Brett Ratner | |
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 Ratner in 2012 | |
| Born | 1969 (age 56–57) Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. |
| Education | New York University |
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Brett Ratner (born 1969) is an American film director and producer. He directed theRush Hour film series,The Family Man,Red Dragon,X-Men: The Last Stand,Tower Heist, andHercules. He is a producer or executive producer of several films, including theHorrible Bosses series,The Revenant, andWar Dogs, and the television seriesPrison Break.
Ratner directed his first feature film,Money Talks, in 1997.[1] He is the co-founder ofRatPac Entertainment, a film production company. He led RatPac's partnership withDune Entertainment in September 2013 for a co-producing deal withWarner Bros. that included 75 films.[2] RatPac Entertainment has co-financed 81 theatrically released motion pictures exceeding $17 billion in worldwide box office receipts.[when?] RatPac's co-financed films have been nominated for 59Academy Awards, 25Golden Globes and 43BAFTAs and have won 25 Academy Awards, 8 Golden Globes and 24 BAFTAs. In January 2017, a sponsor for Ratner paid for him to receive a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to the motion picture industry, located at 6801Hollywood Boulevard.[3][4]
In 2017, numerous women in Hollywood came forward with allegations ofsexual assault by Ratner.[5] This resulted in his business deals and prospective film projects getting canceled or scrapped. In December 2024, Ratner started production onMelania, a documentary film co-produced by and starringMelania Trump and released on January 30, 2026 byAmazon MGM Studios. As of November 25, 2025, a fourthRush Hour film is in development, with Ratner returning to direct.[6]
Brett Ratner was born in 1969 inMiami Beach, Florida,[7] the son of Marsha Presman and Ronald Ratner.[8][9] He grew up in an upper-middle-classJewish family.[10] His grandfather wasd-CON mail orderrat poison company founder and real estate developerLee Ratner.[11][12][13][14] His mother was born inCuba and immigrated to the U.S. in the 1960s with her parents, Fanita and Mario Presman, whose families themselves originally moved to Cuba from Eastern Europe.[15][16][14] Ratner's mother was sixteen when he was born.[10][7] Ratner has said that he "really didn't know" his biological father, and that he considersAlvin Malnik, a lawyer and businessman with allegedorganized crime ties[17][18][19] who opened the restaurantThe Forge in Miami Beach, to be his father, "the one who raised" him.[20] Malnik was a friend of Lee Ratner and not romantically involved with Marsha Presman.[14] Ratner's biological father became homeless in Miami Beach, a situation which inspired Brett Ratner to become a board member of the nationwide nonprofit organization Chrysalis, which helps the homeless find work.[21]
Ratner attendedRabbi Alexander S. Gross Hebrew Academy[22] elementary school and attendedAlexander Muss High School in Israel[14] and graduated in 1986 fromMiami Beach Senior High School. While growing up in Miami Beach, Ratner was an extra on the set ofScarface and was able to watchMiami Vice film around town.[23] Shortly before his high school graduation, his mother and biological father married, with the intention oflegitimizing his status.[14]
Ratner attendedNew York University'sTisch School of the Arts,[24] graduating in 1990.[25] He later citedMartin Scorsese's 1980 filmRaging Bull as his inspiration to enter the world of film.[26]
Ratner began directing music videos in the 1990s.[11] When he was a sophomore at New York University Tisch Schools of the Arts, he was manager and executive producer for B.M.O.C. (Big Man On Campus), one of the first white rap groups.[24] While a student atNYU, he released his first short filmWhatever Happened toMason Reese?.[27] The rap groupPublic Enemy attended the film's premiere and asked Ratner to make the group's music videos.[11] Ratner did the debut videos forPrime Minister Pete Nice before working withRedman,LL Cool J,Heavy D andWu-Tang Clan.[28] He has directed music videos for artists such asMariah Carey[29]Madonna,Miley Cyrus,[30]Jay-Z[11] and was scheduled to direct a video forMichael Jackson before its production was cancelled.[31] He directed Carey's "We Belong Together", "I Still Believe", "Obsessed" and "Heartbreaker" and others.[32][33]
