Brian Thomas Grazer (born July 12, 1951) is an American film and television producer and writer. He founded
Imagine Entertainment in 1986 with
Ron Howard
Ronald William Howard (born March 1, 1954) is an American director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He first came to prominence as a child actor, guest-starring in several television series, including an episode of '' The Twilight Zone''. ...
. The films they produced have grossed over $15 billion. Grazer was personally nominated for four
Academy Awards
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
for ''
Splash'' (1984), ''
Apollo 13'' (1995), ''
A Beautiful Mind'' (2001), and ''
Frost/Nixon'' (2008). 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 ''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and event (philosophy), events that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various me ...
''s "
100 Most Influential People in the World".
Early life
Grazer was born in Los Angeles, California, to Arlene Becker Grazer and criminal defense attorney Thomas Grazer.
He is the older brother of Nora Beth Grazer (born 1952) and actor/director Gavin Grazer (born 1961). He was raised in
Sherman Oaks and
Northridge, in Los Angeles's
San Fernando Valley.
Grazer's father was Catholic and his mother is
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
.
His parents divorced when he was in high school.
Grazer said "My best buddy, the most important person in my growing up, was my little 4-foot-10
47 cmJewish 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.'"
While in school, Grazer struggled with
dyslexia. Grazer got through school by reading other students' papers and arguing his grades with his teachers.
His nephew is actor
Jack Dylan Grazer.
Education
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.
He then attended
USC Law School for one year, but quit in 1975 to pursue a life in Hollywood.
Career
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
Ronald William Howard (born March 1, 1954) is an American director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He first came to prominence as a child actor, guest-starring in several television series, including an episode of '' The Twilight Zone''. ...
.
[Imagine Entertainment Brian Grazer Biography]
. Retrieved January 1, 2012.
He produced his first feature-film, ''
Night Shift'', in 1982, directed by Howard.
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.
Grazer went on to became 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.
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
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
, and 198
Emmys. At the same time, his movies have generated over $15 billion in worldwide theatrical, music, and video grosses.
Grazer's early film successes include ''
Parenthood'' (1989) and ''
Backdraft'' (1991).
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.
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
''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, ...
''.
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
This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards.
Best Actor/Best Actress
*See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress# ...
(
Akiva Goldsman
Akiva J. Goldsman (born July 7, 1962) is an American filmmaker. He is known for making motion pictures and adaptations of popular novels.
Goldsman's filmography as a screenwriter includes '' The Client''; '' Batman Forever'' and its sequel '' ...
).
In 2002, Grazer's ''
8 Mile'' was released.
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".
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.
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
Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energy ...
'' (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
''Inside Man'' is a 2006 American heist thriller film directed by Spike Lee and written by Russell Gewirtz. It centers on an elaborate bank heist on Wall Street over a 24-hour period. The film stars Denzel Washington as Detective Keith ...
'' (2006), ''
The Da Vinci Code'' (2006), ''
American Gangster'' (2007), ''
Changeling'' (2008), ''
Angels & Demons
''Angels & Demons'' is a 2000 bestselling mystery-thriller novel written by American author Dan Brown and published by Pocket Books and then by Corgi Books. The novel introduces the character Robert Langdon, who recurs as the protagonist of ...
'' (2009), ''
Robin Hood'' (2010), and ''
Cowboys & Aliens
''Cowboys & Aliens'' is a 2011 American science fiction film, science fiction Western film, Western action film directed by Jon Favreau and starring Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell, Adam Beach, Paul Dano, and Noah Ring ...
'' (2011). His recently released films include ''
J. Edgar'', the
Clint Eastwood-directed biopic of
J. Edgar Hoover
John Edgar Hoover (January 1, 1895 – May 2, 1972) was an American law enforcement administrator who served as the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He was appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation ...
, starring
Leonardo DiCaprio, ''
Tower Heist'', starring
Ben Stiller and
Eddie Murphy, and ''
Restless
Restless may refer to:
*Psychomotor agitation, restlessness experienced as a result of certain medications or conditions
Music
* Restless Records
Albums
* ''Restless'' (Sara Evans album) and its title track, 2003
* ''Restless'' (Murray He ...
'', 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
An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...
'', ''
Genius: Einstein'', ''
Genius: Picasso'' and ''
Wu-Tang: An American Saga''.
