Bob Weinstein - Biography

Robert "Bob" Weinstein (born October 18, 1954) is an American film and theatre producer, the founder and head of Dimension Films, former co-chairman of Miramax Films, and current head, with his brother Harvey Weinstein, of The Weinstein Company.

Early life

Weinstein and his brother, Harvey, are of Jewish heritage.

Career

After graduating from college, Bob, along with his brother Harvey Weinstein, independently produced rock concerts as Harvey & Corky Productions in Buffalo through most of the 1970s. Both Weinstein brothers had grown up with a passion for movies and they nurtured a desire to enter the film industry. In the late 1970s, using profits from their concert promotion business, the brothers created a small independent film distribution company called Miramax, named after their parents - Miriam and Max. The company's first releases were primarily music-oriented concert films such as Paul McCartney's Rockshow. In the early 1980s Miramax acquired the rights to two British films of benefit shows filmed for human rights organization Amnesty International. Working closely with Martin Lewis the producer of the original films, the Weinstein brothers edited the two films into one movie tailored for the American market. The resulting film was released as The Secret Policeman's Other Ball in May 1982 and it became Miramax's first hit. The movie raised considerable sums for Amnesty International and was credited by Amnesty with having helped to raise its profile in the US.

The Weinsteins slowly built upon this success throughout the 1980s with arthouse films that achieved critical attention and modest commercial success. Harvey Weinstein and Miramax gained wider attention in 1988 with the release of Errol Morris's documentary The Thin Blue Line which detailed the struggle of Randall Adams, a wrongfully convicted inmate sentenced to death row. The publicity that soon surrounded the case resulted in the release of Adams and nationwide publicity for Miramax. The following year, their successful launch release of Steven Soderbergh's Sex, Lies, and Videotape propelled Miramax to become the most successful independent studio in America.

Miramax continued to grow its library of films and directors until, in 1993, Disney offered Harvey and Bob $60 million for ownership of Miramax. Agreeing to the deal that would cement their Hollywood clout and ensure that they would remain at the head of their company, Miramax followed the next year with their first blockbuster, Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction.

1996 brought Miramax's first Best Picture with the victory of The English Patient. This would start a string of critical successes that would include Shakespeare in Love and Good Will Hunting.

On March 29, 2005, it was announced that the Weinstein brothers would leave Miramax on September 30 and would form their own production company, The Weinstein Co.

Selected filmography

Executive producer

• True Romance (1993)
• Clerks (1994)
• Pulp Fiction (1994)
• The Crossing Guard (1995)
• Smoke (1995)
• The English Patient (1996)
• Scream (1996)
• The Faculty (1998)
• Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)
• Good Will Hunting (1998)
• Jackie Brown (1998)
• Shakespeare in Love (1998)
• The Cider House Rules (1999)
• She's All That (1999)
• The Crow: Salvation (2000)
• The Prophecy 3: The Ascent (2000)
• Scary Movie (2000–2006)
• The Lord of the Rings film trilogy (2001–2003)
• Serendipity (2001)
• Chicago (2002)
• Gangs of New York (2002)
• Kate and Leopold (2002)
• Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002)
• Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (2003)
• My Boss's Daughter (2003)
• Cold Mountain (2003)
• Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2 (2003/2004)
• The Aviator (2004)
• The Great Raid (2004)
• Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)
• Finding Neverland (2004)
• Cursed (2005)
• Derailed (2005)
• Sin City (2005)
• Breaking and Entering (2006)
• Clerks 2 (2006)
• Pulse (2006)
• Halloween (2007)
• The Mist (2007)
• Rogue (2007)
• Sicko (2007)
• Fanboys (2008)
• The Reader (2008)
• Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008)
• Capitalism: A Love Story (2009)
• Youth in Revolt (2009)
• Janky Promoters (2009)
• Inglourious Basterds (2009)
• Nine (2009)
• Hurricane Season (2009)
• Shanghai (2010)
• Piranha 3-D (2010)
• The King's Speech (2010)
• My Week with Marilyn (2011)
• Scream 4 (2011)
• Spy Kids: All the Time in the World (2011)
• Apollo 18 (2011)
• Halloween 3D

Producer

• Playing for Keeps (1986)
• Reindeer Games (2000)
• Bad Santa (2003)

Director

• Playing for Keeps (1986)

Writer

• The Burning (1981)

Broadway credits

Note: In all productions Weinstein has functioned as a co-producer with other producers.

• The Real Thing (2000 revival) - play - produced by Miramax Films - Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play, Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Play
• The Producers (2001) - musical - Tony Award for Best Musical, Drama Desk Award for Outstanding New Musical
• Sweet Smell of Success (2002) - musical - Tony Nomination for Best Musical, Drama Desk Nomination for Outstanding New Musical
• La bohème (2003 revival) - opera - Tony Nomination for Best Revival of a Musical, Drama Desk Nomination for Outstanding Revival of a Musical
• All Shook Up (2005) - musical - produced by Bob Weinstein & Miramax Films
• The Color Purple (2005) - musical

External links