Mark Lowell Ordesky (born April 22, 1963) is an American film producer,

television producer A television producer is a person who oversees one or more aspects of a television show, television program. Some producers take more of an executive role, in that they conceive new programs and pitch them to the television networks, but upon acce ...

and

studio executive A studio executive is an employee of a film studio or a corporation doing business in the entertainment industry. A studio executive may be a chief executive officer (CEO), a chief financial officer (CFO), or a chief operating officer (COO), or be ...

. He is best known for executive producing the Oscar winning ''The Lord of the Rings'' film trilogy.

Career

New Line Cinema

During 20 years at

New Line Cinema New Line Productions, Inc., Trade name, doing business as New Line Cinema, is an American film production, film and television production company that is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, a division of the Major film studios, ...

(and prior to that

Republic Pictures Republic Pictures is currently an acquisition-only label owned by Paramount Pictures. Its history dates back to Republic Pictures Corporation, an American film studio that originally operated from 1935 to 1967, based in Los Angeles, California ...

), Ordesky acquired or executive produced over 60 films, including New Line's first Best Picture Oscar nominee ('' Shine''), its first major category Oscar winner (

Geoffrey Rush Geoffrey Roy Rush (born 6 July 1951) is an Australian actor. Known for often playing eccentric roles on both stage and screen, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Geoffrey Rush, numerous accolades, including an Academy Aw ...

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 ...

, '' Shine''), and its first

Palme d'Or The (; ) is the highest prize awarded to the director of the Best Feature Film of the Official Competition at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festiv ...

at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

(

Lars von Trier Lars von Trier (né Trier; born 30 April 1956) is a Danish film director and screenwriter. Beginning in the late-1960s as a child actor working on Danish television series ''Secret Summer'', von Trier's career has spanned more than five decad ...

's ''

Dancer In The Dark ''Dancer in the Dark'' is a 2000 musical psychological tragedy film written and directed by Lars von Trier. It stars Icelandic musician Björk as a factory worker who suffers from a degenerative eye condition and is saving for an operation to p ...

'').

The Lord of the Rings trilogy

While at New Line, Ordesky executive produced the entire ''The Lord of the Rings'' film trilogy. The final film of the trilogy, '' The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King'', made history by winning every Oscar for which it was nominated, including 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 ...

and

Academy Award for Best Director The Academy Award for Best Director (officially known as the Academy Award of Merit for Directing) is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given in honor of a film director who has exhibit ...

. Collectively, the trilogy earned 17 Oscars from a total of 30 nominations, including three Best Picture nominations.

Fine Line Features

For

Fine Line Features Fine Line Features was the specialty films division of New Line Cinema. From 1991 to 2005, under founder and president Ira Deutchman, Fine Line acquired, distributed and marketed independent films. In 2005, New Line teamed up with fellow Time W ...

(a specialty films division of New Line), Ordesky acquired acclaimed films such as ''

Once Were Warriors ''Once Were Warriors'' is New Zealand author Alan Duff's bestselling first novel, published in 1990. It tells the story of an urban Māori family, the Hekes, and portrays the reality of domestic violence in New Zealand. It was the basis of a 1 ...

'', '' Saving Grace'', ''

Trick Trick(s) may refer to: People * Trick McSorley (1852–1936), American professional baseball player * Armon Trick (born 1978), retired German international rugby union player * David Trick (born 1955), former Ontario civil servant and univers ...

'', ''

State and Main ''State and Main'' is a 2000 American comedy film written and directed by David Mamet and starring William H. Macy, Sarah Jessica Parker, Alec Baldwin, Julia Stiles, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rebecca Pidgeon, David Paymer, Patti LuPone, Clark G ...

'', and ''

Ripley's Game ''Ripley's Game'' (1974) is a psychological thriller by Patricia Highsmith, the third in her series about the con artist and murderer Tom Ripley. Plot summary Tom Ripley continues enjoying his wealthy lifestyle in France with his wife, Heloïs ...

