George of the Jungle 1997 premiere
Wednesday July 9th, San Diego Zoo Safari Park 15500 San Pasqual Valley Rd, Escondido, CA 92027
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- Actor
- Producer
- Art Department
Brendan James Fraser was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, to Canadian parents Carol Mary (Genereux), a sales counselor, and Peter Fraser, a journalist and travel executive. He is of Irish, Scottish, German, Czech, and French-Canadian ancestry. As his parents frequently moved, Brendan can claim affinity with Ottawa, Indianapolis, Detroit, Seattle, London and Rome. His early exposure to theatre, particularly in London, led him to Seattle's Cornish Institute. After graduation he found a minor role as Sailor #1 in River Phoenix's Dogfight (1991), then somewhat more substantial roles in Encino Man (1992) and School Ties (1992). He expresses a preference for playing "fish out of water" men. Five more years of supporting work led finally to the title role in George of the Jungle (1997), a role which fully utilized his charm and beefy good looks, as well as offering him a chance to show off his comic talents. He describes this role as the one which dramatically altered his career. Critical raves for his role in Gods and Monsters (1998) pointed to yet another dimension to his dramatic persona.- Afton Smith was born on 3 December 1967 in Northport, Long Island, New York, USA. She is an actress, known for George of the Jungle (1997), Reality Bites (1994) and Fried Green Tomatoes (1991). She was previously married to Brendan Fraser.
- Producer
- Director
- Production Manager
Joe Roth was born on 13 June 1948 in New York City, New York, USA. He is a producer and director, known for The Great Debaters (2007), Maleficent (2014) and Snow White and the Huntsman (2012). He has been married to Irene Oh since 8 April 2006. He was previously married to Donna Roth.- Producer
- Production Manager
- Producer
Dick Cook was born on 20 August 1950 in Kern County, California, USA. He is a producer, known for 42 (2013), The Alchemyst and Ranger's Apprentice. He has been married to Bonnie S. Drury since 6 July 1974. They have two children.- Actor
- Writer
- Music Department
Eric Idle is an English comedian, actor, author, singer, playwright, director, and songwriter. co-creator of Monty Python on TV, stage, and five films, including The Life of Brian and The Holy Grail, which he later adapted for the stage with John Du Prez as Monty Python's Spamalot, winning the Tony Award for Best Musical in 2005, a Grammy, a Drama Desk Award, and playing for almost five years on Broadway. They also wrote the comic oratorio Not the Messiah, He's a Very Naughty Boy, in 2007, which played round the world and at The Hollywood Bowl and was filmed live at The Royal Albert Hall, and a musical play What About Dick? available soon on iTunes. He created and directed the first mockumentary The Rutles for NBC, starred as Ko-Ko in the English National Opera version of The Mikado in London and Houston, and appeared last year in The Pirates of Penzance in Central Park and in Not the Messiah at Carnegie Hall. He is also one of the conceivers of the musical Seussical. In 2012 he appeared live in front of a billion people worldwide singing his song Always Look on the Bright Side of Life at the Closing Ceremony of the London Olympics. Last year he created, directed, and appeared in the sold-out final Monty Python reunion show One Down Five to Go at London's O2 Arena for 10 nights, whose final performance was broadcast live round the world.
