Stuart Benjamin (born April 25, 1946) is an American film producer.

Biography

Early life

Benjamin was born in Los Angeles. He attended

North Hollywood North Hollywood is a neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, located in the San Fernando Valley. The neighborhood contains the NoHo Arts District, the El Portal Theatre, several art galleries, and the Academy of TV Arts and Sciences. The North ...

High School where he lettered in Varsity basketball and served on the student council. He went on to graduate from the

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8. ...

in 1967 with a degree in Finance, where he played basketball and served as the President of Associated Men, was a

Rhodes Scholar The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom. Established in 1902, it is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world. It is considered among the world' ...

candidate, and was a recipient of the prestigious Man of Troy award. He also attended

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

, and graduated in 1970. He is the son of Gerald Benjamin, a corporate executive, and Victorine Benjamin, a housewife.

Career

He began his career in 1970 with the law firm of Wyman, Bautzer, Finell, Rothman and Kuchel. He became a partner in 1975, specializing in business, securities and entertainment litigation, as well as sports law, and was chairman of the firm's entertainment department at the time he left the firm in January 1988. From 1975 to 1978 Benjamin served on the board of directors of the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of ...

and received a championship ring when the

Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

won a

World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

in 1976. In 1978 Benjamin was involved in the formation of the

San Diego Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...

and served on their board until 1981. In 1971 Benjamin and director

Taylor Hackford Taylor Edwin Hackford (born December 31, 1944) is an American film director and former president of the Directors Guild of America. He won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film for ''Teenage Father'' (1979). Hackford went on to direc ...

formed a production company called New Visions, Inc. Throughout most of the 70's they produced documentaries, docu-dramas and a great number of music-concert shows. Their short film,

Teenage Father ''Teenage Father'' is a 1978 American short film directed by Taylor Hackford and starring Timothy Wead. In 1979, it won an Oscar for Best Short Subject at the 51st Academy Awards. Plot Filmed as a pseudo-documentary, the film follows 17-year-o ...

, garnered Hackford an

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology), ...

in 1979 for the

short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

. Benjamin and Hackford went on to produce several other films under the New Visions banner: Against All Odds,

White Nights White night, White Night, or White Nights may refer to: * White night (astronomy), a night in which it never gets completely dark, at high latitudes outside the Arctic and Antarctic Circles * White Night festivals, all-night arts festivals held i ...

, La Bamba,

Everybody's All-American ''Everybody's All-American'' is a novel by longtime ''Sports Illustrated'' contributor Frank Deford, published in 1981. It was made into a motion picture, directed by Taylor Hackford. Plot summary The novel tells the story of a fictional famous ...

.
accessed May 09, 2017. Outside of New Visions, Benjamin was actively involved in the production of the highly acclaimed '' Testament (1983 film), Testament'', The film tells the story of how one small

Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...

town near San Francisco slowly falls apart after a

nuclear war Nuclear warfare, also known as atomic warfare, is a theoretical military conflict or prepared political strategy that deploys nuclear weaponry. Nuclear weapons are weapons of mass destruction; in contrast to conventional warfare, nuclear wa ...

destroys outside civilization.

Jane Alexander Jane Alexander (née Quigley; born October 28, 1939) is an American actress and author. She is the recipient of two Primetime Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, and nominations for four Academy Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards. From 1993 to 1997 ...

was nominated for the

Academy Award for Best Actress The Academy Award for Best Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role in a film released that year. ...

for her performance. He also produced the highly acclaimed film for

American Playhouse ''American Playhouse'' is an American anthology television series periodically broadcast by Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). Overview It premiered on January 12, 1982, with ''The Shady Hill Kidnapping'', written and narrated by John Cheever an ...

Billy Galvin ''Billy Galvin'' is a 1986 American drama film directed by John Gray. It stars Karl Malden and Lenny von Dohlen. Cast *Karl Malden as Jack Galvin *Lenny von Dohlen as Billy Galvin * Joyce Van Patten as Mae Galvin * Toni Kalem as Nora *Alan Nor ...