Ratner had his motion picture debut when he directedMoney Talks in 1997. The film, an action-comedy about a con-man accused of organizing a prison break, was Ratner's first collaboration with comedianChris Tucker. The film's budget was $25 million.[34] In 1998, he directedRush Hour, an action-comedy starringJackie Chan andChris Tucker, which was released in September 1998 and went on to become the studio's highest-grossing film and the highest grossing comedy at the time.[35][36] Ratner uses music on the set to inspire the production, and when filmingRush Hour, a Michael Jackson song he played for inspiration ended up in the film after Chris Tucker began dancing in the middle of a scene.[37]
Ratner directedThe Family Man, a drama starringNicolas Cage, in 2000.[38] In 2001, Ratner directedRush Hour 2.[39][40] In 2002, he directedRed Dragon, the prequel toThe Silence of the Lambs, aboutHannibal Lecter.[41][42] In 2004, Ratner directedAfter the Sunset, starringPierce Brosnan andSalma Hayek. The action comedy film revolves around a master thief pulling off one last big score, with an FBI agent in hot pursuit.[43][better source needed] In 2006, Ratner directedX-Men: The Last Stand,[44] then directedRush Hour 3, which was released in 2007.[45][46] Ratner directed a television commercial forWynn Las Vegas featuringSteve Wynn on top of Encore Las Vegas in 2008.[47]
In 2010, Ratner directed the ensemble comedy caperTower Heist, starringBen Stiller andEddie Murphy. The film was originally based on an idea from Eddie Murphy titled 'Trump Heist' and was about disgruntled employees ofDonald Trump planning to robTrump Tower, though references to Trump were removed from the film.[48][49] In early 2021, Ratner announced that he would direct a long-gestatedMilli Vanilli biopic, which would have been his first project sinceParamount's 2014 filmHercules forMillennium Media. In February 2021, Millennium Media stated it would not be moving forward with Ratner's project.[50] As of November 2025, Ratner has been developing a fourthRush Hour film.[51] President Trump reportedly played a role in reviving the project.[52]
In January 2026, Ratner made his return to directing withMelania, a documentary film following incumbent First LadyMelania Trump in the twenty days leading up tothe inauguration of her husband, Donald Trump, as the 47thPresident of the United States. Melania served as a producer, and filming began in December 2024, one month after Donald Trump won thepresidential election.[53]Amazon MGM Studios acquired the rights to the film, and released it exclusively in theaters on January 30, 2026. The film would beat expectations and would go on to rank third and earn $7 million at the domestic box office and reportedly $8.1 million overall in its debut weekend, which was the best start for a non-concert film documentary in 14 years.[54][55][56] It will stream onPrime Video following its theatrical run.[57][58]
Ratner was an executive producer of the television seriesPrison Break, which aired from 2005 to 2009,[59] and directed its pilot episode.[60] In 2011, Ratner produced the TV documentary,American Masters: Woody Allen – A Documentary.[61] That same year, he producedHorrible Bosses, a comedy about employees plotting to kill their bosses.[62][63][64][65]Horrible Bosses opened at the domestic box office with $28.1 million in its first weekend.[66] Ratner produced a remake ofSnow White,Mirror Mirror (2012), based on the screenplayThe Brothers Grimm: Snow White by Melisa Wallack.[67]
In 2014, he producedHorrible Bosses 2, the sequel to his 2011 film.[68] Ratner executive-produced theRush Hour TV series based on theRush Hour film series.[69][70][71] In 2015, Ratner producedBlack Mass, a biopic about gangsterJames "Whitey" Bulger, played byJohnny Depp.[72] The same year, Ratner was executive producer ofThe Revenant, starringLeonardo DiCaprio.[73] He was an executive producer on the 2016 filmWar Dogs, directed byTodd Phillips and starringJonah Hill andMiles Teller.[74]
In December 2012, Ratner and Australian media mogulJames Packer formed a joint venture, RatPac Entertainment. The firm will produce independent films and co-produce big-budget films with a major studio.[75] Packer's stake in the company was later bought out byLen Blavatnik'sFirst Access Entertainment. The company makes 25 films annually.[76] By 2017, the company co-financed over 50 films which had 51 Oscar nominations and earned a total of over $10 billion in box office.[77]
RatPac andDune Entertainment formed a film investment vehicle, which in September 2013, entered a multi-year, 75-film co-producing partnership withWarner Bros.[2] The company has partnered withNew Regency, advertising firmWPP, CMC Capital Partners, andShanghai Media Group.[78] Ratner worked with CMC to form a fund aimed at investments in Chinese media companies.[79]