He has also acted in several movies, including Nuns on the Run, Splitting Heirs, Casper, Shrek the Third, and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen; and written two novels, The Greedy Bastard Diary and Pass the Butler, a West End play.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Abraham Benrubi was born on 4 October 1969 in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. He is an actor, known for Christmas Bloody Christmas (2022), Parker Lewis Can't Lose (1990) and ER (1994).- Actor
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Cruttwell attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art from 1978-1981. Before branching out as a writer, director and producer, Cruttwell performed in many theatre productions throughout Great Britain. In 1990, he wrote and starred in the play Waiting for Sir Larry, which won a Fringe First Award at the Edinburgh Festival. He made his film debut in Mike Leigh's Naked (1993) and had a leading role in John Herzfeld's 2 Days in the Valley (1996), starring alongside Danny Aiello, James Spader and Jeff Daniels. His last acting role to date was in the box-office success George of the Jungle (1997). Cruttwell has been seen in numerous British television productions including Murder Most Horrid and Birds of a Feather. In the United States, he guest starred in episodes of Murder She Wrote and The Marshal. In 2000 he wrote and directed the feature film, Chunky Monkey, starring David Threlfall and Alison Steadman, which had a limited release in the UK. In 2002 he co-founded the production company Head Gear Films with Phil Hunt and Compton Ross and in 2007 co-founded international sales and film finance company Bankside Films. In 2001, Cruttwell founded Balham Blazers Football Club. In 2011, the club was voted South East England Charter Standard Community Club of the Year, becoming a full-time senior outfit in Balham F.C. in the process and in 2012 Cruttwell won the London FA Award for Outstanding Contribution To Football In The Community. Since its formation, the club has won over 600 league and cup trophies. It is also a three-time winner of the London F.A. Charter Standard Community Club of the Year Award and a four-time winner of the Wandsworth Sports Club of the Year Award. In addition to founding the club and coaching many age group teams, Cruttwell, now Club President, has been Chairman, Director of Football and First Team Manager. In 2018, having won five promotions in six years to reach Step 5 on the Football League ladder, the club, nicknamed The Blazers, made its first appearance in the FA Cup and won the London Senior Cup, having won the London Senior Trophy in 2017. In 2018 Cruttwell co-devised a football-based TV Quiz show, Football Genius, a Hat Trick production, which was shown on ITV, with Tim Vine as host and Sam Quek and Paul Sinha as team captains. In 2019 he founded a production company, Park the Bus, with a remit to make sports-related drama and documentaries. To date, he has written, directed and produced two films for the company, The Football Monologues and Animals. He's also produced and directed two documentaries, King Of Clubs and In The Middle, which won the Best Screenplay Award at the 2022 Paladino d'Oro Sports Film Festival. Cruttwell, who lives in Suffolk with his wife, Rachel Hart, has four children, two grandchildren and is a lifelong supporter of Fulham FC.- Kelly Miracco is known for George of the Jungle (1997), George of the Jungle 2 (2003) and The Larry Sanders Show (1992).
- Actor
- Soundtrack
John Bennett Perry has enjoyed a diverse and successful career that spans over the last few decades. Born in 1941 in Williamstown, Massachusetts, he started a band with his brother Tony and enjoyed local success. His acting roots were firmly planted in New York, where he appeared on Broadway. Dividing his time on both coasts, he appeared in numerous commercials, and became recognizable as the "Old Spice" sailor in the 1970s. He went on to appear in a long list of dramatic and comedic features using both his sarcastic wit and emotional depth to gain fans of moviegoers and critics everywhere.
In 1988, he won a Western Heritage Award for his work on Independence (1987). He had a recurring role as Sheriff Floyd Gilmore on the primetime soap Falcon Crest (1981) and appeared as Frank Arnett in the TV series Air America (1998). He and his real-life son, Matthew Perry, have played father and son on TV in Scrubs (2001) and on the big screen in Fools Rush In (1997). He enjoys touring with his folk/country/comedy band "The Ojai Boys". He lives in Ojai , California, with his wife Debbie, two dogs, a couple of horses and about five chickens.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Richard Roundtree shot to fame as the ultra-hip, flamboyantly-dressed -- not to mention charismatic-- private eye John Shaft. The film Shaft (1971) spawned a genre, two sequels and a series. It made Roundtree a household name, and, for a while, one of the hottest box-office stars in Hollywood. As New York Times reviewer Vincent Canby put it: "Shaft is the sort of man who can drink five fingers of scotch without gagging or his eyes watering. He moves through Whitey's world with perfect ease and aplomb, but never loses his independence, or his awareness of where his life is really at." Rather aptly, Roundtree has been described as blaxploitation's James Bond.
