Edward M. Zwick (born October 8, 1952) is an American filmmaker and producer of film and television. He has worked primarily in the

comedy drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

and epic historical film genres, including ''

About Last Night About Last Night may refer to: Film and television * ''About Last Night'' (1986 film), an American comedy-drama directed by Edward Zwick * ''About Last Night'' (2014 film), an American remake of the 1986 film, directed by Steve Pink * "About Las ...

, Glory, Legends of the Fall,'' and '' The Last Samurai.'' He is also the co-creator of the television series '' thirtysomething'' and '' Once and Again''. During his career he has worked with

Tom Cruise Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962), known professionally as Tom Cruise, is an American actor and producer. One of the world's highest-paid actors, he has received various accolades, including an Honorary Palme d'Or and three Go ...

, Leonardo DiCaprio,

Denzel Washington Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. (born December 28, 1954) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has been described as an actor who reconfigured "the concept of classic movie stardom". Throughout his career spanning over four decades, Washington ha ...

, Brad Pitt, Daniel Craig, Jennifer Connelly, Tobey Maguire, Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway and

Liev Schreiber Isaac Liev Schreiber (; born October 4, 1967) is an American actor, director, screenwriter, producer, and narrator. He became known during the late 1990s and early 2000s after appearing in several independent films, and later mainstream Hollywood ...

Zwick's body of work has earned numerous accolades, including an

Academy Award 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 BAFTA Award for Best Picture as a producer, and Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Writing in a Limited Series, and Outstanding Dramatic Special. He has additionally been nominated for multiple Golden Globe Awards.

Early life and education

Zwick was born into a

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 ...

family in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rock ...

, the son of Ruth Ellen (''née'' Reich) and Allen Zwick.Edward Zwick Biography (1952–)
''FilmReference.com''. Retrieved November 3, 2010. He attended New Trier High School, received an A.B. at

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

in 1974, and attended the

AFI Conservatory The AFI Conservatory is a private not-for-profit graduate film school in the Hollywood Hills district of Los Angeles. Students (called "Fellows") learn from the masters in a collaborative, hands-on production environment with an emphasis on ...

, graduating with a

Master of Fine Arts A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.) is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts ...

degree in 1975.

Career

His films include '' Glory'' (1989), '' Legends of the Fall'' (1994), '' The Siege'' (1998), '' The Last Samurai'' (2003), ''

Blood Diamond ''Blood Diamond'' is a 2006 American political war action thriller film directed and co-produced by Edward Zwick and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly, and Djimon Hounsou. The title refers to blood diamonds, which are diamonds min ...

'' (2006), and '' Defiance'' (2008). Along with Marshall Herskovitz, Zwick runs a film production company called The Bedford Falls Company (inspired by the name of the town featured in

Frank Capra Frank Russell Capra (born Francesco Rosario Capra; May 18, 1897 – September 3, 1991) was an Italian-born American film director, producer and writer who became the creative force behind some of the major award-winning films of the 1930s ...

's '' It's a Wonderful Life''). This company has produced such notable films as ''

Traffic Traffic comprises pedestrians, vehicles, ridden or herded animals, trains, and other conveyances that use public ways (roads) for travel and transportation. Traffic laws govern and regulate traffic, while rules of the road include traffic ...

'' and '' Shakespeare in Love'' and the TV shows '' thirtysomething'', '' Relativity'', '' Once and Again'', and '' My So-Called Life''. He was one of the recipients of the

Academy Award for Best Picture The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) since the awards debuted in 1929. This award goes to the producers of the film and is the only categ ...

for '' Shakespeare in Love''; he was also nominated in the same category for ''

''. Despite sharing a surname and profession, Edward is unrelated to fellow director Joel Zwick.

Filmography

Film

Producer only

Television

Television films Executive producer only

Awards received by Zwick films

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zwick, Edward 1952 births AFI Conservatory alumni Film producers from Illinois American male screenwriters Harvard University alumni Living people New Trier High School alumni Writers from Chicago Filmmakers who won the Best Film BAFTA Award Producers who won the Best Picture Academy Award Jewish American screenwriters Film directors from Illinois Golden Globe Award-winning producers Primetime Emmy Award winners Writers Guild of America Award winners Screenwriters from Illinois 21st-century American Jews