, starring

Karl Malden Karl Malden (born Mladen George Sekulovich; March 22, 1912 – July 1, 2009) was an American actor. He was primarily a character actor, who according to Robert Berkvist, "for more than 60 years brought an intelligent intensity and a homespun aut ...

. In 1988, Benjamin and Hackford formed New Visions Pictures, a joint venture between New Visions Entertainment and Cineplex Odeon. Benjamin served as President and chief operating officer of New Visions Pictures from 1988 through 1991, during which time the venture produced six films,

The Long Walk Home ''The Long Walk Home'' is a 1990 American historical drama film starring Sissy Spacek and Whoopi Goldberg, and directed by Richard Pearce. Set in Alabama, it is based on a screenplay about the Montgomery bus boycott (1955–1956) by John Cork ...

Defenseless '' Defenseless'' is a 1991 legal thriller film directed by Martin Campbell and produced by Renée Missel and David Bombek. Plot Lawyer Thelma 'T.K.' Knudsen Katwuller represents Steven Seldes - who is accused of involvement in making underage p ...

, Sweet Talker,

Queen's Logic Queen's Logic is a retired Thoroughbred racehorse and active broodmare, bred in Ireland and trained in the United Kingdom. She is notable for winning the title of European Champion Two-Year-Old Filly of 2001 at the Cartier Racing Awards, and f ...

,
accessed May 09, 2017.

Mortal Thoughts ''Mortal Thoughts'' is a 1991 American neo-noir mystery thriller film directed by Alan Rudolph and starring Demi Moore, Glenne Headly, Bruce Willis, John Pankow and Harvey Keitel. Told in narrative flashbacks set in a police interrogation, the ...

, and Rooftops Benjamin served as the Executive Producer on all of these films. As a principal in New Visions Music Group along with

and Joel Sill, Benjamin has been involved in a number of sound track albums, several of which have achieved gold or platinum status. New Visions Music Group was responsible for nine number one singles. In 1991, Benjamin formed Benjamin Productions. Together with partner Alise Benjamin Mauritzson, he produced films for both network television and cable including Betrayal of Trust for

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters ...

, The Abduction for

Lifetime Television Lifetime is an American basic cable channel that is part of Lifetime Entertainment Services, a subsidiary of A&E Networks, which is jointly owned by Hearst Communications and The Walt Disney Company. It features programming that is geared tow ...

and

Sodbusters Sodbuster was a program created by Title 12 of the Food Security Act of 1985 designed to discourage the plowing up of erosion-prone grasslands for use as cropland. If such is used for crop production without proper conservation measures as laid ou ...

for

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global ...

. The company also produced

Corduroy Corduroy is a textile with a distinctively raised "cord" or wale texture. Modern corduroy is most commonly composed of tufted cords, sometimes exhibiting a channel (bare to the base fabric) between them. Both velvet and corduroy derive from f ...

, an animated series for Viacom and the

USA Network USA Network (simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. It was originally launched in 1977 as Mad ...

, which became a Saturday morning series on CBS and

Safe House A safe house (also spelled safehouse) is, in a generic sense, a secret place for sanctuary or suitable to hide people from the law, hostile actors or actions, or from retribution, threats or perceived danger. It may also be a metaphor. Histori ...

, starring

Patrick Stewart Sir Patrick Stewart (born 13 July 1940) is an English actor who has a career spanning seven decades in various stage productions, television, film and video games. He has been nominated for Olivier, Tony, Golden Globe, Emmy, and Screen Acto ...

and Kimberly Williams for Showtime. In 2000 Benjamin was involved in the formation of Crusader Entertainment, a film and motion picture company financed by

Philip Anschutz Philip Frederick Anschutz ( ; born December 28, 1939) is an American billionaire businessman who owns or controls companies in a variety of industries, including energy, railroads, real estate, sports, newspapers, movies, theaters, arenas and mu ...

