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

comedy drama Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...

and epic historical film genres and was awarded 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 ...

, as well as a

BAFTA Award The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTAs or BAFTA Awards, is an annual film award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to f ...

, for his work producing ''

Shakespeare in Love ''Shakespeare in Love'' is a 1998 period romantic comedy film directed by John Madden, written by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard, and produced by Harvey Weinstein. It stars Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, Geoffrey Rush, Colin Firth, B ...

'' (1998). He made his film debut with the comedy '' About Last Night'' (1986), followed by '' Glory'' (1989), '' Legends of the Fall'' (1994), '' Courage Under Fire'' (1996), '' The Siege'' (1998), ''

The Last Samurai ''The Last Samurai'' is a 2003 American epic period action drama film directed and produced by Edward Zwick, who also co-wrote the screenplay with John Logan and Marshall Herskovitz from a story devised by Logan. The film stars Tom Cruise, ...

'' (2003), ''

Blood Diamond Blood diamonds (also called conflict diamonds, brown diamonds, hot diamonds, or red diamonds) are diamonds mined in a war zone and sold to finance an insurgency, an invading army's war efforts, terrorism, or a warlord's activity. The term is u ...

'' (2006), and '' Defiance'' (2008). His later films include '' Love & Other Drugs'' (2010), '' Pawn Sacrifice'' (2014), and '' Jack Reacher: Never Go Back'' (2016). He is also the co-creator of the ABC family drama series ''

thirtysomething ''Thirtysomething'' is an American drama television series created by Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz for United Artists Television (under MGM/UA Television) and aired on ABC from September 29, 1987, to May 28, 1991."The 'don't trust a ...

'' from 1987 to 1991 and ''

Once and Again ''Once and Again'' is an American family drama television series that aired on ABC from September 21, 1999, to April 15, 2002. It depicts the family of a single mother and her romance with a single father. It was created by Marshall Herskovi ...

'' from 1999 to 2002.

Early life and education

Zwick was born on October 8, 1952, into a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

family in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Ruth Ellen (''née'' Reich) and Allen Zwick. He attended

New Trier High School New Trier High School (, also known as New Trier Township High School or NTHS) is a public four-year high school whose main campus for sophomores through seniors is in Winnetka, Illinois, United States, with a campus in Northfield, Illinois, for ...

, received a B.A. at

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

in 1974, and attended the

AFI Conservatory The AFI Conservatory is a private non-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 stor ...

, 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 admi ...

degree in 1975. Despite sharing a surname and profession, Edward is unrelated to fellow director

Joel Zwick Joel Rudolf Zwick (born January 11, 1942) is an American film director, television director, and theater director.Mann, Iris (June 1, 2016)"'Hillary and Monica': An Unlikely Meeting" ''The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, Jewish Journal''. ...

. He has been married to actress Liberty Godshall since 1982, and they have two grown children.

Career

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

'' (2003), ''

'' (2006), and '' Defiance'' (2008). Along with

Marshall Herskovitz Marshall Schreiber Herskovitz (born February 23, 1952) is an American film director, writer, and producer, and currently the President Emeritus of the Producers Guild of America. Among his productions are ''Traffic'', '' The Last Samurai'', '' ...

, Zwick runs a film production company called

The Bedford Falls Company Bedford Falls Productions or The Bedford Falls Company is an American production company founded in 1985 by Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick. Under the banner, they created television shows like ''Thirtysomething'' and ''Once and Again'', pro ...

(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-American film director, producer, and screenwriter who was the creative force behind Frank Capra filmography#Films that won Academy Award ...

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

Traffic Traffic is the movement of vehicles and pedestrians along land routes. Traffic laws govern and regulate traffic, while rules of the road include traffic laws and informal rules that may have developed over time to facilitate the orderly an ...

'' and ''

'' and the TV shows ''

'', '' Relativity'', ''

'', and ''

My So-Called Life ''My So-Called Life'' is an American teen drama television series created by Winnie Holzman and produced by Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz. It aired on ABC from August 25, 1994 to January 26, 1995. Set at the fictional Liberty High Sch ...

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

and

for Best Picture as a producer, and

Primetime Emmy Awards The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...

for Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Writing in a Limited Series, and Outstanding Dramatic Special. 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 (also known as Oscars) 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 a ...

for ''

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

''. He has additionally been nominated for multiple

Golden Globe Awards The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual Awards ceremony, award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally ...

. In 2024, Zwick released his memoir, ''Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions: My Fortysomething Years in Hollywood''.

Filmography

Film

Television

Television films Executive producer only

Awards and nominations

Books

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zwick, Edward 1952 births 20th-century American Jews 20th-century American screenwriters 21st-century American Jews 21st-century American screenwriters AFI Conservatory alumni American male screenwriters Directors Guild of America Award winners Film directors from Illinois Film producers from Illinois Filmmakers who won the Best Film BAFTA Award Golden Globe Award–winning producers Harvard College alumni Jewish American screenwriters Living people New Trier High School alumni Primetime Emmy Award winners Producers who won the Best Picture Academy Award Screenwriters from Illinois Writers Guild of America Award winners Writers from Chicago