David Linde (born February 8, 1960) is an American businessman and film producer. He served as CEO of Participant, chairman of

Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...

, a co-founder of

Focus Features Focus Features LLC is an American independent film production and distribution company, owned by Comcast as a unit of Universal Pictures, which is itself a unit of Comcast's division NBCUniversal. Focus Features distributes independent and fore ...

, a partner of

Good Machine Good Machine Productions was an American independent film production, film distribution, and foreign sales company started in the early 1990 by its co-founders and producers, Ted Hope and James Schamus. David Linde joined as a partner in the l ...

, and owner of Lava Bear Films, where he produced '' Arrival''. Films released during his tenures collectively earned more than $15 billion globally, with 204 Oscar nominations and 46 wins.

Early life and education

Linde was born and raised in Eugene, the son of law professor and Oregon Supreme Court Justice, Hans A. LindeThe Register Guard: "His shining ‘spotlight’ David Linde, formerly of Eugene, helms the company behind the Oscar winner" By Mark Baker
February 24, 2017 and Helen Tucker Linde. His father was Jewish and his mother is Presbyterian. In 1978, Linde graduated from South Eugene High School. After attending

Swarthmore College Swarthmore College ( , ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1864, with its first classes held in 1869, Swarthmore is one of the e ...

, he moved to New York CityVariety Magazine: "David Linde Talks About His Career, China, the Future of Film at Locarno" by John Hopewell
August 5, 2016 where his girlfriend (later his wife) had moved.
March 5, 2016 In New York, he worked as a paralegal for

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

from 1984 to 1988 where he supervised sales of select international theatrical rights; and then as co-head of the international department at Fox Lorber Associates from 1988 to 1991 where he directed the sales of more than 300 independently produced film, documentary and television titles.

Career

Linde joined

Miramax Films Miramax, LLC, formerly known as Miramax Films, is an American independent film and television production and distribution company owned by beIN Media Group and Paramount Global. Based in Los Angeles, California, it was founded on December 19, ...

in 1991 as Vice President of Acquisitions before being promoted to Executive Vice President and Head of Sales as the founding executive of Miramax Films International. While at Miramax, he oversaw the international distribution of

Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American filmmaker, actor, and author. Quentin Tarantino filmography, His films are characterized by graphic violence, extended dialogue often featuring much profanity, and references to ...

's ''

Pulp Fiction ''Pulp Fiction'' is a 1994 American independent crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino from a story he conceived with Roger Avary.See, e.g., King (2002), pp. 185–7; ; It tells four intertwining tales of crime and violence ...

'',

Woody Allen Heywood Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American filmmaker, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades. Allen has received many List of awards and nominations received by Woody Allen, accolade ...

's ''

Mighty Aphrodite ''Mighty Aphrodite'' is a 1995 American comedy film written, directed by, and co-starring Woody Allen, alongside Mira Sorvino, Helena Bonham Carter, Michael Rapaport, and F. Murray Abraham. The screenplay was vaguely inspired by the story of ' ...

'',

Wes Craven Wesley Earl Craven (August 2, 1939 – August 30, 2015) was an American film director, screenwriter and producer. Amongst his Wes Craven filmography, prolific filmography, Craven worked primarily in the Horror film, horror genre, particularly sla ...

's '' Scream'' and

Anthony Minghella Anthony Minghella (6 January 195418 March 2008) was a British film director, playwright, and screenwriter. He was chairman of the board of Governors at the British Film Institute between 2003 and 2007. He directed ''Truly, Madly, Deeply (film), ...

's multi-Academy Award-winning '' The English Patient''. Linde was both co-president and partner of the production company

and President and founder of Good Machine International, beginning in January 1997. GMI handled the international distribution of films including Ang Lee's ''

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon ''Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'' is a 2000 epic romantic drama wuxia martial arts film directed by Ang Lee and written for the screen by Wang Hui-ling, James Schamus, and Tsai Kuo-jung. The film stars Chow Yun-fat, Michelle Yeoh, Z ...

'' (of which Linde was executive producer), Alfonso Cuaron's ''

Y tu mamá también ''Y tu mamá también'' (Spanish for ''And Your Mother Too'') is a 2001 Mexican Coming-of-age story, coming-of-age comedy drama Road movie, road film directed by Alfonso Cuarón, who co-wrote the script with his brother Carlos Cuarón, Carlos. I ...

'' (of which Linde was executive producer).