, and served as Executive Vice President of the Company from its formation until July 2001, when he became a consultant/Independent Producer to Crusader with specific responsibilities on a number of Crusader's projects. It was while he was an executive at Crusader that his pet project, the

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

"Story" was put into development.
accessed May 09, 2017. Benjamin was first introduced to

in the late 1980s and had tried for years to get Mr. Charles' story made into a movie. During the course of those efforts, Benjamin and

developed a friendship, resulting in

agreeing to make the picture and with Mr. Charles fully participating in its development. Benjamin produced '' Ray (film), Ray'', which was released in Fall, 2004 by

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...

. The picture garnered six (6)

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 in ...

Nominations including a

Best Picture 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#F ...

, which gave Benjamin his first

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 ...

Nomination. The film went on to receive 2

. Benjamin also produced the soundtrack album from the movie which has sold over 4 million units and which has garnered Benjamin a

Grammy 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 pres ...

Award. Benjamin was also one of the Executive Producers of the

Tribute Concert which took take place on October 8, 2004 at the

Staples Center Crypto.com Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Downtown Los Angeles. Adjacent to the L.A. Live development, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along Figueroa Street. The arena opened on October 17, 1999; it ...

and was a CBS Television special.
accessed May 09, 2017. That program received a number of awards, including the prestigious NAACP Image Award, NAACP Image Award. In the Fall of 2007 Benjamin successfully launched a live theatrical production based upon the life of

. "Unchain My Heart.....The Life and Music of

"
accessed May 09, 2017. In March 2009, Benjamin produced Louis & Keely Live at the

Geffen Playhouse The Geffen Playhouse (or the Geffen) is a not-for-profit theater company founded by Gilbert Cates in 1995. It produces plays in two theaters in Geffen Playhouse, which is owned by University of California Los Angeles. The Playhouse is located ...

Westwood, Los Angeles, California Westwood is a commercial and residential neighborhood in the northern central portion of the Westside (Los Angeles County), Westside region of Los Angeles, California. It is the home of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Bord ...

. This theatrical production, based on

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish language, Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the List of United States cities by population, 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the U.S. state, state of Neva ...

lounge act

Louis Prima Louis Leo Prima (December 7, 1910 – August 24, 1978) was an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and trumpeter. While rooted in New Orleans jazz, swing music, and jump blues, Prima touched on various genres throughout his career: he for ...

and

Keely Smith Dorothy Jacqueline Keely (March 9, 1928The reference work ''The Encyclopedia of Native Music: More Than a Century of Recordings from Wax Cylinder to the Internet'' gives Smith's date of birth as March 9, 1932. – December 16, 2017), profession ...

went on to become the longest running show in the history of the Geffen. On January 11, 2010 Benjamin and his fellow producers on the show received an

Ovation Award The Ovation Awards are a Southern California award for excellence in theatre, established in 1989. They are given out by the non-profit arts service organization LA Stage Alliance and are the only peer-judged theatre awards in Los Angeles. Winne ...

given out by the Los Angeles Stage Alliance for Best Production of a Musical – Large Theatre. As a music producer, Benjamin not only produced the soundtrack album for the film '' Ray (film), Ray'', but also executive produced the

Sam Moore Samuel David Moore (born October 12, 1935) is an American vocalist who was a member of the soul and R&B group, Sam & Dave, from 1961 to 1981. He is a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Grammy Hall of Fame (for " Soul Man"), and the Vo ...

comeback album,

Overnight Sensational Overnight Sensational, is a 2006 album by Sam Moore. This album was produced by Randy Jackson in 2006, and features artists like Jon Bon Jovi, Bekka Bramlett, Mariah Carey, Eric Clapton, Nikka Costa, Sheila E., Billy F. Gibbons, Vince Gill, Van ...

, and is scheduled to produce the Broadway Cast Album for "Unchain My Heart.....The Life and Music of

". In addition, Benjamin was the Managing Partner of Capstone Entertainment, which was in the business of producing specialized non-theatrical projects.
accessed May 09, 2017. Those projects include a reunion of the 1960s Vince Lombardi

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. It is the th ...

which aired on

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

Classics in January 2002 and a series of Comedy Roasts with

Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), known commonly as "Shaq" ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program '' Inside the NBA''. O'Neal is regarded as one of the great ...