Fame and success did not come at once. The son of Kathryn (a nurse and/or maid), and John Roundtree (employed variously as a garbage collector and caterer), Richard was born in New Rochelle, New York. During high school, he excelled at football and duly won an athletic scholarship at Southern Illinois University. However, he dropped out in 1963 and worked a succession of different jobs, including as janitor and salesman. He became a fashion model after being signed by Eunice Johnson of Ebony Magazine, later posing as an advertising model for a brand of hair grease and for Salem cigarettes. Deciding to give acting a go, Roundtree returned to New York to take drama lessons. In 1967, he joined the acclaimed Negro Ensemble Company, working alongside people like Robert Hooks, Rosalind Cash and Moses Gunn. He was soon cast in several off-Broadway productions and had a first headlining role as boxing legend Jack Johnson in The Great White Hope.
In 1971, Roundtree, then a virtual unknown in show biz, ignited the screen as the macho sleuth Shaft. Slickly directed by Gordon Parks and filmed on location in Harlem, Greenwich Village and Times Square, the picture was a tangible box-office hit, which satisfied both black and white audiences alike and likely saved a struggling MGM from impending bankruptcy. Shaft can also be said to have spawned the blaxploitation action genre of the 70s. Roundtree went on to star in two less successful sequels (Shaft's Big Score! (1972) and Shaft in Africa (1973)) and a series. He reprised his character for a 2000 motion picture which starred Samuel L. Jackson as John Shaft's nephew.
Down the line, Roundtree portrayed a few other robust characters: a Union army deserter teaming up with a crippled Indian to escape a sadistic bounty hunter in Charley-One-Eye (1973), a professional jewel thief in Diamonds (1975) (alternatively titled 'Diamond Shaft'-- a curious coincidence), a treasure hunter in Day of the Assassin (1979) and a Zimbabwean guerrilla in Game for Vultures (1979). By the mid-80s, however, the actor found himself increasingly relegated to the supporting cast as conventional establishment figures, often police or army officers.Television afforded him several good roles, notably in the Emmy Award-winning miniseries Roots (1977) and as former slave-turned gunslinger Isaiah "Ice" McAdams in Outlaws (1986). He subsequently had recurring roles in the cast of the soap Generations (1989) (as a doctor), the drama Being Mary Jane (2013) (as the titular talk show host's dad) and (as a grandfather) in the sitcom Family Reunion (2019).
Roundtree's accolades have included an MTV Lifetime Achievement Award for Shaft in 1994, a Peabody Award in 2002 and a Black Theater Alliance Award Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010.
Though diagnosed with male breast cancer in 1993 and having undergone both chemotherapy and a double mastectomy, Roundtree bravely soldiered on in his chosen profession and continued to act on screen right up to his death from pancreatic cancer on October 24 2023, at the age of 81.- Actor
- Composer
- Music Department
Sheldon Allman was born on 8 June 1924 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was an actor and composer, known for George of the Jungle (1997), Bio-Dome (1996) and Monster Mash: The Movie (1995). He was married to Lorraine Snedden Wilms. He died on 22 January 2002 in Culver City, California, USA.- Director
- Actor
- Producer
Sam Weisman was born in Binghamton, New York, and attended Deerfield Academy and Yale University, where he began acting in and directing plays. On graduation he taught high school English but decided to return to full-time education, this time earning a Master's degree in Fine Arts for acting and directing at Brandeis University. He then started working as an actor on the New York stage and, moving to Los Angeles, took a recurring role in TV comedy series 'Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman'. After several other television roles he took up directing such shows as 'Moonlighting' and 'L.A. Law' and in 1994 made his big screen debut with the sequel to 'The Mighty Ducks'.- Producer
- Production Manager
- Executive
David Hoberman (Producer) is the founder and co-owner of Mandeville Films and Television. He is one of the leading producers in the entertainment industry today. His Disney-based company, Mandeville Films, is among the most profitable and respected production labels in the entertainment industry.
