Edward Zwick | |
|---|---|
 Zwick in 2016 | |
| Born | (1952-10-08)October 8, 1952 (age 73) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Education | Harvard University (BA) AFI Conservatory (MFA) |
| Occupations | Director, producer, screenwriter |
| Years active | 1979–present |
| Notable work | About Last Night,Glory,Legends of the Fall,The Last Samurai,Blood Diamond,Defiance,Love & Other Drugs |
| Spouse | |
Edward M. Zwick (born October 8, 1952) is an American filmmaker. He has worked primarily in thecomedy drama andepic historical film genres and received anAcademy Award and aBAFTA Award for his work producingShakespeare in Love (1998).
He made his film debut with the comedyAbout Last Night (1986), followed byGlory (1989),Legends of the Fall (1994),Courage Under Fire (1996),The Siege (1998),The Last Samurai (2003),Blood Diamond (2006), andDefiance (2008). His later films includeLove & Other Drugs (2010),Pawn Sacrifice (2014), andJack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016).
He is also the co-creator of the ABC family drama seriesthirtysomething andOnce and Again.
Zwick was born on October 8, 1952, into a Jewish family in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Ruth Ellen (née Reich) and Allen Zwick.[1][2][3][4] He attendedNew Trier High School, received aB.A. atHarvard in 1974, and graduated from theAFI Conservatory with aMaster of Fine Arts degree in 1975.
Despite sharing a surname and profession, Edward is unrelated to fellow directorJoel Zwick. He has been married to actressLiberty Godshall since 1982, and they have two grown children.[4]
His films includeGlory (1989),Legends of the Fall (1994),The Siege (1998),The Last Samurai (2003),Blood Diamond (2006), andDefiance (2008). Along withMarshall Herskovitz, Zwick runsThe Bedford Falls Company (named after the town inFrank Capra'sIt's a Wonderful Life). The film production company has produced such films asTraffic andShakespeare in Love and the TV showsthirtysomething,Relativity,Once and Again, andMy So-Called Life.
Zwick's body of work has earned numerous accolades, including anAcademy Award andBAFTA Award for Best Picture as a producer, andPrimetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Writing in a Limited Series, and Outstanding Dramatic Special. He was one of the recipients of theAcademy Award for Best Picture forShakespeare in Love; he was also nominated in the same category forTraffic. He has also been nominated for multipleGolden Globe Awards.
In 2024, Zwick released his memoir,Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions: My Fortysomething Years in Hollywood.[5]
| Year | Title | Director | Producer | Writer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | About Last Night... | Yes | No | No |
| 1989 | Glory | Yes | No | No |
| 1992 | Leaving Normal | Yes | No | No |
| 1994 | Legends of the Fall | Yes | Yes | No |
| 1996 | Courage Under Fire | Yes | No | No |
| 1998 | The Siege | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2003 | The Last Samurai | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2006 | Blood Diamond | Yes | Yes | No |
| 2008 | Defiance | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2010 | Love & Other Drugs | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2014 | Pawn Sacrifice | Yes | Yes | No |
| 2016 | Jack Reacher: Never Go Back | Yes | No | Yes |
| The Great Wall | No | No | Story | |
| 2017 | American Assassin | No | No | Yes |
| 2018 | Trial by Fire | Yes | Yes | No |
Producer only
| Executive producer
|
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Executive Producer | Creator | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979–80 | Family | Yes | Yes | No | No | Also producer; 5 episodes (written); Directed episode "Ballerina" |
| 1985 | The Insiders | Yes | No | No | No | Pilot episode |
| 1987–91 | thirtysomething | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 3 episodes (directed); 8 episodes (written) |
| 1999–2002 | Once and Again | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 3 episodes (directed); 4 episodes (written) Also actor (as Dr. Daniel Rosenfeld) |
| 2008 | Quarterlife | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Web series; 2 episodes (written) |
| 2016–18 | Nashville | No | Yes | Yes | No | Wrote episode "The Wayfaring Stranger" |
| 2020 | Away | Yes | No | Yes | No | Directed episode "Go" |
Television films
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Paper Dolls | Yes | No | No |
| 1982 | Having It All | Yes | No | No |
| 1983 | Special Bulletin | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 1990 | Extreme Close-Up | No | Story | executive |
| 2009 | A Marriage | No | Yes | executive |
| 2020 | Thirtysomething(else) | Yes | Yes | No |
Executive producer only
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | CBS Summer Playhouse | Episode "Sawdust" |
| 1989 | Dream Street | |
| 1994-95 | My So-Called Life | |
| 1998 | Relativity | |
| 2000 | The Only Living Boy in New York | TV movie |
| The Poof Point | ||
| 2002 | Women vs. Men |
| Year | Title | Academy Awards | BAFTA Awards | Golden Globe Awards | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominations | Wins | Nominations | Wins | Nominations | Wins | ||
| 1989 | Glory | 5 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 1 | |
| 1994 | Legends of the Fall | 3 | 1 | 4 | |||
| 2003 | The Last Samurai | 4 | 3 | ||||
| 2006 | Blood Diamond | 5 | 1 | ||||
| 2008 | Defiance | 1 | 1 | ||||
| 2010 | Love & Other Drugs | 2 | |||||
| Total | 18 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 1 | |
Directed Academy Award performances
Under Zwick's direction, these actors have receivedAcademy Award wins and nominations for their performances in their respective roles.
| Year | Performer | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Award for Best Actor | |||
| 2006 | Leonardo DiCaprio | Blood Diamond | Nominated |
| Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor | |||
| 1989 | Denzel Washington | Glory | Won |
| 2003 | Ken Watanabe | The Last Samurai | Nominated |
| 2006 | Djimon Hounsou | Blood Diamond | Nominated |
