James L. Brooks | |
|---|---|
 Brooks in 2007 | |
| Born | James Lawrence Brooks (1940-05-09)May 9, 1940 (age 85) New York City, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1965–present |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 4 |
| Awards | Full list |
James Lawrence Brooks (born May 9, 1940) is an American director, producer, screenwriter and founder ofGracie Films. He co-created the sitcomsThe Mary Tyler Moore Show,Taxi, andThe Simpsons and directed the filmsTerms of Endearment (1983),Broadcast News (1987), andAs Good as It Gets (1997). He receivednumerous accolades including threeAcademy Awards, 22Emmy Awards, and aGolden Globe Award.
Brooks started his career as an usher atCBS, going on to write for the CBS News broadcasts. He moved toLos Angeles in 1965 to work onDavid L. Wolper's documentaries. He wrote forMy Mother the Car andMy Friend Tony and created the seriesRoom 222.Grant Tinker hired Brooks and producerAllan Burns atMTM Productions to createThe Mary Tyler Moore Show in 1970. Brooks and Burns then created two successful spin-offs fromMary Tyler Moore:Rhoda (a comedy) andLou Grant (a drama). Brooks left MTM Productions in 1978 to co-create the sitcomTaxi (1978-1983).
Brooks moved into feature film work when he wrote and co-produced the 1979 filmStarting Over. His next project was the critically acclaimed filmTerms of Endearment, which he produced, directed and wrote, winning anAcademy Award for all three roles. He earned acclaim for his filmsBroadcast News (1987) andAs Good as It Gets (1997). He received mixed reviews forI'll Do Anything (1994),Spanglish (2004), andHow Do You Know (2010). Brooks also producedCameron Crowe'sSay Anything... (1989) andWes Anderson'sBottle Rocket (1996).
In 1986, Brooks founded Gracie Films, a film and television production company. Although he did not intend to do so, Brooks returned to television in 1987 as the producer ofThe Tracey Ullman Show. He hired cartoonistMatt Groening to createa series of shorts for the show, which led in 1989 to a half-hour television series titledThe Simpsons.The Simpsons won numerous awards and is still running after over 35 years. Brooks also co-produced and co-wrote the 2007 film adaptation of the show,The Simpsons Movie. In total, Brooks has received 62 Emmy nominations, winning 22 of them.[1]
James Lawrence Brooks was born on May 9, 1940, in theBrooklyn borough ofNew York City, and raised inNorth Bergen, New Jersey.[2][3][4] His parents, Dorothy Helen (née Sheinheit) and Edward M. Brooks, were both salespeople (his mother sold children's clothes; his father furniture).[4][5] The Brooks family wasJewish; Edward Brooks changed his surname fromBernstein and claimed to be Irish.[6] Brooks's father abandoned his mother when he found out she was pregnant with him,[7] and lost contact with his son when Brooks was twelve.[8] During the pregnancy, Brooks' father sent his wife a postcard stating that "If it's a boy, name him Jim."[7] His mother died when he was 22.[7] He has described his early life as "tough" with a "broken home, [and him being] poor and sort of lonely, that sort of stuff,"[9] later adding: "My father was sort of in-and-out and my mother worked long hours, so there was no choice but for me to be alone in the apartment a lot." He has an older sister, Diane, who helped look after him as a child and to whom he dedicatedAs Good as It Gets.[4][10][11][12]
Brooks spent much of his childhood "surviving" and reading numerous comedic and scripted works,[4] as well as writing. He sent comedic short stories out to publishers, and occasionally got positive responses, although none were published,[12] and he did not believe he could make a career as a writer.[4] Brooks attendedWeehawken High School, but was not a high achiever. He was on his high school newspaper team and frequently secured interviews with celebrities, includingLouis Armstrong.[4][13] He lists some of his influences asSid Caesar,Jack Benny,Lenny Bruce,Mike Nichols andElaine May,[12] as well as writersMark Twain,Paddy Chayefsky andF. Scott Fitzgerald.[4]