Since its founding in 1995, Mandeville Films has produced feature films that have grossed more than $2.5 billion in domestic box-office receipts and their slate includes a wide variety of genres, anchored by character-driven stories with universal, often uplifting themes.
Hoberman's most recent movie is Disney's live-action retelling of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, starring Emma Watson as Belle and Dan Stevens as The Beast. The critically- hailed film, directed by Bill Condon, has broken box office records worldwide and has become the highest grossing PG-rated film in North America of all time. It also stars Emma Thompson, Kevin Kline, Josh Gad, Luke Evans, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Ian McKellan, Ewan McGregor, Audra MacDonald.
Upcoming movies include STRONGER, the inspirational story of Boston marathon survivor Jeff Bauman, directed by David Gordon Green, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Tatiana Maslany, Miranda Richardson and Clancy Brown, to be released September 22, 2017 by Roadside Attractions. STRONGER makes its world premiere at the 2017 Toronto Film Festival. Following that is WONDER, based on R.J. Palacio's best-selling YA novel, directed by Stephen Chbosky, starring Julia Roberts, Jason Tremblay and Daveed Diggs, to be released November 17, 2017 by Lionsgate. Both films were developed in house at Mandeville. Mandeville is currently in production on EXTINCTION, a sci-fi thriller starring Michael Pena and Lizzy Caplan, directed by Ben Young, to be released by Universal Pictures. Mandeville is also in pre-production THE AERONAUTS for Amazon Studios, written by Jack Thorne, based on the true story of balloon pilot Amelia Wren and scientist James Glaisher and their extraordinary and harrowing journey to discover the secrets of the skies.
Other notable films include the critically hailed Academy Award©-nominated feature THE FIGHTER, starring Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Melissa Leo and Amy Adams, and directed by David O. Russell. Produced for $25 million, the film went on to gross almost $130 million worldwide and earned a host of awards, including an Academy Award© nomination for Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor and Actress Awards for Bale and Leo.
Hoberman also produced THE MUPPETS, starring Jason Segel, Amy Adams and Walter, the newest Muppet. Directed by James Bobin, written by Segel and Nick Stoller, THE MUPPETS was one of the best-reviewed films of 2011 and earned the Academy Award© for Best Song. Mandeville also produced the next MUPPET installment, MUPPETS MOST WANTED. Lieberman also produced WARM BODIES, the genre-bending "zombie romance" based on Isaac Marion's novel, starring Nicholas Hoult, John Malkovich and Teresa Palmer, written and directed by Jonathan Levine, for Summit/Lionsgate. Mandeville executive produced INSURGENT and ALLEGIANT, part of the DIVERGENT movie series.
Mandeville has a first look deal with Disney, which has been the company's home for over 20 years.
Under the Disney banner, Mandeville produced a string of hits, including the romantic comedy THE PROPOSAL, starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds. THE PROPOSAL became the highest grossing romantic comedy of 2009, earning over $317 million worldwide. It was the People's Choice award winner for Best Comedy of the year and Mandeville crossed the billion dollar mark in terms of box office revenue with THE PROPOSAL.
Hoberman founded Mandeville Films in 1995 and signed a five-year first look pact with the Walt Disney Studios. In 1999, Hoberman signed a first-look deal for Mandeville at the Walt Disney Studios with Lieberman. Two years later, Lieberman became a co-partner in the company.
Hoberman created the award-winning "Monk," a one-hour series for USA Network. Executive-produced by Mandeville and spearheaded by Hoberman, "Monk" aired for eight seasons.
