Cassian Cary Elwes (born 7 August 1959) is a
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
* British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
independent film producer and talent agent.
Early life and education
Cassian Elwes was born on 7 August 1959 in
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. He is the son of
Dominic Elwes, a portrait painter, and
Tessa Kennedy
Tessa Georgina Kennedy (born 6 December 1938) is a British interior designer, whose clients include multi-national corporations, royalty, celebrities, and European hotels, restaurants, and clubs. Her elopement with society portrait painter Domin ...
, an interior designer. Cassian is the elder brother of actor
Cary Elwes
Ivan Simon Cary Elwes (; born 26 October 1962) is an English actor. He starred as Westley in ''The Princess Bride (film), The Princess Bride'' (1987), and also had lead roles in films such as ''Robin Hood: Men in Tights'' (1993) and the Saw (fr ...
and artist
Damian Elwes
Dusan Damian Cary Elwes (born 10 August 1960) is a British artist with studios in Los Angeles and the Colombian rainforest. His paintings explore themes such as the cycle of life and creativity. These artworks can be monumental and three-dimensi ...
. Cassian is the stepson of
Elliott Kastner
Elliott Kastner (January 7, 1930 – June 30, 2010) was an American film producer, whose best known credits include ''Where Eagles Dare'' (1968), '' The Long Goodbye'' (1973), '' The Missouri Breaks'' (1976), and '' Angel Heart'' (1987).
Early ...
, an American
film producer.
Career
Cassian Elwes began his producing career with 1984's ''
Oxford Blues
''Oxford Blues'' is a 1984 British comedy-drama sports film written and directed by Robert Boris and starring Rob Lowe, Ally Sheedy and Amanda Pays. It is a remake of the 1938 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film ''A Yank at Oxford'' and was Lowe's fir ...
'' starring
Rob Lowe
Robert Hepler Lowe (born March 17, 1964) is an American actor, filmmaker, and entertainment host. Following numerous television roles in the early 1980s, he came to prominence as a teen idol and member of the Brat Pack with starring roles in ...
and
Ally Sheedy
Alexandra Elizabeth Sheedy (born June 13, 1962) is an American actress. She made her feature film debut in '' Bad Boys'' (1983) and came to prominence as a member of the Brat Pack with roles in '' Oxford Blues'' (1984), '' The Breakfast Club'' ...
; he has continued enjoying success in film. His earlier roles include ''
Men at Work
Men at Work are an Australian rock band that was formed in Melbourne, 1979. They were best known for breakthrough hits such as " Down Under", " Who Can It Be Now?", " Be Good Johnny", " Overkill", and " It's a Mistake". Its founding member and ...
'' with
Emilio Estevez
Emilio Estevez (; born May 12, 1962) is an American actor and filmmaker. The son of actor Martin Sheen and the older brother of Charlie Sheen, he made his film debut with an uncredited role in '' Badlands'' (1973). He later received his first ...
and
Charlie Sheen
Carlos Irwin Estévez (born September 3, 1965), known professionally as Charlie Sheen, is an American actor. He is known as a leading man in film and television. Sheen has received numerous accolades including a Golden Globe Award as well as ...
, ''
The Chase'' with Charlie Sheen, Kristy Swanson, and Henry Rollins; as well as ''
The Dark Backward
''The Dark Backward'' (also known as ''The Man with Three Arms'') is a 1991 American black comedy film written and directed by Adam Rifkin. It stars Judd Nelson, Bill Paxton, and Wayne Newton. It follows a garbage man who tries his hand at stand ...
'' with
Judd Nelson
Judd Asher Nelson (born November 28, 1959) is an American actor. After a lead role in the film '' Making the Grade'' (1984), Nelson had his breakout with a starring role in the coming-of-age teen film ''The Breakfast Club'' (1985), which caused ...
,
Bill Paxton
William Paxton (May 17, 1955 – February 25, 2017) was an American actor, filmmaker and musician. A versatile character actor known for his distinctive Texan drawl and everyman screen persona, he was a four-time Golden Globe Award and a Prime ...
, and Rob Lowe. In 1989 he produced the independent film ''
Never on Tuesday'' which featured a cast of cameos including Charlie Sheen, Emilio Estevez, Judd Nelson,
Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Kim Coppola (born January 7, 1964), known professionally as Nicolas Cage, is an American actor and film producer. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Nicolas Cage, various accolades, including an Academy A ...
, and Cary Elwes.