Brooks dropped out of a public-relations program atNew York University.[4][5][7][8] Through his sister, who knew a secretary atCBS, he obtained a hosting job at the network’sNew York office — a position that typically required a college degree.[4] For two weeks he filled in as acopywriter for CBS News and was given the job permanently when the original employee never returned. Brooks went on to become a writer for the news broadcasts, joining theWriters Guild of America and writing reports on events such as theassassination of President Kennedy. He moved toLos Angeles in 1965, to write for documentaries being produced byDavid L. Wolper, something he "still [hasn't] quite figured out how [he] got the guts to do,"[12] as his job at CBS was secure and well-paid. He worked as an associate producer on series such asMen in Crisis, but after six months he was laid off as the company was trying to cut back on expenses.[4] Brooks did occasionally work for Wolper's company again, including on aNational Geographic insect special.[12]
Failing to find another job at a news agency, he met producerAllan Burns at a party. Burns got him a job onMy Mother the Car where he was hired to rewrite a script after pitching some story ideas.[12] Brooks then went on to write episodes ofThat Girl,[12]The Andy Griffith Show[7] andMy Three Sons beforeSheldon Leonard hired him as a story editor onMy Friend Tony.[4] In 1969 he created the seriesRoom 222 forABC, which lasted until 1974.Room 222 was the second series in American history to feature a black lead character, in this case high school teacher Pete Dixon played byLloyd Haynes.[2] The network felt the show was sensitive and so attempted to change the pilot story so that Dixon helped a white student rather than a black one, but Brooks prevented it. On the show Brooks worked withGene Reynolds who taught him the importance of extensive and diligent research, which he conducted atLos Angeles High School forRoom 222, and he used the technique on his subsequent works. Brooks leftRoom 222 as head writer after one year to work on other pilots and brought Burns in to produce the show.[4][12] TheTelevision Academy Foundation would point out thatRoom 222 "broke new narrative ground that would later be developed by the major sitcom factories of the 1970s,Grant Tinker'sMTM Enterprises andNorman Lear'sTandem Productions" and also noted how the show even preceded Lear's 1970s sitcoms when it came to discussing "serious contemporary issues."[14]
Brooks and Burns were hired by CBS programming executive Grant Tinker to create a series together withMTM Productions for Tinker's wifeMary Tyler Moore which becameThe Mary Tyler Moore Show.[2] Drawing on his own background in journalism, Brooks set the show in a newsroom. Initially the show was unpopular with CBS executives who demanded Tinker fire Brooks and Burns. However the show was one of the beneficiaries of network presidentFred Silverman's "rural purge"; executive Bob Wood also liked the show and moved it into a better timeslot.[12][15] Brooks and Burns hired all of the show's staff themselves and eventually ended it of their own accord.[12]The Mary Tyler Moore Show became a critical and commercial success and was the first show to feature an independent-minded, working woman, not reliant on a man, as its lead.[16] Geoff Hammill of theMuseum of Broadcast Communications described it as "one of the most acclaimed television programs ever produced" in UStelevision history.[16] During its seven-year period it received high praise from critics and numerousPrimetime Emmy Awards, including for three years in a rowOutstanding Comedy Series.[16] In 2003USA Today called it "one of the best shows ever to air on TV".[17] In 1997TV Guide selected aMary Tyler Moore Show episode as the best TV episode ever and in 1999,Entertainment Weekly picked Mary's hat toss in the opening credits as television's second greatest moment.[18][19]
WithMary Tyler Moore going strong, Brooks produced and wrote the TV filmThursday's Game,[2] before creating the short-lived seriesPaul Sand in Friends and Lovers in 1974.[20] He and Burns moved on toRhoda, a spin-off ofMary Tyler Moore, takingValerie Harper's characterRhoda Morgenstern into her own show.[21] It was well received, lasting four years and earning Brooks several Emmys.[1] The duo's next project came in 1977 in the shape ofLou Grant, a secondMary Tyler Moore spin-off, which they created along with Tinker. Unlike its source however, the series was a drama starringEdward Asner as Grant. James Brown of the Museum of Broadcast Communications said it "explore[d] a knotty issue facing media people in contemporary society, focusing on how investigating and reporting those issues impact on the layers of personalities populating a complex newspaper publishing company." The show was also critically acclaimed, twice winning thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series and also aPeabody Award.[22]
