Nina J. Easton (February 1, 1990). "A Mega-Deal for Simpson, Bruckheimer : Movies: $500-million contract with Paramount gives the hot producers unprecedented freedom in making movies". Latimes.com.
- Brenard Weinraub (March 14, 1994). "Simpson and Bruckheimer, Part 2". Nytimes.com.
- Petrikin, Chris (November 4, 1998). "Tyro Cox to 'Rock'". Variety. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
- Adalian, Josef. "CBS Picks Up 4 New Dramas, 2 Comedies" Archived October 16, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. TV Week, May 2008. Accessed August 27, 2009.
- "Bruckheimer Joins With MTV to Create New Game Studio". The Escapist. December 19, 2007.
- Kelly, Kevin. "The incredibly strange and delightful Fallout 3 launch party". Joystiq.
- "The Escapist : Forums : The News Room : Jerry Bruckheimer Unveils Jerry Bruckheimer Games". The Escapist.
- Laura Prudorn (January 11, 2010). "Will New Shows From J.J. Abrams, David E. Kelley and Jerry Bruckheimer Save NBC?". AOL. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
- Natalie Abrams (September 10, 2009). "NBC Green-lights Bruckheimer Pilot". TV Guide. Retrieved September 11, 2009.
- Schramm, Mike. "Rumor: Jerry Bruckheimer Games working on three titles". Joystiq.
- Makuch, Eddie. "Jerry Bruckheimer Games closed". Gamespot. Archived from the original on September 26, 2013.
- Fritz, Brian (October 6, 2010). "Video game publisher Zenimax raises $150 million from Providence Equity". Los Angeles Times.
- Carl Diorio (July 20, 2010). "Jerry Bruckheimer strikes out again with Cage flop". Reuters.com.
- Alex Godfrey (August 9, 2013). "An audience with Jerry Bruckheimer, king of the blockbuster". Theguardian.com.
- Kim Masters (September 19, 2013). "Disney, Jerry Bruckheimer to Split in 2014". Hollywoodreporter.com.
- Daniel Miller (December 7, 2013). "Jerry Bruckheimer looks at Paramount reboot". Latimes.com.
- Debra Birnbaum and Cynthia Littelton (June 9, 2016). "Jerry Bruckheimer Television Goes Independent, Ending 15-Year Run with Warner Bros. TV". Variety. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
- "Jerry Bruckheimer TV Inks Overall Deal With CBS | Hollywood Reporter". www.hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
- Nick Christensen. "Report: Harrah's out as proposed arena partner". lasvegassun. Retrieved January 21, 2013.
- "Seattle launches season-ticket campaign for new NHL team". newyorkdailynews. Associated Press. February 20, 2018. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
- "After years of trying and a cast of characters in between, the NHL will finally put a team in Seattle". The Seattle Times. December 3, 2018.
- Nat Levy (March 1, 2018). "Famed Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer chases biggest blockbuster yet: NHL team in Seattle". Geekwire.com.
- Lang, Brent (December 10, 2020). "Paramount Won't Renew Deal With Jerry Bruckheimer (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
- Mark Evje (July 5, 1986). "Top Gun' boosting service sign-ups". Latimes.com.
- David Sirota (August 26, 2011). "25 years later, how 'Top Gun' made America love war". Washingtonpost.com.
- Paul Ahnert. "Ahnertthoughts". ahnertthoughts.blogspot.co.uk.
- "Bruckheimer". Businessweek.com.
- "Top 49 Men: Jerry Bruckheimer". AskMen.com. Retrieved January 21, 2013.
- "The Smoking Gun: Public Documents, Mug Shots". www.thesmokinggun.com. June 12, 2014. Archived from the original on October 17, 2007.
- "Cutty Sark". July 16, 2011. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011.
- "NEWSMEAT ▷ Jerry Bruckheimer's Federal Campaign Contribution Report". Newsmeat.com. Archived from the original on January 16, 2013. Retrieved January 21, 2013.
- "Top of the Ticket". Los Angeles Times. July 21, 2008. Retrieved May 6, 2010.
- "Celebs open their wallets in White House race, mostly for Obama". CNN. July 24, 2012.
- Janet Maslin (August 6, 1977). "'March or Die' Ambles Off to a Bloody Ending". Nytimes.com.
- The Legacy (2002) at IMDb
- Andreeva, Nellie (March 20, 2011). "Michelle Ashford To Write HBO Drama 'Cocaine Cowboys' Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer And Michael Bay". Deadline. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
- Andreeva, Nellie (September 18, 2014). "TNT Orders Cocaine Trade Drama Pilot From Jerry Bruckheimer, Michael Bay & Michelle Ashford". Collider. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
- Andreeva, Nellie (March 26, 2015). "TNT's Miami Drug-Trade Drama To Be Redeveloped". Deadline. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
- Andreeva, Nellie (April 27, 2018). "'Family Crimes' Drama From David Ayer & JBTV Not Going Forward At Starz". Deadline.
- David Bixenspan (August 23, 2011). "WWE '80s Boom Inspires Pilot Sold by The Rock & Jerry Bruckheimer to NBC". Bleacherreport.com.
- "Producer Jerry Bruckheimer receives Hollywood Walk of Fame star". KABC-TV. June 24, 2013. Archived from the original on October 16, 2013. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
- "Belle of bluegrass country". Variety. July 9, 2006.
- "You Can Go Home Again". Nettiejarvis.com. November 28, 1999. Archived from the original on November 15, 2013. Retrieved January 21, 2013.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jerry Bruckheimer. |
- Jerry Bruckheimer Films
- Jerry Bruckheimer at IMDb
- "Jerry Bruckheimer collected news and commentary". The New York Times.
- ZeniMax Media Inc.
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