Joel Coen Joel Daniel Coen (born November 29, 1954) is an American filmmaker. Working alongside his brother Ethan, the duo have directed, written, edited and produced many feature films, the most acclaimed of which include '' Blood Simple'' (1984), '' ...

and Ethan Coen's '' The Man Who Wasn't There'', and Todd Field's '' In the Bedroom''. Films distributed by GMI earned six Academy Awards from 22 nominations, including two for Best Picture and five Golden Globes from 18 nominations. While at Good Machine, Linde also executive produced

Todd Solondz Todd Solondz (; born October 15, 1959) is an American filmmaker and playwright known for his style of dark, socially conscious satire. Solondz's work has received critical acclaim for its commentary on the "dark underbelly of middle class Americ ...

's ''

Happiness Happiness is a complex and multifaceted emotion that encompasses a range of positive feelings, from contentment to intense joy. It is often associated with positive life experiences, such as achieving goals, spending time with loved ones, ...

''. In 2002, Linde and his partners sold the Good Machine companies to Universal Pictures and created Focus Features. As co-president of

and president of its genre production unit,

Rogue Pictures Rogue (originally Rogue Pictures) is an American independent production company founded in 1998 by Matt Wall and Patrick Gunn, originally started off as a genre film label of the Universal-affiliated independent film studio October Films and was ...

. Linde oversaw a slate that featured

Roman Polanski Raymond Roman Thierry Polański (; born 18 August 1933) is a Polish and French filmmaker and actor. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Roman Polanski, numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, three Britis ...

's '' The Pianist'',

Sofia Coppola Sofia Carmina Coppola ( , ; born May 14, 1971) is an American filmmaker and former actress. She has List of awards and nominations received by Sofia Coppola, won an Academy Awards, Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, a Golden Lion, and a Can ...

's '' Lost in Translation'' and Fernando Meirelles' '' The Constant Gardener'', as well as

Ang Lee Ang Lee (; born October 23, 1954) is a Taiwanese filmmaker. His films are known for their emotional charge and exploration of repressed, hidden emotions. During his career, he has received international critical and popular acclaim and List o ...

's ''

Brokeback Mountain ''Brokeback Mountain'' is a 2005 American neo-Western romantic drama film directed by Ang Lee and produced by Diana Ossana and James Schamus. Adapted from Brokeback Mountain (short story), the 1997 short story by Annie Proulx, the screenplay ...

''. During Linde's tenure at Focus, the company was honored with 53 Oscar nominations resulting in 11 Academy Awards. In 2008, Linde oversaw the sale of Rogue Pictures to

Relativity Media Relativity Media, LLC is an American independent media company founded in 2004 by Lynwood Spinks and Ryan Kavanaugh. The company brokered film finance deals and later branched into film production and other entertainment ventures. The company ...

. In 2002, Linde was promoted to co-chairman of

and subsequently, Chairman. During his tenure, Universal significantly grew its international distribution and production platform across all media and launched Universal's family/animation banner, Illumination Entertainment. In 2011, Linde founded Lava Bear Films, a film production and financing company developing projects specifically designed for the global marketplace, and was the company's CEO. Linde has long-lasting relationships in global filmmaking, most recently as executive producer of

Alejandro González Iñárritu Alejandro González Iñárritu (born 15 August 1963) is a Mexican filmmaker primarily known for making modern psychological drama (film genre), psychological drama films about the human condition. His most notable films include ''Amores perros ...

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 ...

-nominated '' Biutiful'', producer of

Fernando Meirelles Fernando Ferreira Meirelles (; born 9 November 1955) is a Brazilian film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is best known for co-directing the film ''City of God (2002 film), City of God'', released in 2002 in Brazil and in 2003 in the Un ...

' ''

360 360 may refer to: * 360 (number) * 360 AD, a year * 360 BC, a year * 360 degrees, a turn Businesses and organizations * 360 Architecture, an American architectural design firm * Ngong Ping 360, a tourism project in Lantau Island, Hong Kong ...

'', and as executive producer of

Zhang Yimou Zhang Yimou (; born 14 November 1950) is a Chinese filmmaker.Tasker, Yvonne (2002). "Zhang Yimou" i''Fifty Contemporary Filmmakers'' Routledge Publishing, p. 412. . Google Book Search. Retrieved 21 August 2008. A leading figure of China's Cinem ...

's '' The Flowers of War'' starring

Christian Bale Christian Charles Philip Bale (born 30 January 1974) is an English actor. Known for his versatility and physical transformations for his roles, he has been a leading man in films of several genres. List of awards and nominations received by C ...