Prior to forming Mandeville Films, Hoberman served as president of the Motion Picture Group of the Walt Disney Studios, where he was responsible for overseeing development and production for all feature films for Walt Disney Pictures, Touchstone and Hollywood Pictures. During Hoberman's tenure, Disney was often the top studio in domestic box-office grosses. In 1990, PRETTY WOMAN, supervised by Hoberman, was the top- grossing film of the year, and its soundtrack was the top-selling soundtrack of the year. Hoberman was also behind major blockbusters at the studio, including FATHER OF THE BRIDE, WHAT ABOUT BOB, DEAD POETS SOCIETY, ED WOOD, DANGEROUS MINDS, RUTHLESS PEOPLE, BEACHES, THREE MEN AND A BABY and HONEY, I SHRUNK THE KIDS. While an executive at Disney, Hoberman championed the first-ever full-length stop-motion animation feature, Tim Burton's THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS.
Hoberman started his career working in the mailroom at ABC and quickly ascended in the entertainment business, working for Norman Lear's Tandem/T.A.T. in television and film. He worked as a talent agent at ICM before joining Disney in 1985.
Today, Hoberman is a visiting assistant professor at UCLA's Graduate School in the Producers Program. He sat on the board of the Starlight Starbright Foundation for more than 10 years, is a member of the Board of the Anxiety Disorders Association of America and sat on the Board of the Los Angeles Free Clinic for six years.
Hoberman is also a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. He is a member of the Board of Suffolk University in Boston and on the Board of Overseers at the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles.- Producer
- Actor
- Executive
Jordan Kerner was a film producer that was born on February 5, 1950 in Los Angeles, California. After graduating from high school, he persuaded an entertainment career. He kicked off his career in 1971 when he worked with Group W for KPIX San Francisco. In 1976, he became an attorney at the law firm of Ball, Hunt, Hart and Baerwitz. In 1977, he left to join CBS Entertainment as a program and talent negotiator. In 1978, he then switched to Universal Television for NBC, taking the position of assistant to the senior VP.
Two years later, he also took on the task of director of program development QM Productions. The following year, he changed jobs and became the director of dramatic series development at ABC Entertainment. He was promoted to vice president of dramatic development in 1983.
Although he met producer/director Jon Avnet in the 80s, the success of the television movie Between Two Women (1986) caused Kerner to end his role on ABC, and shifted focus on producing. He partnered with Avnet to start out The Avnet/Kerner Company. His first project under the Avnet/Kerner empire was Less Than Zero (1987). In 1989, The Avnet/Kerner Company, along with Michael Jaffe Films, Spectacor Films, Von Zerneck/Sertner Films, The Konigsberg/Sanitsky Company, Robert Greenwood Productions and Leonard Hill Films were one of the founding members of Allied Communications Inc., a syndicator of telemovies.
Throughout the 1990s, Avnet/Kerner was an active producer for theatrical and television films. The producing duo was a major player for Walt Disney Studios, holding a first look deal, and producer for blockbuster hits like The Mighty Ducks (1992), which spawned a franchise, including sequels, George of the Jungle (1997) and Inspector Gadget (1999), the latter two films were based on animated television series that was quite popular, and spawned direct-to-video sequels. In addition to that, Avnet/Kerner produced Funny About Love (1990), Fried Green Tomatoes (1991), The Three Musketeers (1993), When a Man Loves a Woman (1994), The War (1994), Miami Rhapsody (1995) and Red Corner (1997), though some of them flopped, and some of them had the same level of success the blockbuster films did. In addition to the theatrical movies, Avnet/Kerner produced television movies like Side by Side (1988), My First Love (1988), Breaking Point (1989), Do You Know the Muffin Man? (1989), Heat Wave (1990), Backfield in Motion (1991), The Nightman (1992), The Switch (1993), For Their Own Good (1993), Naomi & Wynonna: Love Can Build a Bridge (1995), Poodle Springs (1998), Mama Flora's Family (1998), My Last Love (1999) and A House Divided (2000).
In 2001, Avnet and Kerner split up their production companies. While Avnet formed Brooklyn Films, Kerner started The Kerner Entertainment Company in order to produce A Wrinkle in Time (2003) and Snow Dogs (2002) for Disney, before ending up their association with the two direct-to-video sequels to the two movies produced by Avnet/Kerner. He moved to Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies to develop a live-action film version of the book, Charlotte's Web (2006). In 2007, he moved to FoxWalden to produce films, none of which was materialized. In 2011, he produced The Smurfs (2011), a film adaptation of the comic strip of the same name, which spawned a sequel in 2013, and an animated film reboot in 2017.
