Ashok Amritraj

Ashok Amritraj (born 22 February 1956)[1] is Chairman and CEO of the Hyde Park Entertainment Group, and was formerly CEO of National Geographic Films.

Ashok Amritraj
Born	(1956-02-22) 22 February 1956 Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Citizenship	American

As a producer, Amritraj has made over 100 films during the span of his 35-year career, with worldwide revenues in excess of $2 billion.[2] He has partnered with every major studio in Hollywood and produced films starring the likes of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson,[3] Robert De Niro,[4] Bruce Willis, Sandra Bullock, Sylvester Stallone, Angelina Jolie, Cate Blanchett, Dustin Hoffman, Andrew Garfield, Steve Martin, Rajinikanth, Antonio Banderas,[4] Jennifer Aniston,[5] Nicolas Cage,[6] and many more.

In 2016 Amritraj was appointed as the first United Nations India Goodwill Ambassador for the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.[7] In December 2018, by decree of the President of the Republic of France, Amritraj was appointed a Chevalier (Knight) of the Ordre National du Merité.[8]

Amritraj has had box office hits such as Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, starring Nicolas Cage,[9] Bringing Down the House, starring Steve Martin,[10] Premonition, starring Sandra Bullock,[11] Walking Tall starring The Rock, and many more, as well as critically acclaimed titles including 99 Homes starring Andrew Garfield and Michael Shannon, Blue Valentine starring Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams,[12] and Shopgirl, starring Steve Martin and Claire Danes.[13]

Amritraj's current projects include: Tennis player Arthur Ashe's Biopic in Partnership with Warner Music Group,[14] Pashmina, a Major Animated Musical in partnership with Netflix, to be directed by Gurinder Chadha,[15] Remote Control starring Gerard Butler in Partnership with STX Films,[16] the remake of the Blake Edwards’ film "10"[17] with Warner Brothers, and Fordlandia, a Television event series, to be directed by Werner Herzog at AMC Studios.[18]

Amritraj serves on the Executive Committee for Diversity and Inclusion and on the Producers Executive Board of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences[19] and on the advisory board for the Dodge Film School at Chapman University.[20] In 2015, he was bestowed an honorary Doctorate of the Arts from the University of East London.[21]