. Most recently, Linde executive produced Yimou's '' Coming Home'' which premiered at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, Jonas Cuaron's ''Desierto'', and Alfonso Cuaron's '' Roma''. During his tenure as CEO of Participant from 2015 to 2023, the company's films included Academy Award for Best Picture winners, ''Spotlight'' and ''Green Book''; Oscar winner for Best Documentary Feature, '' American Factory''; Oscar winners for Best Foreign Language Film, ''Roma'' and ''

A Fantastic Woman ''A Fantastic Woman'' () is a 2017 drama film directed by Sebastián Lelio, written by Lelio and Gonzalo Maza. Produced by Juan de Dios and Pablo Larraín, the film stars Daniela Vega and Francisco Reyes. It won the Academy Award for Best For ...

''; as well as acclaimed, award-winning long-form content including Steve James' docuseries '' America to Me'' and

Ava DuVernay Ava Marie DuVernay (; born August 24, 1972) is an American filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer. She is a recipient of two Primetime Emmy Awards, Primetime Emmy Awards, two NAACP Image Awards, NAACP Image Awards, a British Academy Film Awards, ...

's '' When They See Us''. In 2022, Linde oversaw the reorganization of Participant's operations to create a ''campaigns and engagement'' department that extended the reach and impact of the company's films through a combination of impact campaigning integrated with marketing, digital resources, and social media.

Filmography

Executive producer * ''

Great Performances ''Great Performances'' is a television anthology series dedicated to the performing arts; the banner has been used to televise plays, musicals, opera, ballet, concerts, as well as occasional documentaries. It is produced by the PBS member statio ...

'' (1992) (TV series) * ''

'' (1998) * '' Ride with the Devil'' (1999) * '' The King Is Alive'' (2000) * ''

'' (2000) * ''

Storytelling Storytelling is the social and cultural activity of sharing narrative, stories, sometimes with improvisation, theatre, theatrics or embellishment. Every culture has its own narratives, which are shared as a means of entertainment, education, cul ...

'' (2001) * ''

They In Modern English, ''they'' is a third-person pronoun relating to a grammatical subject. Morphology In Standard Modern English, ''they'' has five distinct word forms: * ''they'': the nominative (subjective) form * ''them'': the accus ...

'' (2002) * '' How to Deal'' (2003) * '' Biutiful'' (2010) * ''

'' (2011) * '' The Flowers of War'' (2011) * '' Coming Home'' (2014) * '' Desierto'' (2015) * '' The Bodyguard'' (2016) * '' Shut In'' (2016) * '' Roma'' (2018) * '' Stillwater'' (2021) Producer * ''

'' (2011) * '' The Rover'' (2014) * '' The Forest'' (2016) * '' Arrival'' (2016) Thanks * ''

Clerks A clerk is someone who works in an office. A retail clerk works in a store. Office holder Clerk(s) may also refer to a person who holds an office, most commonly in a local unit of government, or a court. *Barristers' clerk, a manager and administ ...

'' (1994) * '' The Tao of Steve'' (2000) * ''

21 Grams ''21 Grams'' is a 2003 American crime thriller film directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu and written by Guillermo Arriaga. It is the second installment in the duo’s informal “Trilogy of Death,” preceded by ''Amores perros'' (2000) ...

'' (2003) * ''

Agora The agora (; , romanized: ', meaning "market" in Modern Greek) was a central public space in ancient Ancient Greece, Greek polis, city-states. The literal meaning of the word "agora" is "gathering place" or "assembly". The agora was the center ...

'' (2009) * '' Mama'' (2013) * '' Birdman'' (2014) * '' Above Suspicion'' (2019) * '' The King'' (2019)

Recognition

Throughout his career Linde has been recognized with numerous awards including The Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneer of the Year, General Electric's chairman's Award for Performance Turnaround, the Anti-Defamation League's Distinguished Entertainment Industry Award, the 21st Israel Film Festival – Visionary Award, New York Magazine: Best Of The Industry Award, the Gotham Award For Distinguished Achievement, the EmPOWerment Award at Variety's Power of Women event, among others. In 2020, Linde received an honorary degree from

. Linde served two terms on the

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., with the stated goal of adva ...

’ Board of Governors and as a Treasurer, its Museum Foundation Board of Trustees, and the Academy Foundation Board of Trustees. He serves on the Board of Directors of the British Academy of Film And Television Arts (North America), Film Independent's Board of Directors,

American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the History of cinema in the United States, motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private fu ...

's Board of Trustees, and the advisory council of

Brooklyn College Brooklyn College is a public university in Brooklyn in New York City, United States. It is part of the City University of New York system and enrolls nearly 14,000 students on a campus in the Midwood and Flatbush sections of Brooklyn as of fall ...

's Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema.

Personal life

Linde is married to Felicia Rosenfeld.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Linde, David Living people 20th-century American Jews American entertainment industry businesspeople Swarthmore College alumni Businesspeople from Eugene, Oregon South Eugene High School alumni Film producers from Oregon 1960 births American film production company founders 21st-century American Jews