Martin Brest
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Martin Brest (born August 8, 1951) is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. After his feature debut, '' Going in Style'' (1979), he directed the action comedies '' Beverly Hills Cop'' (1984) and '' Midnight Run'' (1988), which were critical and commercial hits. He then directed '' Scent of a Woman'' (1992), starring Al Pacino, who won the
Academy Award for Best Actor The Academy Award for Best Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 1st Academy Awards to an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading ...
for his performance, and earned Brest nominations for Best Director and Best Picture. He followed it with ''
Meet Joe Black ''Meet Joe Black'' is a 1998 American romantic fantasy drama film directed and produced by Martin Brest, starring Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins, and Claire Forlani. Celebrating his 65th birthday, businessman and devoted family man Bill Parrish is ...
'' (1998), which received mixed reviews. Brest's next film was '' Gigli'' (2003). After disagreements between Brest and Revolution Studios, creative control was taken from him, resulting in a radically re-written and re-shot version of the original film being released, which became his first and only unprofitable film and, in fact, a major box-office bomb and was widely panned. It remains his last film to date.


Early life and education

Brest was born to Eastern European Jewish immigrant parents in a working-class neighborhood in
the Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...
in 1951. He was influenced by watching ''
The Honeymooners ''The Honeymooners'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired from 1955 to 1956, created by and starring Jackie Gleason, and based on a recurring comedy sketch of the same name that had been part of Gleason's variety show. It f ...
'' as a child, saying in a 2023 interview, "I was a kid watching it in a household that was economically not that different than in the show. I felt like it was a show made for my neighborhood. And that character of Ralph Kramden really touched me, that angry soul whose spirit blossoms". Brest graduated from
Stuyvesant High School Stuyvesant High School ( ) is a co-ed, State school, public, college-preparatory, Specialized high schools in New York City, specialized high school in Manhattan, New York City. The school, commonly called "Stuy" ( ) by its students, faculty, a ...
in 1969 and from New York University's School of the Arts in 1973. His New York University undergraduate student film, '' Hot Dogs for Gauguin'' (1972), starring a then unknown
Danny DeVito Daniel Michael DeVito Jr. (born November 17, 1944) is an American actor and filmmaker. He gained prominence for his portrayal of the taxi dispatcher Louie De Palma in the television series ''Taxi (TV series), Taxi'' (1978–1983), which won him ...
and with a small part by then unknown Rhea Perlman, was one of 25 films chosen in 2009 by the
National Film Registry The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation (library and archival science), preservation, each selected for its cultural, historical, and aestheti ...
of the Library of Congress to "be preserved as cultural, artistic and/or historical treasures" and is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art. Brest attended the AFI Conservatory, where he graduated with a Master of Fine Arts in 1977.