, shot at the MGM Grand Hotel
:

IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, p ...

in Las Vegas, which aired on OnDemand as

Pay Per View Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program guid ...

Specials. Capstone promoted and produced a

Holiday/Gospel Concert in December 2002 which Benjamin produced and directed. Benjamin also produced the album from that concert. Benjamin produced an album for soul singer

Tasha Taylor La Tasha Taylor is an American blues and soul vocalist, songwriter, and actress. Early life and education Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, Taylor is the daughter of American soul and rhythm and blues vocalist Johnnie Taylor. She attended Bos ...

, who is the daughter of

Johnnie Taylor Johnnie Harrison Taylor (May 5, 1934 – May 31, 2000) was an American recording artist and songwriter who performed a wide variety of genres, from blues, rhythm and blues, soul, and gospel to pop, doo-wop, and disco. In 2022, Taylor wa ...

a blues and soul musician from Dallas Texas. Benjamin is currently co-producing a Broadway play with

Concord Music Group Concord Music Group was an American independent music company based in Beverly Hills, California, with worldwide (including the U.S.) distribution through Universal Music Group. The company specialized in recordings ( Fearless Records, Concord R ...

about the history and music of

Stax Records Stax Records is an American record company, originally based in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1957 as Satellite Records, the label changed its name to Stax Records in 1961. It also shared its operations with sister label Volt Records. Stax was ...

. The book is written by Matthew Benjamin. in March 2016 Benjamin and Concord Music Group produced a 4 week showcase in Memphis, Tennessee.
accessed May 09, 2017.

Personal life

Benjamin has two children. His son Matthew Benjamin is a playwright and screenwriter. His daughter Jennifer Benjamin Teeman is also a successful writer and was a senior editor for

Cosmopolitan Magazine ''Cosmopolitan'' is an American monthly fashion and entertainment magazine for women, first published based in New York City in March 1886 as a family magazine; it was later transformed into a literary magazine and, since 1965, has become a wome ...

Filmography

Producer

* ''

''—1978 * '' Against All Odds''—1984 * ''

''—1985 * ''

''—1986 * '' La Bamba''—1987 * ''

''—1988 * '' Rooftops''—1989 * ''

''—1990 * ''

Queens Logic ''Queens Logic'' is a 1991 American ensemble coming-of-age comedy-drama film from Seven Arts Pictures starring Kevin Bacon, Linda Fiorentino, Joe Mantegna, Jamie Lee Curtis, John Malkovich, Ken Olin, Chloe Webb and Tom Waits. It was directed by ...

''—1991 * ''

''—1991 * '' Sweet Talker''—1991 * '' Betrayal of Trust''—1994 * ''

''—1994 * '' The Abduction''—1996 * ''

''—1998 * ''

''—2000 * '' Ray (film), Ray''—2004

Music

* ''

Celebrates a Gospel Christmas Album''—2003 * '' Ray (film), Ray Soundtrack''—2004 * ''

Overnight Sensational Soundtrack''—2006 * ''Musical Cast Album for "Unchain My Heart.....The Life and Music of

''—2014

Theatre

* '' Louis and Keely Live at the Sahara ''—2009 * ''

Ray Charles Live ''Ray Charles Live'' is a double LP compilation album by Ray Charles, released by Atlantic Records in 1973. It consists of live concert recordings previously released on ''Ray Charles at Newport'' and ''Ray Charles in Person'' (recorded at the ...

at the Pasadena Playhouse ''—2007 * Broadway Musical ''Unchain My Heart.....The Life and Music of

''—2014

Notes

References

*
Variety: Review of Ray

Ray Charles bio-musical to Broadway

Brandon Dixon to play Ray Charles

Oscar is a frequent flier

External links

* * http://www.lukeford.net/profiles/profiles/stuart_benjamin.htm Picture: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stuart_benjamin.jpg {{DEFAULTSORT:Benjamin, Stuart 1946 births Film producers from California Grammy Award winners Living people Artists from Los Angeles Marshall School of Business alumni Harvard Law School alumni North Hollywood High School alumni