Steven Elliot Tisch (born February 14, 1949) is an American film producer and businessman. He is the chairman, co-owner and executive vice president of the
New York Giants,
the
NFL team co-owned by his family, as well as a film and television producer. He is the son of former Giants co-owner
Preston Robert Tisch.
Early life
Tisch was born in
Lakewood Township, New Jersey, the son of
Joan (née Hyman) and
Preston Robert Tisch, a film and television executive who also served as the
United States Postmaster General
The United States postmaster general (PMG) is the chief executive officer of the United States Postal Service (USPS). The PMG is responsible for managing and directing the day-to-day operations of the agency.
The PMG is selected and appointed by ...
.
He has two siblings,
Jonathan Tisch and
Laurie Tisch. His family is Jewish. He attended
Tufts University
Tufts University is a private research university in Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts, United States, with additional facilities in Boston and Grafton, as well as Talloires, France. Tufts also has several Doctor of Physical Therapy p ...
, during which he began his filmmaking career.
Career
1970s–2000
During his youth, Tisch created a number of small films with backing by
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...
.
In 1976, he left Columbia and created his first feature film, ''
Outlaw Blues''.
He followed this up in 1983 with ''
Risky Business'', which gave
Tom Cruise
Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962) is an American actor and film producer. Regarded as a Cinema of the United States, Hollywood icon, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Tom Cruise, various accolades, includ ...
his first lead role.
In 1984, Tisch produced a
made-for-TV movie entitled ''
The Burning Bed'', which caused controversy but also received eleven
Emmy
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award catego ...
nominations
for
Farrah Fawcett's depiction of a battered wife. Tisch launched his own production company in 1986, called the Steve Tisch Company, which has since specialized in small screen films. The company originally had a two-picture agreement with
New World Pictures, with ''
Soul Man'' being the first film of a proposed two-picture deal. In 1987, the company set up multiple projects at Warner Bros., which included the feature rights to the ''
Mr. Magoo'' character (the project was eventually made by
Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
in 1997 as a
live-action film), as well as three original projects that the company, by way of Steve Tisch Productions had a contract at the studio. However, he also produced several critically acclaimed films including ''
Forrest Gump'', ''
American History X'', and ''
Snatch''.
Tisch received a Best Motion Picture Academy Award and a
Golden Globe for ''Forrest Gump'', which was nominated for 13 Academy Awards and won six, and remains one of the highest domestic box office grossing films in history. He is also the only person ever with a Golden Globe, 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 ...
,
a
Primetime Emmy Award
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 ...
nomination, and a
Super Bowl Ring. In 1999, he developed and produced an aborted television pilot ''Mission Extreme'', for
Film Roman and Max Degree TV, but it was cancelled due to lack of international backers.
2001–present
He is currently a partner in
Escape Artists, an independently financed film production company based at Sony Pictures Entertainment that is the result of a merger between his Steve Tisch Company and fellow partners Todd Black and Jason Blumenthal's production company, Black & Blu. Escape Artists released ''
The Weather Man'', starring
Nicolas Cage, in the fall of 2005, and ''
The Pursuit of Happyness'', starring Will Smith, was released by Columbia Pictures in December 2006.
Other projects include ''
Seven Pounds'' starring Will Smith, ''
Knowing'', starring Nicolas Cage and ''
The Taking of Pelham 123'' starring
Denzel Washington
Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. (born December 28, 1954) is an American actor, producer, and director. Known for his dramatic roles Denzel Washington on screen and stage, on stage and screen, Washington has received List of awards and nominations ...
and
John Travolta
John Joseph Travolta (born February 18, 1954) is an American actor. He began acting in television before transitioning into a leading man in films. List of awards and nominations received by John Travolta, His accolades include a Primetime Em ...
.
The company's television projects include ''
Perpetual Grace, LTD'' for
Epix and ''
Servant
A domestic worker is a person who works within a residence and performs a variety of household services for an individual, from providing cleaning and household maintenance, or cooking, laundry and ironing, or care for children and elderly ...
'' starring
Nell Tiger Free for
Apple TV+.
In 2007, Tisch received the P.T. Barnum Award from Tufts University for his exceptional work in the field of media and entertainment.
Tisch became chairman and Executive Vice President of the New York Giants American football team in 2005.
He accepted the
Vince Lombardi Trophy twice, when the Giants won
Super Bowl XLII and again when they won
Super Bowl XLVI. On April 30, 2008, Tisch, along with the rest of the Giants team and administration, received an invitation from
President George W. Bush to the
White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...
to honor the Giants' Super Bowl victory.
Tisch also made an appearance on the reality show ''
Shark Tank'' in season 5.
Following the 2021 season, when the Giants finished 4-13, Tisch "pushed"
John Mara to fire head coach
Joe Judge, after Mara was reportedly willing to give Judge a third season.
Personal life
Tisch has been married twice. He had two children with his first wife, Patsy A. Tisch; the marriage ended in divorce.
In 1996, Tisch married
Jamie Leigh Anne Alexander.
They had three children, Elizabeth, Holden and Zachary, before divorcing.
On August 10, 2020, he announced that his daughter, Hilary, died by suicide following a history of depression. She was 36.
His brother
Jonathan is the Giants' treasurer.
Filmography
He was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.
Film
In Production Role
As an actor
Miscellaneous crew
Thanks
Television
In Production Role
As an actor
As director
References
External links
New York Giants bio
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tisch, Steve
1949 births
Living people
American film producers
American animated film producers
Businesspeople from Ocean County, New Jersey
Jewish American sports executives and administrators
New York Giants executives
New York Giants owners
Sportspeople from Lakewood Township, New Jersey
Producers who won the Best Picture Academy Award
Steve Tisch
The Frederick Gunn School alumni
Tufts University alumni
Golden Globe Award–winning producers
American film production company founders
Jews from New Jersey
Sony people
Sony Pictures Entertainment people
Sony Pictures Animation people