Robert Lantos (born 3 April 1949) is a Hungarian-Canadian film producer.

Life and career

Lantos was born on 3 April 1949 in

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

, the son of Ágnes (Bodor) and László Lantos, a mechanic and truck company owner. Lantos spent much of his childhood in

Montevideo Montevideo (, ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2023 census, the city proper has a population of 1,302,954 (about 37.2% of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...

, Uruguay, where his family fled after the

Hungarian Revolution of 1956 The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 (23 October – 4 November 1956; ), also known as the Hungarian Uprising, was an attempted countrywide revolution against the government of the Hungarian People's Republic (1949–1989) and the policies caused by ...

. He immigrated to Canada in 1963. Lantos is Jewish. Lantos studied literature at

McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

and graduated with a BA (1970) and an MA (1972). Following graduation from McGill, he founded Vivafilm which imported and distributed foreign films across Canada. He later started a production company, RSL Entertainment, which produced fifteen films, most notably George Kaczender's '' In Praise of Older Women'' and

Ted Kotcheff William Theodore Kotcheff (; April 7, 1931 – April 10, 2025) was a CanadianUS Director Ted Kotcheff Granted Bulgarian Citizenship. Bulgarian Justice Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva on Friday granted citizenship to Ted Kotcheff, a US director bor ...

's '' Joshua Then and Now''. Lantos co-founded the Canadian film and television company Alliance Communications Corporation with partners Victory Loewy, John Kemeny, Stephen J. Roth, and

Denis Héroux Denis Héroux, (; 15 July 1940 – 10 December 2015) was a Canadian film director and producer. Biography Born in Montreal, Quebec, he was the older brother of prolific Quebec film and television producer Claude Héroux. Héroux wanted to beco ...

. He was chairman and CEO until 1998 when he sold his controlling interest in Alliance. He now produces films through his production company Serendipity Point Films. Lantos has produced 40 feature films. His credits include the Golden Globe Winner and Academy Award nominated '' Barney's Version'', Golden Globe nominated and Academy Award nominated ''

Eastern Promises ''Eastern Promises'' is a 2007 gangster film directed by David Cronenberg from a screenplay by Steven Knight. The film tells the story of Anna ( Naomi Watts), a Russian-British midwife who delivers the baby of a drug-addicted 14-year-old tra ...

'', ''Fugitive Pieces'', winner, Best Actor at the Rome Film Festival and winner of the Audience Award at the Sydney Film Festival,

Golden Globe 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 Januar ...

-nominated and

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 ''

Being Julia ''Being Julia'' is a 2004 comedy-drama film directed by István Szabó and starring Annette Bening and Jeremy Irons. The screenplay by Ronald Harwood is based on the novel ''Theatre'' (1937) by W. Somerset Maugham. The original film score was ...

'', Golden Globe nominated ''Sunshine'', the Cannes Grand Prix winner and Academy Award nominated '' The Sweet Hereafter'', Berlin Silver Bear winner '' Existenz'', Cannes Ecumenical Prize winner ''

Adoration Adoration is respect, reverence, strong admiration, and love for a certain person, place, or thing. The term comes from the Latin ''adōrātiō'', meaning "to give Homage (arts), homage or worship to someone or something". Ancient Rome In class ...

'', Cannes Special Jury Prize winner ''Crash'', Cannes International Critics Prize winner ''Exotica'', Genie Award winners, '' Where the Truth Lies'', '' Black Robe'', '' In Praise of Older Women'', and Canadian domestic box office phenomenon ''

Men with Brooms ''Men with Brooms'' is a 2002 Canadian romantic comedy film, starring and directed by Paul Gross. Centred on the sport of curling, the offbeat comedy tells the story of a reunited curling team from a small Canadian town as they work through their ...