He was currently in post-production on the movie Clifford the Big Red Dog (2021), which was scheduled for release in the November of 2021, and in development on a Mighty Mouse film.- Director
- Producer
- Writer
Jon Avnet has directed, written, and produced more than 80 motion pictures, television movies, series and Broadway plays. He directed the Oscar-nominated performance of Jessica Tandy and the three Emmy-winning performances of Margo Martindale, Colleen Dewhurst and Judy Davis. He received an honorary Doctorate in Communications from the American Film Institute in 2013 and the Creative Spirit Award from the University of Pennsylvania in 2016. Among the other awards Avnet has received are the ACLU's "Bill of Rights Award," The New York Board of Review's "Freedom of Expression Award," and the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Feature Film. Avnet is currently directing and producing with Jennifer Garner a documentary about American Ballet Theater's principal ballerina, Isabella Boylston. His next film is based on a script by Washington Post journalist and Pulitzer Prize winner Eli Saslow. In 2022 he directed Justified City Primeval, continuing his collaboration with Graham Yost. Based on Elmore Leonard's writing, it will air in the summer of 2023 on FX for Hulu. He also is Chair of the Directors Guild Negotiating Committee. The DGA's contract expires June 30, 2023. He is best known for co-writing, directing and producing Fried Green Tomatoes, which garnered multiple Academy Award nominations (for writing and for Jessica Tandy, who co-starred with Kathy Bates, Cicely Tyson, Mary Stuart Masterson and Mary Louise Parker) and BAFTAs. Fried Green Tomatoes was nominated for Best Picture by the Golden Globes and was one of the top grossing films in the year of its release. He produced Paul Brickman's Risky Business for David Geffen and Warner Brothers, which launched the career of Tom Cruise and was a major box office success. He also produced Paul Brickman's Men Don't Leave, again for David Geffen and Warner Bros, starring Jessica Lange, Arliss Howard, Kathy Bates and Chris O'Donnell. Avnet was an executive producer of Black Swan, starring Natalie Portman (winner of the Oscar for Best Actress) and directed by Darren Aronofsky. Black Swan received five Oscar nominations in total (including Best Picture) as well as multiple nominations and wins from the PGA, WGA, SAG, BAFTA, AFI, and the Golden Globes. In television, Avnet produced The Burning Bed, starring Farrah Fawcett, which garnered eight Emmy nominations and is still today the highest-rated television movie ever aired on NBC. It told the true story of Francine Hughes, who was in a highly abusive relationship that ended when she burned her husband to death. She was exonerated in court. It received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Picture. This film is credited with creating the "battered woman syndrome" as a legal defense for victims of domestic violence. Avnet most recently directed and co-wrote the film Three Christs, starring Richard Gere, Peter Dinklage, Walton Goggins, Bradley Whitford, Julianna Margulies, Charlotte Hope and Jane Alexander. The script is based on the controversial 1959 study chronicled in Dr. Milton Rokeach's "The Three Christs of Ypsilanti." Three paranoid schizophrenic patients who each claimed to be Jesus Christ were put in a ward together to see if their delusions could be altered. The film premiered at the Toronto Film Festival and was released theatrically in January 2020 by IFC Films. In the summer of 2019, Avnet directed and executive-produced two episodes of the Manhunt: Deadly Games limited series about the 1996 Olympic Park Bomber. Avnet directed ten episodes of FX Network's Justified, starring Timothy Olyphant and Walton Goggins. Justified received a Peabody award and Margo Martindale won an Emmy for her performance. He reunited with frequent collaborator Graham Yost, directing an episode of Sneaky Pete Season 2 for Amazon, starring Giovanni Ribisi, Margo Martindale and Marin Ireland. In 2018, he became an executive producer of Sneaky Pete Season 3 and directed 4 additional episodes. He first collaborated with Graham Yost as Executive Producer of the critically acclaimed series Boomtown for NBC and Steven Spielberg's Amblin Television. Avnet directed the pilot and eight additional episodes. Boomtown won the Television Critics Association Award for Best Series and a Peabody Award. Avnet is CEO of Indigenous Media (IM), which he founded with Rodrigo Garcia and his son Jacob Avnet, who is the Chief Operating Officer. Indigenous Media produces 60 Second Docs, which has received over 9.4 billion views and has more than 12.3 million followers. 