John Lesher | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1966-05-12)May 12, 1966 (age 59) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Occupation | Film producer |
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Spouse | Christina Liao |
John Huttner Lesher (born May 12, 1966)[1] is an American film producer, best known for winning theAcademy Award forBest Picture for the 2014 filmBirdman.[2][3]
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John Lesher was born on May 12, 1966, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He graduated fromHarvard University in 1988 before starting his career as an agent at the Bauer-Benedek Agency.
Later, Lesher moved to theUnited Talent Agency (UTA), where he became a partner. After 15 years at UTA, Lesher left for Endeavor, where his clients includedMartin Scorsese,Paul Thomas Anderson,Alejandro Iñárritu, andJudd Apatow. In 2005, he was made head ofParamount Vantage, a brand derived from Paramount Classics that produced and distributed arthouse-oriented titles. The company produced such Oscar-winning pictures as Inarritu'sBabel (2006), the Coen Brothers'No Country for Old Men (2007), and Paul Thomas Anderson'sThere Will Be Blood (2007). The success of these films led to Lesher's appointment in 2008 as President of Paramount Pictures, where he oversaw several major features, including J.J. Abrams' reboot of theStar Trek (2008) franchise and David Fincher'sThe Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008). "Star Trek" was his only blockbuster. Other titles released by Paramount during his tenure, likeIron Man (2008), were distribution titles made at other companies, while other projects, like the Mike Myers comedyLove Guru (2008) andImagine That (2009) were failures. Lesher was dismissed as Paramount president in the summer of 2009. He formed his own production company, Le Grisbi, which released several box office hits between 2012 and 2014.
Among their most popular efforts wasBirdman, which was directed by Inarritu and earned Lesher an Oscar for Best Picture in 2015.[4][5]
Lesher, along with his fellow producers also won the Darryl F. Zanuck Award forOutstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures at the26th Producers Guild of America Awards.[6]
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | End of Watch | |
| 2013 | Blood Ties | |
| 2014 | Fury | |
| 2014 | Birdman | WonAcademy Award for Best Picture[7] |
| 2015 | Mississippi Grind | |
| 2015 | Mediterranea | |
| 2015 | Black Mass | |
| 2017 | Hostiles | |
| 2018 | White Boy Rick | |
| 2019 | The Beach Bum | |
| 2021 | Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon | |
| 2021 | The Premise | Anthology TV series |
| 2022 | Tokyo Vice | TV series |
| 2022 | The Pale Blue Eye | |
| 2023 | Ferrari | |
| 2024 | Severance | TV Series |
| TBA | The Dink | Post-production |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
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