James L. Brooks
Brooks began working in film in 1979 when he wrote the screenplay for Starting Over, which he co-produced with Alan J. Pakula. In 1983 Brooks wrote, produced and directed Terms of Endearment, for which he earned three Oscars including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Director. In 1987, he wrote, produced and directed Broadcast News, which won the New York Drama Critics Award for Best Picture and Best Screenplay and earned two Oscar nominations. Through Gracie Films, Brooks served as executive producer on Cameron Crowe's directorial debut Say Anything, produced War of the Roses and co-produced Big with Robert Greenhut.
In 1990, Brooks produced and directed his first play Brooklyn Laundry, a Los Angeles production starring Glenn Close, Woody Harrelson and Laura Dern. Brooks' company, Gracie Films, made an overall deal with Sony Pictures in 1990. He produced two new series for ABC (The Critic, another prime time animated series starring Jon Lovitz, and Phenom starring Judith Light, William Devane and Angela Goethals). For Columbia Pictures, he directed I'll Do Anything starring Nick Nolte, Albert Brooks and Julie Kavner.
In 1996 Brooks was the executive producer on Wes Anderson's debut feature Bottle Rocket and producer on Crowe's Jerry Maguire starring Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Renee Zellweger. In 1997, Brooks co-wrote, produced and directed As Good As It Gets, starring Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt and Greg Kinnear. The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards including Best Picture and both Nicholson and Hunt won Oscars for their performances.
James L. Brooks Facts
Occupation | Writer, Producer, Director |
Birthday | May 9, 1940 (83) |
Sign | Taurus |
Birthplace | North Bergen, New Jersey, USA |
Awards | 1984 Academy Awards: Best Director (for Terms of Endearment) |
Selected Filmography
Champion Road | ||
I'll Do Anything | ||
Dreams On Spec | ||
Real Life | ||
Hollywood's Best Film Directors: James L. Brooks | ||
Modern Romance | ||
The Mayberry Chef | ||
How Do You Know | ||
Riding in Cars with Boys | ||
Spanglish | ||
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