60 Second Docs has won all of the major digital awards. Avnet produced Rodrigo Garcia's film Four Good Days, starring Glenn Close and Mila Kunis, for Indigenous Media. Written by Garcia and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Eli Saslow, the film depicts the codependent relationship of a mother and daughter as they both battle opioid addiction. Four Good Days premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was released theatrically in April 2021 by Vertical. Avnet directed the music video for the film based on Diane Warren's song, "Somehow You Do," as sung by Reba McEntire. The song has been nominated for an Oscar in 2022. This was a reunion with Diane Warren, who wrote the Grammy winning song "Because You Loved Me," for Avnet's Up Close and Personal. Celine Dion recorded the Oscar nominated song which reached number one globally. Avnet was the credited Executive Producer of the song. IM has also produced, in association with Kerry Washington and Pilar Savone, two seasons of the series Five Points for Facebook Watch and other successful digital productions. Next up for IM is Lonely Doll, starring Jessica Lange and Naomi Watts, and directed by Gia Coppola. Merritt Johnson adapted Jean Nathan's book. Avnet will produce with Bruce Cohen and Jason Weinberg. In 2001, Avnet directed, co-wrote with Paul Brickman, and produced the critically praised Uprising, starring Leelee Sobieski, Hank Azaria, David Schwimmer, Stephen Moyer, Jon Voight, and Donald Sutherland. This film was meticulously researched by Brickman and Avnet over a five-year period to tell the true story of the armed resistance during the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in 1943. Avnet was nominated for a DGA Award for best directing and the film was released theatrically globally by Warner Bros.
Avnet directed Robert De Niro and Al Pacino in Righteous Kill, released in September 2008. He also directed and produced Red Corner starring Richard Gere, and Up Close and Personal starring Robert Redford and Michelle Pfeiffer with a script by Joan Didion and John Dunne. His first directing outing (which he also co-wrote and produced) was the highly acclaimed TV movie Between Two Women, starring Colleen Dewhurst and Farrah Fawcett, which earned Dewhurst an Emmy for her performance.
He directed and executive-produced The Starter Wife, a six-hour limited series for the USA Network starring Debra Messing, Joe Mantegna, Stephen Moyer and Judy Davis (who won the Best Supporting Actress Emmy for her performance). Based on the novel by Gigi Levangie Grazer, it aired in May 2007 as the highest-rated limited cable series that year and received ten Emmy nominations as well as DGA and PGA nominations for Avnet.
Rodrigo Garcia's debut film Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her was produced by Avnet. It starred Glenn Close, Holly Hunter, Cameron Diaz, Calista Flockhart and Gregory Hines, premiered at Sundance and won "Un Certain Regard," at the Cannes film Festival. Avnet produced Kerry Conran's Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow for Paramount starring Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Angelina Jolie. Avnet produced (along with Jordan Kerner) Less Than Zero, When a Man Loves a Woman, Miami Rhapsody, The Mighty Ducks films (and in 2021, the new series of The Mighty Ducks on Disney+) and George of the Jungle, to name a few. For television, Avnet produced Alex Haley's Mama Flora's Family, starring Cicely Tyson, Queen Latifah and Blair Underwood. Ms. Tyson won the NAACP Image Award for best Actress and Mr. Underwood won the Best Actor Award. The film was nominated for Best Picture as well. He produced Heatwave, again starring Cicely Tyson, James Earl Jones and Blair Underwood. Ms. Tyson and Mr. Jones both won Cable ACE best acting awards for their work on this film about the Watts Riots, based on articles written by the LA Times' first black journalist Bob Richardson. Mr. Jones won the Emmy as well. Mr. Avnet had the honor and pleasure of bestowing an Honorary Doctoral Degree for Ms. Tyson from the American Film Institute. On Broadway, his plays have received 35 Tony nominations and 12 Tony awards. He produced, all with Bill Haber, two Tony Award-winning shows, "Spamalot" and "The History Boys." He also produced "The Pillowman," "Inherit the Wind," starring Christopher Plummer and Bryan Dennehey, "The Seafarer" by Connor McPherson, and the Mike Nichols-directed "Country Girl," starring Morgan Freeman and Frances McDormand.
