Roger Birnbaum
Roger Birnbaum (born November 14, 1950) is an American film producer who owns the company Spyglass Entertainment, and was co-CEO and co-chairman of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. His two greatest box office hits as producer have been Rush Hour 2 and The Tourist which grossed US$347,325,802 and US$278,346,189 worldwide respectively.[2][3] In 2016, he produced The Magnificent Seven.
Roger Birnbaum | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 14, 1950[1] Teaneck, New Jersey, US |
| Occupation | film producer |
| Spouse(s) | Pamela West (divorced) Leslie Lopez (m. 2013) |
| Partner(s) | Teri Garr (1979–1983) |
| Children | Claire Birnbaum Block |
| Parent(s) | Arlene Steinlauf Birnbaum Norman Birnbaum |
Early life
Birnbaum was born to a Jewish family[4] in Teaneck, New Jersey,[5] the son of Arlene (née Steinlauf) and Norman Birnbaum.[4] His father was a World War II veteran who went into the embroidery business with his father after the war, and used his profits in 1967 to build the Stonehenge, a residential building in New Jersey.[4] Birnbaum graduated from Teaneck High School in 1968[5] and attended the University of Denver.[6]
Career
Birnbaum started out in the music industry at Arista Records working under Clive Davis. A&M Records brought him out to Hollywood becoming its West Coast A&R executive, where he switch over to film. He worked at United Artists, Guber-Peters Co. (president in 1989) then 20th Century Fox.[7] He was president of production at 20th Century Fox by 1992.[8]
Caravan Pictures was founded by Birnbaum and Joe Roth as a production company at Disney in 1992 to fill the Disney Studios' then-yearly 50 to 60 production and distribution slots.[8] Birnbaum previously left Caravan at the prompting of then Disney studio chief Joe Roth as Disney was cutting its yearly production output and shutting down Caravan. In August 1998, Birnbaum with Gary Barber, former vice chairman and COO of Morgan Creek Productions founded Spyglass Entertainment.[9]
On December 20, 2010 after the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer had emerged from bankruptcy, Birnbaum and Barber became co-Chairs and co-CEOs of the studio.[10][11] On October 3, 2012, Birnbaum announced his intention to exit his role as an MGM executive and return to "hands-on" producing. He will remain with the studio to produce films on "an exclusive basis".[12]
He has since founded two production companies, Pin High Productions[7] and Cave 76 Productions.[13] By September 8, 2016, his exclusivity with MGM had ended.[7]
Personal life
His first wife was Pamela West;[14] they had one daughter Claire Birnbaum Block (born 1987).[15] He married then-restaurant guest relations manager Leslie Lopez in 2013.[16][17]
He was previously in a seven-year relationship with actress Teri Garr.[18]
Filmography
He was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.
Film
- As an actor
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Making Sandwiches | Hollywood Type | Short film |
- Thanks
| Year | Film | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Rain Man | Special thanks |
| 1995 | Dead Presidents | |
| 2019 | Above Suspicion |
Television
| Year | Title | Credit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Ryan's Four | ||
| When Your Lover Leaves | Television film | ||
| 1984 | CBS Schoolbreak Special | Executive producer | |
| 1985 | Scandal Sheet | Television film | |
| Happily Ever After | Executive producer | Television film | |
| 1987 | Bay Coven | Executive producer | Television film |
| 1997 | Angels in the Endzone | Executive producer | Television film |
| Flash | Executive producer | Television film | |
| 2000 | Angels in the Infield | Executive producer | Television film |
| 2003 | Miracles | Executive producer | |
| Criminology 101 | Executive producer | Television film | |
| 2004 | The Ranch | Executive producer | Television film |
| Weekends | Executive producer | Television film |
- Production manager
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Music for UNICEF Concert | Executive in charge of production | Television special |
| The Bee Gees Special |
References
- "Roger Birnbaum Biography (1950?-)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved 2011-12-15.
- "The Tourist". Box Office Mojo.
- "Rush Hour 2". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 20 August 2013.
- "Norman Birnbaum - Obituary". The New York Times. republished at legacy.com. October 2, 2007.
- Spelling, Ian (June 1, 2011). "Let the Lion Roar: Teaneck native Roger Birnbaum shines brightly in Hollywood". (201) magazine; Bergen.com. Retrieved October 6, 2011.
Much of the producer’s touch, the instinct that drives Birnbaum to financially back a script or to help nurture a pitch into a script and then into a feature, and his overall taste as a filmmaker, can be traced back to his formative years in Teaneck. He was raised there and attended Teaneck High School.
- "Advisory Board Biographies". ucsb.edu. Carsey-Wolf Center for Film, Television and New Media, University of California, Santa Barbara. Archived from the original on March 5, 2008. Retrieved March 6, 2008.
- Galloway, Stephen (September 8, 2016). "'Magnificent Seven' Producer on Why Westerns Aren't Dead and How Cancer Changed Him". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
- Frook, John Evan (January 30, 1994). "Roth, Birnbaum flex muscles at Caravan". Variety. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
- Eller, Clauida (August 21, 1998). "Spyglass Offers Disney Lower-Risk Deals". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
- Agard, Chancellor (December 20, 2010). "MGM out of bankruptcy". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on September 6, 2014. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
- McNary, Dave (December 20, 2010). "MGM restructuring becomes official". Variety. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
- Nikki Finke (October 3, 2012). "MGM's Roger Birnbaum Steps Down To Return To Producing; Gary Barber Now Revived Studio's Sole Chairman & CEO". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
- D'Alessandro, Anthony (June 8, 2017). "Annapurna To Release MGM's 'Death Wish' Over Thanksgiving; Sets October Date For 'Professor Marston & The Wonder Women'". Deadline. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
- "Lorand West Obituary". Los Angeles Times. republished online at legacy.com. July 13, 2008.
- "Going Steady". issuu.com; C Magazine. January 1, 2013. p. 114. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
Claire Birnbaum and Eric Block ... husband and wife... Roger Birnbaum (then co-CEO of MGM) gave away his little girl...
- "Warner Bros.' Courtney Simmons Weds, 'CSI:NY' Actor A.J. Buckley Engaged: Hitched, Hatched, Hired". The Hollywood Reporter. January 10, 2013. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
Producer Roger Birnbaum became engaged to ... Leslie Lopez ... on Dec. 15
- "41st AFI Life Achievement Award Honoring Mel Brooks - Red Carpet". gettyimages.ie. June 6, 2013. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
Leslie Lopez Birnbaum ... and Roger Birnbaum
- Garr, Teri (October 30, 1988). "Is Teri Garr Serious When She Says She Isn't Serious? On Tour, The Actress Drops Her Comedic Guard". Chicago Tribune. Interviewed by Johanna Steinmetz.
Well, I lived with two men, one for seven years, the other for five. I was with Birnbaum (Roger Birnbaum, an independent producer) for seven. That was like a marriage.
External links
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