Ratner made $40 million after the release ofGravity, which was RatPac's first investment.[80][81][82] In June 2014, Ratner's RatPac Entertainment and Class 5 Films acquired the film rights to the non-fiction article "American Hippopotamus", byJon Mooallem, about the meat shortage in the U.S. in 1910 to import hippopotamuses. The film was produced by Ratner in collaboration withEdward Norton and William Migliore.[83]
On April 18, 2017, Access Entertainment, a subsidiary ofAccess Industries, acquiredJames Packer's ownership stake in RatPac.[84] The next year, Warner Bros. announced that they were cutting ties with the company after Brett Ratner'ssexual harassment allegations withRampage as the final film to be co-financed by the company with Warner Bros., and the final film produced by RatPac overall.[5] In November 2018, RatPac-Dune's minority ownership stake in a library of 76 Warner Bros. films was put up for sale, with investors in the fund backing the library to cash out.[85] Vine Alternative Investments made a high bid for the library, but in January 2019, Warner Bros. exercised their rights to match the bid for the library and essentially acquired RatPac-Dune's stakes. The cost was estimated at nearly $300 million.[86]
Ratner appeared on the MTV seriesPunk'd whenHugh Jackman, who portraysWolverine in theX-Men films, was the subject of a practical joke that made it appear Ratner's $3.6 million home in Beverly Hills was destroyed by aBBQ grill explosion.Ashton Kutcher later arrived at his home and hugged him.[87] In April 2007,Fox announced that he,Carrie Fisher,Garry Marshall andJon Avnet would be the judges for the network's filmmaking-competition/reality TV series,On the Lot.[88]
He appeared as himself in an episode of the television seriesEntourage, which was shot at his Beverly Hills home.[20] In 2009, Ratner createdThe Shooter Series which compiled his work, including interviews with Ratner, and a short film aboutMickey Rourke's transition into boxing.[89]
In 2009, Ratner established Rat Press, a publishing company. The company reissued aPlayboy interview withMarlon Brando andRobert Evans as well as an account of NFL playerJim Brown,[90] and released a book ofScott Caan's photographs.[91] In 2011, Ratner established Rat TV with20th Century Fox Television. He brought former NBC development executive Chris Conti on as president of the venture.[92] On August 4, 2011, theAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Ratner would produce the84th Academy Awards withDon Mischer.[93][94] However, Ratner resigned on November 8, 2011,[95] after remarking that "rehearsal is for fags".[96][97] Ratner later apologized for his remarks.[98]Eddie Murphy, who was scheduled to host the ceremony, also resigned in deference to a new production team.[99] Ratner was replaced byBrian Grazer,[100] and Murphy was replaced by previousOscar hostBilly Crystal.[101]
Ratner announced the Brett Ratner Florida Student Filmmaker Scholarship at the Key West Film Festival in 2015. The $5,000 scholarship was awarded toThe Cook, The Knife and The Rabbit's Finger, which was directed by Agustina Bonventura and Nicolas Casanas.[102] Ratner worked with international beverage brand Diageo to produce The Hilhaven Lodge, a blended whiskey named for his Beverly Hills estate.[103] The bottle is modeled after the estate and features a wood cork, and the bottle is shaped to resemble bay windows.[23] The drink is a mixture of 26-year-old rye, 15-year-old Tennessee whiskey, and six-year bourbon.[104]
Ratner delivered a keynote address as part of theCannes Film Festival in May 2017 where he referred to television as the future of production.[76] Ratner participated in the eighth annual Cannes Film Finance Forum.[105] In March 2017, Ratner spoke out against the film review aggregation siteRotten Tomatoes at the Sun Valley Film Festival, calling it a destructive force in the film industry. He expressed respect for traditional film critics and said the site reduces film criticism to a number.[106]
Ratner has served on the boards of theSimon Wiesenthal Center and Museum of Tolerance,[107] Chrysalis, Ghetto Film School,[108] Best Buddies,[109] and the Los Angeles Police Foundation.[110] He served on the dean's council of NYUTisch School of the Arts[111] and serves on the board of directors ofTel Aviv University's School of Film and Television.[112] He donated $1 million to theAcademy Museum of Motion Pictures in 2013.[108]