''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' has said that Cassian Elwes was "involved in a virtual who's who of every great independent film of the last ten years" with films such as ''
Thank You for Smoking'', ''
Half Nelson'', and ''
Frozen River
''Frozen River'' is a 2008 American crime drama film written and directed by Courtney Hunt in her feature directorial debut. Starring Melissa Leo and Misty Upham, the film follows two working-class mothers who team up to earn money by smuggli ...
'' (the last two of which garnered Oscar nominations for
Ryan Gosling
Ryan Thomas Gosling ( ; born November 12, 1980) is a Canadian actor. His work includes both independent films and major studio features, and his accolades include a Golden Globe Award, in addition to nominations for three Academy Awards, a ...
and
Melissa Leo
Melissa Chessington Leo (born September 14, 1960) is an American actress. She is the recipient of several accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and two Critics' Choice A ...
respectively).
Elwes ventured briefly into writing and directing films with the low budget 1993 independent film ''
Blue Flame'' starring former child actor
Kerri Green
Kerri Green is an American actress best known for her roles in ''The Goonies'' (1985), ''Summer Rental'' (1985), and ''Lucas (1986 film), Lucas'' (1986). She co-wrote and directed the film ''Bellyfruit'' (1999).
Early life
Green grew up in Wood ...
. The film was critically panned and effectively ended Green's career. His next venture came in the 2023 drama
Passenger C, an independent film recreating Elwes' own experience with an unruly airline passenger and the emotional aftermath he experienced.
"What people lose sight of," Elwes said to ''Screen International'', "is that these films cost a tenth of the films that they competed against at the Academy Awards. The privilege was the recognition."
Elwes is an expert in the field of arranging financing and distribution for independent films having done so for 283 films during his tenure at William Morris Independent.
Since leaving William Morris Independent, Elwes has been involved in arranging financing and distribution for 23 films including ''
Lawless'', directed by
John Hillcoat
John Hillcoat (born 14 August 1961) is an Australian film director, screenwriter, and music video director.
His early work includes the 1988 prison film '' Ghosts... of the Civil Dead'', as well as music videos for bands such as Siouxsie and t ...
, (''
The Road
''The Road'' is a 2006 post-apocalyptic novel by American writer Cormac McCarthy. The book details the grueling journey of a father and his young son over several months across a landscape blasted by an unspecified cataclysm that has destroyed ...
''), starring
Shia LaBeouf
Shia Saide LaBeouf ( ; born June 11, 1986) is an American actor and filmmaker. He played Louis Stevens in the Disney Channel series ''Even Stevens'', a role for which he received Young Artist Award nominations in 2001 and 2002 and won a Dayt ...
and
Tom Hardy, and the thriller ''
The Paperboy'', directed by
Lee Daniels
Lee Daniels (born December 24, 1959) is an American film producer, director, and screenwriter. He made his directorial film debut with ''Shadowboxer'' (2005), followed by ''Precious (film), Precious'' (2009) which earned him Academy Award nomin ...
(''
Precious
Precious may refer to:
Music
* Precious (group), a British female pop group
Albums
* ''Precious'' (Chanté Moore album), 1992
* ''Precious'' (Conrad Sewell album), 2023
* ''Precious'' (Cubic U album), 1998
* ''Precious'' (Ours album), 200 ...
''), starring
Matthew McConaughey
Matthew David McConaughey ( ; born November 4, 1969) is an American actor. He achieved his breakthrough with a supporting performance in the coming-of-age comedy '' Dazed and Confused'' (1993). After a number of supporting roles, his first su ...
and
Zac Efron
Zachary David Alexander Efron (; born October 18, 1987) is an American actor. Efron began acting professionally in the early 2000s and rose to prominence as a teen idol for his leading role as Troy Bolton in the ''High School Musical'' film ...
. Elwes produced the period drama ''
The Butler
''The Butler'' (full title ''Lee Daniels' The Butler'') is a 2013 American historical drama film directed and co-produced by Lee Daniels and written by Danny Strong. It is inspired by Wil Haygood's ''Washington Post'' article "A Butler Well Ser ...
'', which was directed by Lee Daniels and featured an ensemble cast, including
Forest Whitaker
Forest Steven Whitaker (born July 15, 1961) is an American actor, filmmaker, and activist. His accolades include an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a British Academy Film Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards and the Best Actor Award at the ...
,
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954) is an American television presenter, talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and media proprietor. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show' ...
,
John Cusack
John Paul Cusack ( ; born June 28, 1966)(28 June 1996)Today's birthdays ''Santa Cruz Sentinel'', ("Actors John Cusack is 30") is an American actor. With a career spanning over four decades, he has appeared in over 80 films. He began acting in f ...