Brooks left MTM Productions in 1978 and formed theJohn Charles Walters Company along withDavid Davis,Stan Daniels andEd Weinberger. They decided to produceTaxi, a show about a New York taxi company, which unlike the other MTM Productions focused on the "blue-collar male experience".[23] Brooks and Davis had been inspired by the article "Night-Shifting for the Hip Fleet" byMark Jacobson, which appeared in the September 22, 1975, issue ofNew York magazine.[24] The show began on ABC in 1978 airing on Tuesday nights afterThree's Company which generated high ratings and after two seasons it was moved to Wednesday. Its ratings fell and in 1982 it was canceled; NBC picked it up, but the ratings remained low and it was dropped after one season. Despite its ratings, it won three consecutive Outstanding Comedy Series Emmys.[23] Brooks' last TV show produced before he began making films wasThe Associates (1979–1980) for ABC. Despite positive critical attention, the show was quickly canceled.[25]
Alex Simon ofVenice Magazine described Brooks as "[bringing] realism to the previously overstated world of television comedy. Brooks' fingerprints can now be seen in shows such asSeinfeld,Friends,Ally McBeal and numerous other shows from the 1980s and 1990s."[12] Brooks' sitcoms were some of the first with a "focus on character" using an ensemble cast in a non-domestic situation.[2][12]
When I broke into movies, it was hard for anyone who had previously worked in television to break into the movies. It's easier now, but was almost impossible back then.
In 1978, Brooks began work on feature films. His first project was the 1979 filmStarting Over which he wrote and co-produced withAlan J. Pakula.[26] He adapted the screenplay from a novel byDan Wakefield into a filmThe Washington Post called "a good-humored, heartening update of traditional romantic comedy" unlike the "drab" novel.[27] The film received Oscar nominations for lead actressJill Clayburgh andCandice Bergen, the supporting actress.[28]
Brooks' next project came in 1983, when he wrote, produced and directedTerms of Endearment, adapting the screenplay fromLarry McMurtry's novel of the same name.[29] It took Brooks four years to convince a studio to finance the film, which cost $8.5 million.[30][31] Brooks won theAcademy Awards forBest Picture,Director andAdapted Screenplay, while the supporting actor he cast,Jack Nicholson, won Best Supporting Actor.[9]
Brooks was fearful of the attention Oscar success would bring as he would be "deprived of a low profile", finding it "hard to work with the spotlight shining in your eyes." He added: "There's a danger of being seduced into being self-conscious, of being aware of your 'career'. That can be lethal."[9] He also grew more concerned of the "threatening" corporate influence into the film industry at the expense of "the idea of the creative spirit".[9] He channeled this ambivalence intoBroadcast News. As aromantic comedy, Brooks felt he could say "something new...with that form", adding, "One of the things you're supposed to do every once in a while as a filmmaker is capture time and place. I was just glad there was some way to do it in a comedy."[9] He castWilliam Hurt,Holly Hunter andAlbert Brooks (no relation) in the three main roles.[9]
He wished to set the film in a field he understood and opted for broadcast journalism. After talking with network journalists at the1984 Republican National Convention, Brooks realized the field had "changed so much since I had been near it", and so "did about a year and a half of solid research," into the industry.[9] When he began writing the screenplay, Brooks felt he "didn't like any of the three [main] characters", but decided not to change them and after two months had reversed his original opinion. Brooks stated that this also happens to the audience: "You're always supposed to arc your characters and you have this change and that's your dramatic purpose. But what I hope happens in this film is that the audience takes part in the arc. So what happens is that the movie doesn't select its own hero. It plays differently with each audience. The audience helps create the experience, depending on which character they hook onto."[9] He did not decide on the ending of the film until the rest of it had been completed. Broadcast News, released on December 18, 1987, which Brooks wrote, directed, and produced - received seven Academy Award nominations,including Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay for Brooks.[12][32] At the38th Berlin International Film Festival, the film was nominated for theGolden Bear and Holly Hunter won theSilver Bear for Best Actress.[33]
