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Gary Barber

With partner Roger Birnbaum, Gary Barber founded the production, finance and distribution company Spyglass Entertainment, where he serves as co-chairman and CEO.

From the beginning, the company's savvy production choices led to the phenomenal box-office success of The Sixth Sense, starring Bruce Willis, which went on to gross more than $661 million and garnered six Academy Award nominations. Further successes include The Count of Monte Cristo, with Jim Caviezel and Guy Pearce; Keeping the Faith, with Ben Stiller and Edward Norton; Shanghai Noon, with Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson, and its sequel, Shanghai Knights; and the dynamic teaming of Al Pacino and Colin Farrell for The Recruit.

Barber executive produced and co-financed two milestone movies: Bruce Almighty, starring Jim Carrey and Jennifer Aniston, which grossed more than $485 million at the worldwide box office and is considered one of the blockbuster comedies of all time, and the tale of a legendary racehorse, Seabiscuit, starring Tobey Maguire, Chris Cooper and Jeff Bridges. With its moving story of triumph over adversity, the film received seven Oscar nominations.

Barber went on to produce The Pacifier and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The Pacifier, a family comedy starring Vin Diesel, earned approximately $200 million at the worldwide box office, while The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, an adaptation of the Douglas Adams best seller, crossed the $100 million mark globally.

Spyglass also co-financed and Barber executive produced: The Legend of Zorro, the sequel to the 1998 smash hit The Mask of Zorro, with Catherine Zeta-Jones and Antonio Banderas, directed by Martin Campbell, and Memoirs of a Geisha, based on the best-selling novel, starring Ziyi Zhang and Ken Watanabe, helmed by Rob Marshall. Memoirs of a Geisha earned Spyglass three Oscar wins out of its six nominations and brought Spyglass' nominations to a total of 26.

2006's successful Eight Below, from Walt Disney Pictures, was co-financed by Spyglass and executive produced by Barber. In spring 2007, Spyglass produced and financed the releases of The Invisible and The Lookout, through Miramax Films and Touchstone Pictures, respectively.

Spyglass recently wrapped production on the live-action feature of the beloved classic cartoon series Underdog, slated for release in summer 2007. Currently, Spyglass is in production on 27 Dresses, a romantic comedy starring Katherine Heigl.

A seasoned veteran of the business, Barber has been directly responsible for operating companies in feature-film production and distribution, foreign theatrical, video and television distribution, exhibition, pre-recorded music and music publishing. He was responsible for building these companies from the ground up.

In managing these businesses, Barber was instrumental in making many landmark deals, identifying and breaking new talent and producing major worldwide hits. His international expertise-with extensive relationships in worldwide theatrical, video and television-is considered one of the best in the business. As an executive with unparalleled experience and financial savvy, Barber has also developed strong relationships in the commercial and investment banking community and earned the respect of this tightly knit group through constant and successful deal making.

Barber is the former vice chairman and chief operating officer of Morgan Creek Productions. During his eight and a half years at the company, he was in charge of all day-to-day operations for each of Morgan Creek's business entities, including feature film production, foreign distribution, music, exhibition and interactive.

Barber has produced or executive produced more than 50 feature films and television shows, including the 1994 hit that rocketed Jim Carrey to stardom, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, its highly successful sequel, Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, and the 1991 blockbuster Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, starring Kevin Costner.


Note: This profile was written in or before 2007.
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Gary Barber Facts

OccupationProducer

Selected Filmography

Not available.