Career

Brest's major studio debut was '' Going in Style'' (1979), which starred George Burns,
Art Carney Arthur William Matthew Carney (November 4, 1918 – November 9, 2003) was an American actor and comedian. A recipient of an Academy Awards, Academy Award, a Golden Globe Awards, Golden Globe Award, and six Primetime Emmy Awards, he was best kn ...
, and
Lee Strasberg Lee Strasberg (born Israel Strassberg; November 17, 1901 – February 17, 1982) was an American acting coach and actor. He co-founded, with theatre directors Harold Clurman and Cheryl Crawford, the Group Theatre in 1931, which was hailed ...
. Brest was then hired to direct '' WarGames'' (1983), which starred
Matthew Broderick Matthew Broderick (born March 21, 1962) is an American actor. He starred in ''WarGames'' (1983) as a teen government hacker, and ''Ladyhawke (film), Ladyhawke'' (1985), a medieval fantasy alongside Rutger Hauer and Michelle Pfeiffer. He play ...
, but he was fired three weeks into production amid conflicts with the film's executive producer, and replaced with
John Badham John MacDonald Badham (born August 25, 1939) is an American film and television director, best known for directing the films ''Saturday Night Fever'' (1977), ''Dracula (1979 film), Dracula'' (1979), ''Blue Thunder'' (1983), ''WarGames'' (1983), ...
. The dismissal from ''WarGames'' left Brest highly pessimistic about his career, until he was recruited by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer to direct '' Beverly Hills Cop'' (1984), starring
Eddie Murphy Edward Regan Murphy (born April 3, 1961) is an American actor, comedian, and singer. He had his breakthrough as a standup comic before gaining stardom for his film roles; he is widely recognized as one of the greatest comedians of all time. H ...
. The film grossed over $300 million worldwide and received Golden Globe nominations for Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy) and for Best Actor (Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, Eddie Murphy), as well as an
Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
nomination for
Best Original Screenplay The Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay is the Academy Award (also known as an Oscar) for the best screenplay not based upon previously published material. It was created in 1940 as a separate writing award from the Academy Award for Best ...
. In 2024 it became the second of Brest's films to be chosen by the
National Film Registry The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation (library and archival science), preservation, each selected for its cultural, historical, and aestheti ...
of the Library of Congress to "be preserved as cultural, artistic and/or historical treasures." Brest was then in pre-production for '' Rain Man'' (1988), when he cast
Tom Cruise Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962) is an American actor and film producer. Regarded as a Cinema of the United States, Hollywood icon, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Tom Cruise, various accolades, includ ...
for the role opposite
Dustin Hoffman Dustin Lee Hoffman (born August 8, 1937) is an American actor. As one of the key actors in the formation of New Hollywood, Hoffman is known for Dustin Hoffman filmography, his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and emotionally vulnerable charac ...
, before
Barry Levinson Barry Lee Levinson (born April 6, 1942) is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Levinson won the Academy Award for Best Director for '' Rain Man'' (1988). His other best-known works are ''Diner'' (1982), '' The Natural'' (1984 ...
eventually directed the film. Brest's next film was the action-comedy '' Midnight Run'' (1988), starring
Robert De Niro Robert Anthony De Niro ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor, director, and film producer. He is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of List of awards and ...
and Charles Grodin. The film was another critical and commercial success, earning Brest another
Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Janua ...
nomination for Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy as well as a Best Actor Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy nomination for De Niro. His work on '' Scent of a Woman'' (1992) earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama. The film also won Golden Globes for Al Pacino and screenwriter Bo Goldman, as well as a Best Supporting Actor nomination for Chris O'Donnell. In addition, the film received four Academy Award nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay (Adapted), with Al Pacino winning Best Actor. Brest's next film, ''
Meet Joe Black ''Meet Joe Black'' is a 1998 American romantic fantasy drama film directed and produced by Martin Brest, starring Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins, and Claire Forlani. Celebrating his 65th birthday, businessman and devoted family man Bill Parrish is ...
'' (1998), starring
Brad Pitt William Bradley Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an American actor and film producer. In a Brad Pitt filmography, film career spanning more than thirty years, Pitt has received list of awards and nominations received by Brad Pitt, numerous a ...
and
Anthony Hopkins Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins (born 31 December 1937) is a Welsh actor. Considered one of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors, he is known for List of Anthony Hopkins performances, his performances on the screen and stage. Hopkins ha ...
, was a loose remake of 1934's '' Death Takes a Holiday''. The film had an American box-office return of $44.6 million, taking in an additional $98.3 million overseas for a worldwide total of $142.9 million. Brest wrote and directed '' Gigli'' (2003), starring
Ben Affleck Benjamin Géza Affleck (born August 15, 1972) is an American actor and filmmaker. His accolades include two Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, and three Golden Globes. Affleck began his career as a child when he starred in the PBS educatio ...
and
Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Lopez (born July 24, 1969), also known by her nickname J.Lo, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer and businesswoman. Lopez is regarded as one of the most influential entertainers of her time, credited with breaking ...
. During filming, production company Revolution Studios took creative control from him, resulting in a radically re-written and re-shot version of the original film being released. That version became one of the more notorious films of its time, being widely panned by critics. A 2014 article in ''Playboy'' observed that in the then-eleven years since ''Gigli''s release, Brest "went Full Salinger", appearing to have left the entertainment industry completely, without any further credits or major public appearances to his name. However, in 2021, he appeared as a featured guest at a screening of ''Beverly Hills Cop'' and ''Midnight Run'' in Los Angeles, where he was interviewed by fellow filmmaker
Paul Thomas Anderson Paul Thomas Anderson (born June 26, 1970), also known by his initials PTA, is an American filmmaker. Often described as one of the most preeminent writer-directors of his generation, List of awards and nominations received by Paul Thomas Anders ...
. Two years later, he gave an interview to '' Variety'' in which he reflected: Brest has received the American Film Institute's Franklin J. Schaffner Achievement Award, which "celebrates the recipient's extraordinary creative talents and artistic achievements." His essays about art and artists have appeared in various books.


Filmography

Acting roles


Awards and nominations

Two of Brest's films, ''Hot Dogs for Gauguin'' and ''Beverly Hills Cop'', have been entered into the
National Film Registry The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation (library and archival science), preservation, each selected for its cultural, historical, and aestheti ...
of the U.S. Library of Congress.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Brest, Martin 1951 births 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American screenwriters 21st-century American screenwriters AFI Conservatory alumni American film editors American male film actors American comedy film directors Film directors from New York City Jewish American screenwriters Living people Male actors from the Bronx Screenwriters from New York (state) Stuyvesant High School alumni Tisch School of the Arts alumni Writers from the Bronx