His 1994 filmI'll Do Anything, starringNick Nolte, was conceived and filmed by Brooks as an old-fashionedmovie musical and parody of "Hollywood lifestyles and movie clichés", costing $40 million.[34] It featured songs byCarole King,Prince, andSinéad O'Connor, among others, withchoreography byTwyla Tharp.[5][34] When preview audience reactions to the music were overwhelmingly negative, all production numbers from the film were cut and Brooks wrote several new scenes, filming them over three days and spending seven weeks editing the film down to two hours.[5] Brooks said, "Something like this not only tries one's soul – it threatens one's soul." While it was not unusual for Brooks to edit his films substantially after preview screenings, on this occasion he was "denied any privacy" because the media reported the negative reviews before its release and "it had to be good enough to counter all this bad publicity."[34] It was a commercial failure,[12] and Brooks attempted to produce a documentary about it four years later but was scuppered by failing to obtain the rights to Prince's song.[7]
Brooks agreed to produce and directOld Friends, a screenplay byMark Andrus. Brooks said the screenplay "needed you to suspend disbelief" but realized that "my style when directing is that I really don't know how to get people to suspend disbelief." Brooks spent a year reworking the screenplay: "There were changes made and the emphasis was changed but it's the product, really, of a very unusual writing team," and the project becameAs Good as It Gets, taking a year to produce after funding had been secured.[12] According toThe New York Times, Brooks took an improvisational approach to directing the film, and "was constantly experimenting, constantly reshooting, constantly re-editing,” and gave the actors the freedom to explore different tones.[35]
The film garnered more praise thanI'll Do Anything and Brooks was again nominated for the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay.As Good as It Gets received a total of seven Academy Award nominations and won two:Best Actress forHelen Hunt andBest Actor forJack Nicholson—the second time Nicholson won the award for a role cast by Brooks.[36][37]Jonathan Rosenbaum of theChicago Reader labelled it Brooks' best film, writing that "what Brooks manages to do with [the characters] as they struggle mightily to connect with one another is funny, painful, beautiful, and basically truthful—a triumph for everyone involved."[38] It ranked 140 inEmpire's 2008 list of "The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time".[39]
Brooks did not direct and write a film again for seven years until 2004'sSpanglish. Filming took six months, ending in June with three days of additional filming in October; Brooks produced three endings for the film, shooting several scenes in "15 to 25 takes" as he did not feel the film was tonally complete, although the script did not change much during filming. He opted to castAdam Sandler in a more dramatic role than his usual goofball comedy parts based on his performance inPunch-Drunk Love and Sandler's relationship with his family. Describing the length of production, Brooks said: "It's amazing how much more perverse you are as a writer than as a director. I remember just being so happy that I'd painted myself into some corners [while writing]. I thought that would make it interesting. When I had to wrestle with that as a director, it was a different story." Brooks's directing style "drove [the cast] bats", especiallyTéa Leoni, withCloris Leachman (who replaced an illAnne Bancroft a month into filming) describing it as "free-falling. You're not going for some result. It's just, throw it in the air and see where it lands."[7] The film received mixed reviews from critics and was a box-office failure,[40] grossing $55 million worldwide on an $80 million production budget.[41]