Avnet attended the University of Pennsylvania, received a BA from Sarah Lawrence College, and was awarded a fellowship in directing to the American Film Institute. Today, Avnet is Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors at the American Film Institute, where he has been a guiding force for over 30 years (and Chairman for eight years). In addition, he was co-chair of the Directors Guild of America 2020 Negotiations committee, serves on the Board of Directors, the Western Directors Council, and the Pension and Health Plan Committee of the DGA. Mr. Avnet has been chosen to chair the DGA Negotiations Committee once more for 2023.
Avnet has served on the Board of Advisors for the School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania for 17 years. He has participated as a mentor at the Director's Lab at Sundance and its sister program Emergence in France. He lectures on film and Holocaust studies at numerous universities worldwide and has supported a diverse range of charitable organizations targeting scholarships for women and BIPOC students. His career has taken him literally all over the world. Some highlights include working with Nelson Mandela when he was in Pollsmoor prison and later when he was released. Avnet interviewed Mr. Mandela for a week at his home in Soweto about the history of Apartheid and his views on race. Avnet also had the privilege to interview many of the key figures of the ANC such as Walter Sisulu, Oliver Tambo, Thabo Mbeki, Cyril Ramaphosa, to name a few. Harry Belafonte collaborated with Avnet on this project as well as Taylor Branch's "Parting the Waters." In the process, Avnet interviewed virtually all of the living participants in the Civil Rights Movement and had the honor of marching over the Edmund Portis Bridge with Rep. John Lewis and Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth. During the research for the film Uprising, Avnet had the humbling experience of interviewing more than 200 survivors of the Holocaust in Poland, Germany, Israel and the United States including Vladka Mead, Marek Edelman (then the last living leader of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising) and Simcha Rotem (Kazik.) Mr. Avnet had the honor of studying these historical events with Dr. Michael Berenbaum, then the leader of the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., Israel Gutman of Yad Vashem, Simcha Stein of the Ghetto Fighters House and Marek Webb of Yivo. As a result of his five years or research, Avnet has lectured on resistance during the Holocaust at Universities around the world. He has been married to artist Barbara Brody Avnet for forty-five years. They have two daughters Alexandra and Lily, both of whom earned Master's degrees in social work, and a son Jacob, who also earned a Master's degree from USC. They also have five precious grandchildren, Isabella, Henry, Sage, Ruby and Ezra.- Leslie Jean Mann was born in San Francisco, California. She was raised in Newport Beach, California by her mother, Janet Ann Ayres. At the age of seventeen, she launched her career, appearing in various TV commercials.
Her screen break came when she was cast as Nurse Mary in the short-lived Birdland (1994). Further TV and film roles followed, including The Cable Guy (1996), where she met her husband, Judd Apatow, who was a producer on the film. The story goes that after Mann left her audition for the role, Apatow turned to his colleagues and said "there goes the future Mrs. Apatow".
Further successes followed for Mann in such projects as George of the Jungle (1997) and The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005). She also appeared alongside her daughters - Maude Apatow and Iris Apatow - in Knocked Up (2007), Funny People (2009) and This Is 40 (2012).