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Bob Weinstein | |
|---|---|
| Born | Robert Weinstein (1954-10-18)October 18, 1954 (age 71) New York City, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1979–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4 |
| Relatives | Harvey Weinstein (brother) |
| Notes | |
Robert Weinstein (born October 18, 1954)[3] is an American film producer. He was the founder and head ofDimension Films, former co-chairman ofMiramax Films andThe Weinstein Company (TWC), all of which he co-founded with his older brother,Harvey and is also the founder of Watch This Entertainment. He had focused on making action and horror films[4] and also focuses on "family films, comedies and upscale adult thrillers".[5]
Weinstein was born inFlushing, Queens, inNew York City. He was raised in anAshkenazi Jewish family.[6][7] His parents were Max Weinstein, a diamond cutter,[8] and Miriam (née Postel).[8][9] He grew up with his older brother,Harvey Weinstein, in ahousing co-op namedElectchester in New York City.[3] and attendedJohn Bowne High School like his older brother.[10]
Bob, his brotherHarvey Weinstein, and Corky Burger independently produced rock concerts as Harvey & Corky Productions inBuffalo through most of the 1970s.[3][11] 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 calledMiramax Films, named after their parents Miriam and Max. The company's first releases were primarily music-oriented concert films, such asPaul McCartney'sRockshow. In the early 1980s, Miramax Films acquired the rights to two British films of benefit shows filmed for the human rights organizationAmnesty International. Working closely withMartin 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, released asThe Secret Policeman's Other Ball in May 1982, became Miramax's first hit. The movie raised considerable sums forAmnesty International and was credited by Amnesty with having helped to raise its profile in the United States.
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 Films gained wider attention in 1988 with the release ofErrol Morris' documentaryThe Thin Blue Line, which detailed the struggle ofRandall Adams, a wrongfully convicted inmate sentenced todeath row. The publicity that soon surrounded the case resulted in Adams' release and nationwide publicity for Miramax Films. The following year, their successful launch release ofSteven Soderbergh'sSex, Lies, and Videotape propelled Miramax Films to become the most successful independent studio in America.[citation needed]
Miramax Films continued to grow its library of films and directors until, in 1993,Disney offered Harvey and Bob $80 million for ownership of Miramax Films. Agreeing to the deal that would cement their Hollywood clout and ensure that they would remain at the head of their company, Miramax Films followed the next year with their first blockbuster,Quentin Tarantino'sPulp Fiction.
1996 brought Miramax Films' firstAcademy Award for Best Picture with the victory ofThe English Patient. This would start a string of critical successes that would includeGood Will Hunting andShakespeare in Love.
On March 29, 2005, it was announced that the Weinstein brothers would leave Miramax Films on September 30 and would form their own production company,The Weinstein Company (TWC).[12] Five years later, in 2010, Disney sold Miramax Films to private equity firmFilmyard Holdings (a joint venture betweenColony Capital,Tutor-Saliba Corporation andQatar Investment Authority).[13] Filmyard in turn sold it to Qatari entitybeIN Media Group in 2016, who later sold a 49% stake toViacomCBS (now known asParamount Skydance).[14]
On December 4, 2017, Bob Weinstein filed a trademark application for Watch This Entertainment.[15] Almost two years later, Weinstein announced his new production company to the world, with a focus on "family films, comedies and upscale adult thrillers", and a first project of an animated feature titledEndangered, withTéa Leoni serving as co-producer and voicing a lead character.[5]
Weinstein has been married and divorced twice. He married Anne Clayton, a former book editor, in 2000. They lived in a large apartment inThe Beresford at 7 West 81st Street on the Upper West Side. Clayton filed for divorce in April 2012, and sought a protective order because she feared "bodily harm".[4] Weinstein issued a statement from Washington-based interventionist Don Sloane, denying that Weinstein was a danger to his wife, and alleging that she was reacting to a familyintervention conducted to address heralcoholism.[4] Her lawyers denied that she suffered from any addiction and said that Sloane was her husband's "paid agent" and that the two had never met.[4]
In October 2017, Weinstein was accused of sexual harassment by Amanda Segel, who had worked as ashowrunner on the Weinstein Company-producedSpike TV miniseriesThe Mist. Segel alleged that Weinstein had made several unwanted sexual overtures to her beginning June 2016, continuing for three months.[16][17] Weinstein's attorneyBert Fields issued a statement denying the allegations.[18]
Segel's allegation came in the context of the much more high profilesexual abuse cases against Weinstein's brother, Harvey. In October 2017, Bob spoke about the allegations of sex crimes against his brother, saying he was "sick and disgusted" by Harvey's actions. Bob denied any foreknowledge of his brother's crimes before the allegations became public, but acknowledged that Harvey had a history of extramarital affairs and verbal abuse towards family members, and claimed that he himself was subjected to Harvey's verbal and physical abuse. Bob further said he had rarely spoken to his brother in the previous five years because he "could not take his cheating, his lying and also his attitude toward everyone".[19]
Note: In all productions Weinstein has functioned as a co-producer with other producers.
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Britannia Awards | Excellence in Film | Won | [20] | |
| 1997 | Gotham Awards | Career Tribute Awards | Won | [21][22][23] | |
| 1998 | GLAAD Media Award | Excellence in Media Award | Won | [24] | |
| 2001 | British Independent Film Awards | Special Jury Prize | Won | [25] | |
| 2002 | British Film Institute | British Film Institute Fellowship | Won | [26] | |
| Hugo Award | Best Dramatic Presentation | The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring | Won | [27] | |
| 2002 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Non-Fiction Program (Reality) | Project Greenlight | Nominated | [28] |
| 2003 | Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films | Special Jury Prize | Won | ||
| DVD Exclusive Awards | Producer Award | Won | |||
| 2004 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality Program | Project Greenlight | Nominated | [29] |
| 2005 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality Program | Nominated | [30] | |
| Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program | Project Runway | Nominated | |||
| 2006 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program | Nominated | [31] | |
| 2006 | News and Documentary Emmy Awards | Outstanding Historical Programming - Long Form | Paper Clips (film) | Nominated | |
| 2007 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program | Project Runway | Nominated | [32] |
| 2008 | Christopher Award | Feature Films | The Great Debaters | Won | [citation needed] |
| 2009 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program | Project Runway | Nominated | [33] |
| 2010 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program | Nominated | [34] | |
| 2011 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program | Nominated | [35] | |
| 2012 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program | Nominated | [36] | |
| 2013 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program | Nominated | [37] | |
| African-American Film Critics Association | Cinema Vanguard Award | Won | [38] | ||
| PGA Awards | Milestone Award | Won | [39] | ||
| Bronze Wrangler | Theatrical Motion Picture | Django Unchained | Won | [40] | |
| 2014 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program | Project Runway | Nominated | [41] |
| 2015 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program | Nominated | [42] | |
| Capri Hollywood International Film Festival | Capri Producer Award | The Hateful Eight | Won | ||
| Christopher Award | Feature Films | St. Vincent | Won | [citation needed] | |
| 2016 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program | Project Runway | Nominated | [43] |
| 2017 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program | Nominated | [44] |