His next film, entitledHow Do You Know, was released December 17, 2010; Brooks produced, directed and wrote it. The film starsReese Witherspoon as a professionalsoftball player involved in a love triangle. Brooks began work on the film in 2005, wishing to create a film about a young female athlete. While interviewing numerous women for hundreds of hours in his research for the film he also became interested in "the dilemmas of contemporary business executives, who are sometimes held accountable by the law for corporate behavior of which they may not even be aware." He createdPaul Rudd andJack Nicholson's characters for this concept.[42] Filming finished in November 2009,[43] although Brooks later reshot the film's opening and ending.[44]The New York Times described it as "perhaps the most closely guarded ofColumbia's movies this year."[42] Brooks was paid $10 million for the project, which cost $100 million.[44][45] The film was negatively received.[46] Patrick Goldstein wrote in theLos Angeles Times that "the characters were stick figures, the jokes were flat, the situations felt scarily insular." He felt the film showed Brooks had "finally lost his comic mojo" concluding "his films used to have a wonderfully restless, neurotic energy, butHow Do You Know feels like it was phoned in from someone resting uncomfortably on his laurels."[40]Variety's Peter Debruge also felt the film showed Brooks had lost his "spark".[47]Richard Corliss ofTime was more positive, writing "without being great, it's still the flat-out finest romantic comedy of the year," while "Brooks hasn't lost his gift for dreaming up heroes and heroines who worry amusingly."[48]
Brooks started his own film and television production company,Gracie Films, in 1986.[2] He producedBig (1988) andThe War of the Roses (1989).[5][12] Brooks mentoredCameron Crowe[49] and was the executive producer of Crowe's directorial debutSay Anything... (1989)[50] and producedJerry Maguire (1996)[51] which was nominated for five Oscars[52] and won one.[53] Brooks also helpedOwen Wilson andWes Anderson after their feature-length script and short film version ofBottle Rocket (1996) were brought to his attention. Brooks went to Wilson and Anderson's apartment inDallas after agreeing to produce the film. Wilson stated: "I think he felt kind of sorry for us". Despite having "the worst [script] reading [Brooks] had ever heard", Brooks kept faith in the project.[54] Brooks produced and directedBrooklyn Laundry, his first theatrical production, in 1990. It starredGlenn Close,Woody Harrelson andLaura Dern.[12] In 2007 Brooks appeared—along withNora Ephron,Carrie Fisher and others inDreams on Spec, a documentary about screenwriting in Hollywood.[55]
Although Brooks "never meant" to return to television in the late 1980s, he was helpingTracey Ullman startThe Tracey Ullman Show and when she could not find another producer, he stepped in.[26] On the suggestion of friend and colleaguePolly Platt, who gave Brooks the nine-panelLife in Hell cartoon entitled "The Los Angeles Way of Death" which hangs outside Brooks' Gracie Films office,[7][56][57] Brooks askedLife in Hell cartoonistMatt Groening to pitch an idea for a series ofanimated shorts to appear onThe Tracey Ullman Show. Groening initially intended to present an animated version of hisLife in Hell series. However, when Groening realized that animatingLife in Hell would require the rescinding ofpublication rights for his life's work, he chose another approach and formulated his version of adysfunctional family in the lobby of Brooks' office.[58] After the success of the shorts, theFox Broadcasting Company in 1989 commissioned a series of half-hour episodes of the show, now calledThe Simpsons, which Brooks produced alongside Groening andSam Simon. Brooks negotiated a provision in the contract with the Fox network that prevented Fox from interfering with the show's content.[59] According to writerJon Vitti, Brooks contributed more to the episode "Lisa's Substitute" than to any other in the show's history.[60]The Simpsons garnered critical and commercial acclaim,[61] winning numerous awards including 37 Emmy Awards and two Peabody Awards as of January 2025.[62]The Simpsons was still producing original content 35 years after it debuted in 1990.[63] In a 1998 issue celebrating the 20th century's greatest achievements in arts and entertainment,Time magazine namedThe Simpsons the century's best television series.[64] In 1997 Brooks was inducted into theTelevision Hall of Fame.[65]