,
Jane Fonda
Jane Seymour Fonda (born December 21, 1937) is an American actress and activist. Recognized as a film icon, Jane Fonda filmography, Fonda's work spans several genres and over six decades of film and television. She is the recipient of List of a ...
,
Terrence Howard
Terrence Dashon Howard (born March 11, 1969) is an American actor performing on film and television. He has received a Screen Actors Guild Awards, Screen Actors Guild Award as well as nominations for an Academy Awards, Academy Award, a Golden ...
,
Vanessa Redgrave
Dame Vanessa Redgrave (born 30 January 1937) is an English actress. In her career spanning over six decades, she has garnered List of awards and nominations received by Vanessa Redgrave, numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Tony A ...
,
Alan Rickman
Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman (21 February 1946 – 14 January 2016) was an English actor and director. Known for his distinctive deep, wikt:languid#Etymology 1, languid voice, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and b ...
,
Liev Schreiber
Isaac Liev Schreiber ( ; born October 4, 1967) is an American actor. He has received numerous accolades including a Tony Award as well as nominations for nine Primetime Emmy Awards and five Golden Globe Awards.
Schreiber's early film roles incl ...
, and
Robin Williams
Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian known for his improvisational skills and the wide variety of characters he created on the spur of the moment and portrayed on film, in dramas and comedie ...
among others.
Additionally, he produced ''
Dallas Buyers Club
''Dallas Buyers Club'' is a 2013 American biographical drama film written by Craig Borten and Melisa Wallack, and directed by Jean-Marc Vallée. The film tells the story of Ron Woodroof (Matthew McConaughey), a cowboy diagnosed with AIDS in ...
'' starring Matthew McConaughey and
Jennifer Garner
Jennifer Anne Garner (born April 17, 1972) is an American actress. Born in Houston, Texas and raised in Charleston, West Virginia, Garner studied theater at Denison University and began acting as an understudy for the Roundabout Theatre Company ...
; ''
Ain't Them Bodies Saints
''Ain't Them Bodies Saints'' is a 2013 American romantic crime drama film written and directed by David Lowery. The film stars Casey Affleck as Bob Muldoon, Rooney Mara as Ruth Guthrie, and Ben Foster as Patrick Wheeler. Bob (Affleck) and Rut ...
'' starring
Rooney Mara
Rooney Mara Phoenix ( ; born Patricia Rooney Mara; April 17, 1985) is an American actress. Her accolades include nominations for two Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards and a British Academy Film Award.
Born into the Rooney and Mara fam ...
,
Casey Affleck
Casey Affleck (born Caleb Casey McGuire Affleck-Boldt; August 12, 1975) is an American actor. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Casey Affleck, various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film ...
and
Ben Foster; and ''
Hateship, Loveship
''Hateship, Loveship'' is a 2013 American drama film directed by Liza Johnson and written by Mark Poirier, based on the 2001 short story " Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage" by Alice Munro. The film stars Kristen Wiig, Hailee ...
'' starring
Kristen Wiig
Kristen Carroll Wiig (; born August 22, 1973) is an American actress, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. First breaking through as a performer with the Los Angeles comedy troupe The Groundlings, Wiig achieved stardom in the late 2000s for her ...
,
Guy Pearce
Guy Edward Pearce (born 5 October 1967) is an Australian actor. List of awards and nominations received by Guy Pearce, His accolades include a Primetime Emmy Award, and nominations for an Academy Awards, Academy Award, a British Academy Film Aw ...
,
Hailee Steinfeld
Hailee Steinfeld (born December 11, 1996) is an American actress, singer, and songwriter. She had her breakthrough with the western film ''True Grit (2010 film), True Grit'' (2010), which earned her List of awards and nominations received by H ...
, and
Nick Nolte
Nicholas King Nolte (; born February 8, 1941) is an American actor. Known for his leading man roles in both dramas and romances, he has received a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for three Academy Awards and a Primetime Emmy Award. Nol ...
.
On 29 October 2013, Elwes launched the Cassian Elwes Independent Screenwriter Fellowship, in conjunction with
The Black List, to award one writer an all-expenses-paid trip to the 2014
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023.
The festival has acted ...
and mentorship from Elwes. Elwes and The Black List award the fellowship annually.
William Morris years
From 1994 to 2009, he co-headed William Morris Independent as an agent at
The William Morris Agency, representing independent films and independent film producers; a position he held until the agency merged with
Endeavor.
Filmography
Ancestry
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elwes, Cassian
1959 births
Living people
English expatriates in the United States
English film producers
English talent agents
Film producers from London
Mass media people from Greater Los Angeles