'', as well as award contenders '' Shine'', ''

'', '' Before Night Falls'', ''

Tumbleweeds A tumbleweed is a kind of plant habit or structure. Tumbleweed, tumble-weed or tumble weed may also refer to: Films * Tumbleweeds (1925 film), ''Tumbleweeds'' (1925 film), William S. Hart film * Tumbling Tumbleweeds (1935 film), ''Tumbling Tumble ...

'', '' The Sweet Hereafter'' and ''

American Splendor ''American Splendor'' is a series of autobiographical comic books written by Harvey Pekar and drawn by a variety of artists. The first issue was published in 1976 and the last one in September 2008, with publication occurring at irregular interv ...

''. Eight Oscar nominations and two Golden Globe nominations in total. Ordesky was Fine Line's president from 1998 to 2005.

Jackie Chan

In 1996, Ordesky helped introduce U.S. audiences to

Jackie Chan Fang Shilong (born Chan Kong-sang; 7 April 1954), known professionally as Jackie Chan,; is a Hong Kong actor and filmmaker, known for his slapstick, acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, and innovative stunts, which he typically perf ...

with the break-out hit ''

Rumble in the Bronx ''Rumble in the Bronx'' () is a 1995 action comedy film directed by Stanley Tong, and starring Jackie Chan, Anita Mui, and Françoise Yip. The film is set in the Bronx area of New York City, but was filmed in and around Vancouver, Canada. A ...

''.

Court Five

Ordesky is a founding partner with former New Line Cinema executive Jane Fleming of Court Five, a media company focused on developing and converting intellectual property and brands into filmed entertainment for distribution worldwide.

Personal life

Ordesky was born in Sacramento County, California. In 1985, he graduated from the

USC Annenberg School for Communication The USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism is a part of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. It has 2,300 undergraduate and graduate students. Willow Bay is the dean. Prof. Hector Amaya is the Director of the Sc ...

with a degree in

print journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree of accuracy. The word, a noun, applies to the journ ...

. He was editor of the university newspaper, the

Daily Trojan The ''Daily Trojan'', or "DT," is the student newspaper of the University of Southern California. The newspaper is a forum for student expression and is written, edited, and managed by university students. The paper is intended to inform USC stu ...

,Editors in Chief, Daily Trojan
/ref> and joined the

Chi Phi Chi Phi () is considered by some as the oldest American men's college social fraternity that was established as the result of the merger of three separate organizations that were each known as Chi Phi. The earliest of these organizations was forme ...

fraternity. In 2008, he was honored with Chi Phi's

Walter Cronkite Walter Leland Cronkite Jr. (November 4, 1916 – July 17, 2009) was an American broadcast journalist who served as anchorman for the ''CBS Evening News'' from 1962 to 1981. During the 1960s and 1970s, he was often cited as "the most trust ...

Congressional Award. Ordesky supports the

American Cinematheque The American Cinematheque is an independent, non-profit cultural organization in Los Angeles, California, United States that represents the public presentation of the moving image in all its forms. It presents festivals and retrospectives that ...

as a board member and is also a member of 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 ...

Producers Guild of America The Producers Guild of America (PGA) is a 501(c)(6) trade association representing the interests Television producer, television producers, Film producer, film producers and emerging media producers in the United States. The PGA's membership inclu ...

, and

Academy of Television Arts & Sciences The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), also colloquially known as the Television Academy, is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the Television in the United States, television industry in the United S ...

. In 2004, he married Rachel O'Connell of

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

Filmography

FILM ''PRODUCER'' *

Critters 3 ''Critters 3'' is a 1991 American science fiction comedy horror direct-to-video film and the third installment of the '' Critters'' series, directed by Kristine Peterson. The film stars Aimee Brooks, John Calvin, Katherine Cortez, Don Keith Op ...

(1991): Associate producer *

Critters 4 ''Critters 4'' is a 1992 American science fiction comedy horror film starring Don Keith Opper, Terrence Mann, Angela Bassett and Brad Dourif. It is the fourth installment in the ''Critters'' franchise, filmed simultaneously with part three, from ...

(1991): Associate producer * Sunset Grill (1993): Executive producer * The Hidden II (1994): Executive producer *

Mother Night (film) ''Mother Night'' is a 1996 American romantic war drama film produced and directed by Keith Gordon. It is based on Kurt Vonnegut's 1961 novel of the same name. Nick Nolte stars as Howard W. Campbell, Jr., an American who moves with his family to ...