In October 2017, during theMeToo movement, a former talent agency employee accused Ratner ofrape.[113] On November 1, 2017, six women, includingOlivia Munn andNatasha Henstridge, accused Ratner ofsexual assault and harassment, as well as following an actress into a bathroom without invitation and masturbating as another entered his trailer to deliver food.[114][115] The same month,Elliot Page accused Ratner ofsexual harassment andouting the then-18-year-old Page aslesbian (before Page came out as a trans man) in front of many onlookers includingAnna Paquin, who later confirmed the story.[116] A former fashion model came forward regarding an incident involvingRussell Simmons and Ratner back in 1991, when Simmons coerced her to perform oral sex while Ratner was present.[117]
On November 1, 2017, the same day as the allegations of six women,Warner Bros. announced it had severed ties with Ratner. Afterwards, Ratner announced that he was "[stepping] away from all Warner Bros.–related activities" and Warner Bros. was reviewing the issue.[118][119][120][121] In April 2018, Warner Bros. announced that they would not renew their $450-million co-producing deal with RatPac.[5] Ratner has denied the 2017 allegations of sexual harassment and assault against him.[122][123]
A photo released in December 2025 as part of theEpstein files showed Ratner posing withJean-Luc Brunel, an associate of financier and child sex traffickerJeffrey Epstein.[124] Further images released in January 2026 showed Ratner sitting on a sofa with Epstein and two young women, with one of these photos showing Ratner cuddling one of the them, and appearing with Epstein, Brunel and three women on a separate occasion.[125][126][127][128]
Ratner had a 13-year sexual relationship with actressRebecca Gayheart, beginning when they were teenagers.[129] From 2004 to 2006, Ratner datedSerena Williams and appeared on an episode ofVenus and Serena: For Real, theWilliams sisters' reality show.[130]
In September 2023, Ratner immigrated toIsrael. Ratner is friends with Israeli prime ministerBenjamin Netanyahu, and was invited by Netanyahu to attend his speech at theUnited Nations General Assembly.[131][132]
Director
| Year | Title | Distribution |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Money Talks | New Line Cinema |
| 1998 | Rush Hour | |
| 2000 | The Family Man | Universal Pictures |
| 2001 | Rush Hour 2 | New Line Cinema |
| 2002 | Red Dragon | Universal Pictures |
| 2004 | After the Sunset | New Line Cinema |
| 2006 | X-Men: The Last Stand | 20th Century Fox |
| 2007 | Rush Hour 3 | New Line Cinema |
| 2011 | Tower Heist | Universal Pictures |
| 2014 | Hercules | Paramount Pictures |
| 2026 | Melania | Amazon MGM Studios |
Producer
Executive Producer
Executive Soundtrack Producer
Director
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Whatever Happened toMason Reese | Also screenwriter and producer |
| 2001 | Lady Luck | |
| 2008 | New York, I Love You | Segment "5" |
| 2013 | Movie 43 | Segment "Happy Birthday" |
Executive producer
Producer
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Becker Hargrove, Inc. | |
| 2009 | I Knew It Was You: Rediscovering John Cazale | Documentary short |
| 2015 | The 100 Years Show | |
| Fun Size Horror: Volume Two | ||
| The Audition |
Producer
Executive producer
TV movies
| Year | Title | Director | Executive producer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Partners | Yes | Yes |
| 2005 | Untitled David Diamond/David Weissman Project | Yes | Yes |
| 2008 | Blue Blood | Yes | Yes |
| 2009 | Cop House | Yes | Yes |
| Prison Break: The Final Break | Yes | ||
| 2011 | Rogue | Yes | Yes |
TV series
| Year | Title | Director | Executive producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005–2009 | Prison Break | Yes | Yes | Directed episode "Pilot" |
| 2007 | Entourage | Role: himself; Episode "The Prince's Bride" | ||
| Women's Murder Club | Yes | |||
| 2011 | CHAOS | Yes | ||
| 2014 | 30 for 30 | Yes | Yes | Directed episode "Mysteries of the Jules Rimet Trophy" |
| 2015 | Rush Hour | Yes | ||
| 2017 | American Masters | Yes |
Documentary works
| Year | Title | Director | Executive producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Making the Video | Yes | Episodes "Maria Carey: Heartbreaker" and "Maria Carey: It's Like That" | |
| 2007 | Helmut by June | Yes | ||
| 2011 | Nick Cannon: Mr. Show Biz | Yes | ||
| 2015 | Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds | Yes | ||
| Breakthrough | Yes | Episode "Decoding the Brain" |
Born in Miami Beach in 1969, Ratner grew up the only child of a Cuban-Jewish immigrant who gave birth to him when she was 16.
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