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
Ronald William Howard (born March 1, 1954) is an American director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He first came to prominence as a child actor, guest-starring in several television series, including an episode of '' The Twilight Zone''. ...
, and starring
Chris Hemsworth and
Daniel Brühl
Daniel César Martín Brühl González Domingo (; born 16 June 1978) is a Spanish-German actor and filmmaker. He received his first German Film Award for Best Actor for his roles in '' Das Weisse Rauschen (The White Sound)'' (2001), ''Nichts B ...
, 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
''In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex'' is a book by American writer Nathaniel Philbrick about the loss of the whaler ''Essex'' in the Pacific Ocean in 1820. The book was published by Viking Press on May 8, 2000, and won ...
'', directed by
Ron Howard
Ronald William Howard (born March 1, 1954) is an American director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He first came to prominence as a child actor, guest-starring in several television series, including an episode of '' The Twilight Zone''. ...
and starring
Chris Hemsworth, about the American whaleship the ''
Essex
Essex () is a Ceremonial counties of England, county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the Riv ...
''.
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. In 2019, Grazer released his second book ''Face To Face: The Art of Human Connection''.
Personal life
Grazer has been married three times: Corki Corman (1982–92; they had two children; son Riley (born 1986) and daughter Sage (1988)), and novelist and screenwriter
Gigi Levangie
Gigi Levangie (born Georgianne Levangie; January 2, 1963) is an American novelist, screenwriter, and television producer. She has written numerous screenplays but is most widely known for the film '' Stepmom'', starring Julia Roberts and Susan S ...
(1997–2007; they had two sons; Thomas (1999) and Patrick (2004)).
In April 2014, Grazer became engaged to Veronica Smiley, chief marketing officer of SBE, a hotel management company. They married on February 20, 2016.
Grazer currently resides in
Santa Monica, California. He also has a home in Hawaii on
Sunset Beach, on the
Banzai Pipeline on
O'ahu's
North Shore.
He is a keen user of
jump ropes.
[Archived a]
Ghostarchive
and th
Wayback Machine
Filmography
Film
;Music department
;Thanks
Television
;As an actor
;As writer
;Thanks
Additional awards
* 1998 –
Emmy Award for
Outstanding Miniseries for ''
From the Earth to the Moon''
* 2001 –
Producers Guild of America's
David O. Selznick
David O. Selznick (May 10, 1902June 22, 1965) was an American film producer, screenwriter and film studio executive who produced '' Gone with the Wind'' (1939) and ''Rebecca'' (1940), both of which earned him an Academy Award for Best Picture.
...
Lifetime Achievement Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures
* 2003 –
ShoWest Lifetime Achievement Award
* 2004 –
Emmy Award for
Outstanding Comedy Series for ''
Arrested Development''
* 2006 –
Emmy Award for
Outstanding Drama Series for ''
24''
* 2007 – Named one of ''
Time Magazine'' "
100 Most Influential People in the World"
* 2008 –
Emmy Award for
Outstanding Children's Animated Program for ''
Curious George''
* 2009 – Producers Guild of America Milestone Award, together with Ron Howard
* 2009 –
New York University's
Tisch School of the Arts Big Apple Award, together with Ron Howard
* 2010 –
Simon Wiesenthal Center Humanitarian Award, together with Ron Howard
* 2010 –
Emmy Award for
Outstanding Children's Animated Program for ''
Curious George''
* 2011 –
MPSE 2011 Filmmaker Award
* 2017 –
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...
for
Best Music Film
The Grammy Award for Best Music Film is an accolade presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally named the Gramophone Awards, to performers, directors, and producers of quality videos or musical programs. ...
for ''
The Beatles: Eight Days a Week''
* 2019 –
Atlantic Council
The Atlantic Council is an American think tank in the field of international affairs, favoring Atlanticism, founded in 1961. It manages sixteen regional centers and functional programs related to international security and global economic pro ...
Global Citizen Award
References
External links
Imagine Entertainment*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grazer, Brian
1951 births
20th-century American businesspeople
21st-century American businesspeople
American Christians
Film producers from California
American people of Jewish descent
Television producers from California
Businesspeople from Los Angeles
Daytime Emmy Award winners
Golden Globe Award-winning producers
Grammy Award winners
Living people
People from Northridge, Los Angeles
People from Oahu
People from Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles
Producers who won the Best Picture Academy Award
USC Gould School of Law alumni
USC School of Cinematic Arts alumni
Imagine Entertainment