In 1995, Brooks and Groening were involved in a public dispute over the episode "A Star Is Burns". Groening felt that the episode was a thirty-minuteadvertisement for Brooks' showThe Critic (which had moved to Fox fromABC for its second season), and was created by formerThe SimpsonsshowrunnersAl Jean andMike Reiss, and whose lead character Jay Sherman appears in the episode. He hoped Brooks would pull the episode because "articles began to appear in several newspapers around the country saying that [Groening] createdThe Critic", and remove his name from the credits.[66] In response, Brooks said "I am furious with Matt. he's been going to everybody who wears a suit at Fox and complaining about this. When he voiced his concerns about how to drawThe Critic into the Simpsons' universe, he was right and we agreed to his changes. Certainly, he's allowed his opinion, but airing this publicly in the press is going too far....He is a gifted, adorable, cuddly ingrate. But his behavior right now is rotten."[66]
The Critic was short-lived, broadcasting ten episodes on Fox before its cancellation. A total of 23 episodes were produced, and it returned briefly in 2000 with a series of ten internet broadcastwebisodes. The series has since developed acult following thanks to reruns onComedy Central and its complete-series release on DVD.[67] Brooks' early-1990s showsSibs andPhenom, both produced as part of a multi-show deal with ABC, and the 2001 showWhat About Joan for the same network, were all similarly short-lived.[7][68][69][70][71][72]
Brooks co-produced and co-wrote the 2007 feature-length film adaptation ofThe Simpsons,The Simpsons Movie, which grossed $500 million.[73] He directed the voice cast for the first time since the television show's early seasons.Dan Castellaneta found the recording sessions "more intense" than recording the television series, and "more emotionally dramatic".[74] Some scenes, such as Marge's video message to Homer, were recorded over one hundred times, leaving the voice cast exhausted.[75] Brooks conceived the idea for, co-produced and co-wrote theMaggie-centric short filmThe Longest Daycare, which played in front ofIce Age: Continental Drift in 2012.[76] It was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Animated Short Film in2013.[77]
Brooks has been married three times. His first wife was Marianne Catherine Morrissey; they have one daughter,[2][8] Amy Lorraine Brooks. They divorced in 1972.[78] In 1978 he married Holly Beth Holmberg; they had three children together:[79] daughter Chloe and sons Cooper and Joseph. They divorced in 1999.[79] As of 2025, Brooks was married to Jennifer Simchowitz.[80]
He is also a member of theAlpha Epsilon Pi fraternity.[81] Brooks has donated over $175,000 toDemocratic Party candidates.[82] In January 2017, Brooks stated in an interview withThe Hollywood Reporter that his career was now just focused staying withThe Simpsons until the show ends and continuing to run intoSteven Spielberg "in the market."[83]
Brooks is an avid fan of theLos Angeles Clippers.[citation needed]
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| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Starting Over | No | Yes | Yes |
| 1983 | Terms of Endearment | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 1987 | Broadcast News | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 1994 | I'll Do Anything | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 1997 | As Good as It Gets | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2004 | Spanglish | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2007 | The Simpsons Movie | No | Yes | Yes |
| 2010 | How Do You Know | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2025 | Ella McCay | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Producer
Executive producer
Acting roles
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Real Life | Driving Evaluator | |
| 1981 | Modern Romance | David | |
| 1985 | Lost in America | Party Guest | Uncredited |
| Year | Title | Writer | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | The Longest Daycare | Yes | Yes |
| 2020 | Playdate with Destiny | Yes | Yes |
| 2021 | The Force Awakens from Its Nap | No | Yes |
| The Good, the Bart, and the Loki | No | Yes | |