''. Another five of his films have been a part of the Cannes Official Selection: '' Night Magic'' (1985), '' Joshua Then and Now'' (1985, in competition), ''

Felicia's Journey ''Felicia's Journey'' is a novel written by Irish author William Trevor, first published by Viking Press in 1994. The novel was made into a 1999 film of the same name. The book won the Whitbread Prize and ''The Sunday Express'' Book of the Ye ...

'' (1999, in competition), ''Stardom'' (2000, Closing Night), '' Ararat'' (2002), '' Where the Truth Lies'' (2005, in competition). His television credits include the drama series: ''

Due South ''Due South'' is a Canadian crime comedy-drama television series created by Paul Haggis, and produced by Alliance Communications from its premiere on April 23, 1994, to its conclusion after four seasons on March 14, 1999. The series starred P ...

'', ''Power Play'', ''

North of 60 ''North of 60'' is a 1990s Canadian television drama depicting life in the sub-Arctic northern boreal forest (north of 60° north latitude, hence the title). It first aired on CBC Television in 1992 and was syndicated around the world. It is se ...

'', ''Counterstrike'', ''E.N.G'', ''

Night Heat ''Night Heat'' is a Canadian police crime drama series that aired on both CTV in Canada and CBS in the United States. Original episodes were broadcast from 1985 to 1989. ''Night Heat'' was the first Canadian original drama series that was sim ...

'', ''Bordertown'', and 25 made-for-television movies. Lantos is a member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

and holds an honorary

Doctor of Letters Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or '), also termed Doctor of Literature in some countries, is a terminal degree in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. In the United States, at universities such as Drew University, the degree ...

from

. He has served on the board of directors of the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is the Canadian Public broadcasting, public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a Crown corporation that serves as the national public broadcaster, with its E ...

, the

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the most prestigious and largest publicly attended film festivals in the world. Founded in 1976, the festival takes place every year in early September. The organi ...

Indigo Books and Music Indigo Books & Music Inc., known as "Indigo" and stylized "!ndigo", is Canada's only major English-language bookstore chain. It is Canada's largest book, gift, and specialty toy retailer, operating stores in all ten Provinces and territori ...

, the

Canadian Film Centre The Canadian Film Centre (CFC) is a charitable organization founded in 1988 by filmmaker Norman Jewison in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Originally launched as a film school, today it provides training, development and advancement opportunities for ...

, and the

Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television is a Canadian non-profit organization created in 1979 to recognize the achievements of the over 4,000 Canadian cinema of Canada, film industry and television in Canada, television industry professionals ...

, of which he is a past chairman. He received the Academy of Canadian Film and Television's Air Canada Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Business of Filmmaking in Canada in 1991, the Canadian Film and Television Producers Association Chetwynd Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence, and the Ontario Region's Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 1995. He is also a recipient of the Royal Canadian Academy of the Arts Award, and The Toronto Arts Award. He is an inductee to the Canadian Film and Television Hall of Fame. He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, and the European Film Academy. At the

2015 Toronto International film Festival The 40th annual Toronto International Film Festival was held from 10 to 20 September 2015. On 28 July 2015 the first wave of films to be screened at the Festival was announced. Jean-Marc Vallée's ''Demolition'' starring Jake Gyllenhaal and N ...

, the Canadian Media Production Association announced that Lantos had won 10th annual Feature Film Producer's Award.

Filmography as producer

For a complete list of credits see:

Motion picture credits

* '' The Angel and the Woman (L'Ange et la femme)'' (1977) * '' In Praise of Older Women'' (1978) * '' Agency'' (1980) * '' Suzanne'' (1980) * '' Your Ticket Is No Longer Valid'' (1981) * ''

Paradise In religion and folklore, paradise is a place of everlasting happiness, delight, and bliss. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical, eschatological, or both, often contrasted with the miseries of human ...

'' (1982) * '' Scandale'' (1982) * '' Bedroom Eyes'' (1984) * '' Heavenly Bodies'' (1984) * '' Night Magic'' (1985) * '' Joshua Then and Now'' (1985) * ''

Sword of Gideon ''Sword of Gideon'' is a 1986 Canadian television film about Mossad agents hunting down terrorists associated with the 1972 Munich massacre. It was first shown on the CTV Television Network in Canada as a four-hour miniseries and later on HBO in ...