(1996): Executive producer * Mr. Nice Guy (1997): Production Executive * Pecker (1998): Executive producer * Roseanna's Grave (1998): Executive producer *

(2000): Co-producer * The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001): Executive producer *

(2002): Executive producer * The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002): Executive producer * The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003): Executive producer *

The Sleeping Dictionary ''The Sleeping Dictionary'' is a 2003 British-American romantic drama film written and directed by Guy Jenkin and starring Hugh Dancy, Jessica Alba, Brenda Blethyn, Emily Mortimer, and Bob Hoskins. The film is about a young Englishman who is se ...

(2003): Executive producer *

A Dirty Shame ''A Dirty Shame'' is a 2004 American satirical sex comedy film written and directed by John Waters and starring Tracey Ullman, Johnny Knoxville, Selma Blair, and Chris Isaak. It follows a community in suburban Baltimore divided between people ...

(2004): Executive producer *

Birth Birth is the act or process of bearing or bringing forth offspring, also referred to in technical contexts as parturition. In mammals, the process is initiated by hormones which cause the muscular walls of the uterus to contract, expelling the f ...

(2004): Executive producer * The New World (2005): Executive producer * The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006): Executive producer * The Golden Compass (2007): Executive producer *

Inkheart ''Inkheart'' () is a 2003 young adult fantasy novel by Cornelia Funke, and is the first book of the ''Inkheart'' series, with '' Inkspell'' (2005) and '' Inkdeath'' (2007) succeeding it. The novel became one of the finalists of 2004 BookSense ...

(2008): Executive producer *

Paris Connections ''Paris Connections'' is a 2010 British film directed by Harley Cokeliss. The script was written by Michael Tupy, based on a thriller by Jackie Collins. The film was the first direct-to-DVD film produced by the British supermarket firm Tesco wh ...

(2010): Executive Producer * The Long, Slow Death Of A Twenty Something (2011): Co-Executive Producer *

Tiger Eyes (film) ''Tiger Eyes'' is a 2012 film directed by Lawrence Blume based on the 1981 young adult novel of the same name, written by Judy Blume, and stars Willa Holland, Amy Jo Johnson and Tatanka Means. It follows the story of Davey, a young girl attempt ...

(2012): Producer * Lovely Molly (2012): Producer *

The Frozen Ground ''The Frozen Ground'' is a 2013 American thriller film directed and written by Scott Walker, in his directorial debut, starring Nicolas Cage, John Cusack, Vanessa Hudgens, Katherine LaNasa, Radha Mitchell, and 50 Cent. Based on the crime ...

(2013): Producer *

Exists (film) ''Exists'' is a 2014 American found footage monster horror film, directed by Eduardo Sánchez. The film had its world premiere on March 7, 2014, at South by Southwest, and stars Chris Osborn and Samuel Davis. The story revolves around a group o ...

(2014): Producer * The Murders Of Brandywine Theater (2014): Executive Producer * '' Reality High'' (2017): Producer * Golden Arm (film) (2020): Executive Producer TELEVISION *

The Quest (2014 TV series) ''The Quest'' is an American fantasy-based competition series that aired on the network ABC that premiered on July 31, 2014. Filmed on a castle estate outside Vienna, Austria, contestants face a variety of fantasy-themed challenges in the ficti ...

: Executive Producer * The Quest (2022 TV series): Executive Producer MISCELLANEOUS CREW * Poison Ivy: The New Seduction (1997): Special thanks *

Man of the Century ''Man of the Century'' is a 1999 American comedy film directed by Adam Abraham and written by Abraham and Gibson Frazier. The film stars Frazier, Cara Buono, Susan Egan, Dwight Ewell and Anthony Rapp. ''Man of the Century'' was filmed in black ...

(1999): Thanks * The Anniversary Party (2001): Special Thanks * Searching For Angela Shelton (2004): Very Special Thanks SECOND UNIT DIRECTING * The Long and Short of It (2003): Second unit director