| The Simpsons | Balenciaga | No | Yes | |
| Plusaversary | No | Yes | |
| 2022 | When Billie Met Lisa | No | Yes |
| Welcome to the Club | No | Yes | |
| The Simpsons Meet the Bocellis in "Feliz Navidad" | No | Yes | |
| 2023 | Rogue Not Quite One | No | Yes |
| Year | Title | Writer | Creator | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Men in Crisis | Yes | No | Yes | 2 episodes |
| October Madness: The World Series | Yes | No | No | Television documentary | |
| 1965–1966 | Time-Life Specials: The March of Time | Yes | No | No | 3 episodes |
| 1966 | My Mother the Car | Yes | No | No | 2 episodes |
| 1966–1967 | That Girl | Yes | No | No | 3 episodes |
| 1967 | Hey, Landlord | Yes | No | No | Episode: "Sharin' Sharon" |
| Accidental Family | Yes | No | No | Episode: "Hot Kid in a Cold Town" | |
| 1968 | The Andy Griffith Show | Yes | No | No | 2 episodes |
| My Three Sons | Yes | No | No | Episode: "The Perfect Separation" | |
| The Doris Day Show | Yes | No | No | Episode: "The Job" | |
| Good Morning World | Yes | No | No | Episode: "Pot Luckless" | |
| Mayberry R.F.D. | Yes | No | No | Episode: "Youth Takes Over" | |
| 1969 | My Friend Tony | Yes | No | No | Episode: "Encounter" |
| 1969–1974 | Room 222 | Yes | Yes | No | 113 episodes |
| 1970–1977 | The Mary Tyler Moore Show | Yes | Yes | Yes | 168 episodes |
| 1973 | Going Places | Yes | No | No | TV short |
| 1974 | Paul Sand in Friends and Lovers | Yes | Yes | No | 15 episodes |
| Thursday's Game | No | Yes | Yes | TV movie | |
| 1974–1978 | Rhoda | Yes | Yes | Yes | 110 episodes |
| 1975–1977 | Phyllis | No | Yes | No | 48 episodes, Also consultant |
| 1977–1982 | Lou Grant | Yes | Yes | Yes | 114 episodes |
| 1978 | Cindy | No | No | Yes | TV movie |
| 1978–1983 | Taxi | Yes | Yes | Yes | 114 episodes |
| 1979–1980 | The Associates | No | Yes | Yes | 13 episodes |
| 1980 | Carlton Your Doorman | Yes | No | No | TV short |
| 1987–1990 | The Tracey Ullman Show | Yes | Yes | Yes | 81 episodes |
| 1989–present | The Simpsons | Yes | Developer | Yes | Also executive creative consultant |
| 1991–1992 | Sibs | No | No | Yes | 22 episodes |
| 1993 | Phenom | No | No | Yes | 22 episodes |
| 1994–1995 | The Critic | No | No | Yes | 7 episodes |
| 2001 | What About Joan | No | No | Yes | 21 episodes |
Acting roles
| Year | Title | Role | Episode |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | The Mary Tyler Moore Show | Rabbi | "Enter Rhoda's Parents" |
| 1974 | Rhoda | Subway Passenger | "Rhoda's Wedding" |
| 1976 | Saturday Night Live | Paul Reynold | "Elliott Gould/Anne Murray" |
| 2003 | The Simpsons | Himself (voice) | "A Star Is Born Again" |
Brooks has received 8Academy Award nominations forTerms of Endearment (1983),Broadcast News (1987),As Good as It Gets (1997), andJerry Maguire (1996). In 1984 Brooks received threeAcademy Awards forBest Picture,Best Director, andBest Adapted Screenplay forTerms of Endearment (1983). He has also earned 54Primetime Emmy Awards nominations for his work on television. He has won forThe Mary Tyler Moore Show,Taxi,Lou Grant,The Tracey Ullman Show, andThe Simpsons. On August 11, 2024, he was awarded the title ofDisney Legend at theD23 Expo.[84]
| Year | Title | Academy Awards | BAFTA Awards | Golden Globe Awards | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominations | Wins | Nominations | Wins | Nominations | Wins | ||
| 1983 | Terms of Endearment | 11 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 3 | |
| 1987 | Broadcast News | 7 | 5 | ||||
| 1997 | As Good as It Gets | 7 | 2 | 6 | 3 | ||
| 2004 | Spanglish | 1 | |||||
| Total | 25 | 7 | 1 | 18 | 6 | ||
Directed Academy Award performances
| Year | Performer | Film | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Award for Best Actor | |||
| 1988 | William Hurt | Broadcast News | Nominated |
| 1998 | Jack Nicholson | As Good as It Gets | Won |
| Academy Award for Best Actress | |||
| 1984 | Debra Winger | Terms of Endearment | Nominated |
| Shirley MacLaine | Won | ||
| 1988 | Holly Hunter | Broadcast News | Nominated |
| 1998 | Helen Hunt | As Good as It Gets | Won |
| Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor | |||
| 1984 | Jack Nicholson | Terms of Endearment | Won |
| John Lithgow | Nominated | ||
| 1988 | Albert Brooks | Broadcast News | Nominated |
| 1998 | Greg Kinnear | As Good as It Gets | Nominated |
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