'' - executive producer (1986) * ''

Separate Vacations ''Separate Vacations'' is a Canadian sex comedy film, directed by Michael Anderson and released in 1986. The film stars David Naughton and Jennifer Dale as Richard and Sarah Moore, a long-married couple whose relationship has become unfulfilli ...

'' (1986) * '' Black Robe'' (1991) * '' On My Own'' – executive producer (1992) * ''

Léolo ''Léolo'' is a 1992 Canadian coming-of-age film, coming-of-age fantasy film, fantasy comedy-drama written and directed by Jean-Claude Lauzon. The film tells the story of a young boy named Léo "Léolo" Lauzon, played by Maxime Collin, who engages ...

'' – executive producer (1992) * ''

Johnny Mnemonic "Johnny Mnemonic" is a Cyberpunk short story by American-Canadian writer William Gibson. It first appeared in '' Omni'' magazine in May 1981, and was subsequently included in ''Burning Chrome'', a 1986 collection of Gibson's short fiction. It tak ...

'' (1995) * ''

Never Talk to Strangers ''Never Talk to Strangers'' is a 1995 psychological erotic thriller film directed by Peter Hall and starring Antonio Banderas and Rebecca De Mornay. Plot Psychologist Dr. Sarah Taylor is a guarded, aloof criminal psychologist who interviews a cl ...

'' (1995) * '' Crash'' (1996) * '' The Sweet Hereafter'' (1997) * '' Existenz'' (1999) * ''

'' (1999) * ''

Sunshine Sunlight is the portion of the electromagnetic radiation which is emitted by the Sun (i.e. solar radiation) and received by the Earth, in particular the visible light perceptible to the human eye as well as invisible infrared (typically per ...

'' (1999) * '' Stardom'' (2000) * ''

'' (2002) * '' Ararat'' (2002) * '' The Statement'' (2003) * ''

'' (2004) * '' Where the Truth Lies'' (2005) * '' Fugitive Pieces'' (2007) * ''

'' (2008) * ''

'' (2007) * '' Barney's Version'' (2010) * '' The Right Kind of Wrong'' (2012) * ''

Remember Remember may refer to: Film and television Film * ''Remember'' (1926 film), an American silent drama film * ''Remember?'' (1939 film), an American romantic comedy * ''Remember'' (2015 film), a Canadian film by Atom Egoyan * ''Remember?'' (201 ...

'' (2015) * '' The Song of Names'' (2019) * '' Crimes of the Future'' (2022)

Television credits

* '' Bordertown'' (78 episodes, Family Channel, 1988–1994) * ''

'' (96 episodes, CBS, 1985–1989) * ''

E.N.G. ''E.N.G.'' is a Canadian television drama, following the staff of a fictional Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capi ...

'' (96 episodes, 1988–1994) * '' Counterstrike'' (66 episodes, USA Network, 1990–1993) * ''

'' (90 episodes, 1994–1998) * ''

Power Play "Power play" is a sporting term used to describe a period of play where one team has a numerical advantage in players, usually due to a rule violation by the opposing team. Temporary numerical advantage in players during a team sport In several ...

'' (26 episodes, 1998–2000) * ''

'' (68 episodes, CBS, 1994–1998) * ''Rise of the Raven'' (10 episodes, 2025)

References

External links

*
Canadian Film Encyclopedia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lantos, Robert 1949 births Hungarian emigrants to Canada Living people McGill University alumni Members of the Order of Canada Canadian film executives Canadian corporate directors Mass media people from Budapest Mass media people from Montevideo Indigo Books and Music people Canadian film production company founders Alliance Atlantis Producers of Best Picture Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners Governor General's Award winners Hungarian Jews Jewish Canadian film people Lionsgate people