Brian Grazer | |
|---|---|
.JPG) Grazer in 2011 | |
| Born | Brian Thomas Grazer (1951-07-12)July 12, 1951 (age 74) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Southern California (BA) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1978–present |
| Organization | Imagine Entertainment |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 4 |
| Relatives | Jack Dylan Grazer (nephew) |
| Awards | Academy Award for Best Picture A Beautiful Mind (2001) |
Brian Thomas Grazer (born July 12, 1951) is an American film and television producer. He foundedImagine Entertainment in 1986 withRon Howard. The films they produced have grossed over $15 billion.[1] Grazer was personally nominated for fourAcademy Awards forSplash (1984),Apollo 13 (1995),A Beautiful Mind (2001), andFrost/Nixon (2008).[2][3] His films and TV series have been nominated for 47 Academy Awards and 217Emmy Awards.
In 2002, Grazer won an Academy Award forBest Picture forA Beautiful Mind (shared with Ron Howard). In 2007, he was named one ofTime's "100 Most Influential People in the World".[4]
Grazer was born in Los Angeles, California, to Arlene Becker Grazer and criminal defense attorney Thomas Grazer.[5][6] He is the older brother of Nora Beth Grazer (b. 1952) and actor/director Gavin Grazer (b. 1961).[7] He was raised inSherman Oaks andNorthridge, in Los Angeles'sSan Fernando Valley.[6]
Grazer's father was Catholic and his mother isJewish.[5][8][9] His parents divorced when he was in high school.[10] Grazer said "My best buddy, the most important person in my growing up, was my little 4-foot-10 [147 cm] Jewish grandmother, and she'd say, 'In order to get it, you got to do it. No one's going to get it for you, Brian.'"[5]
While in school, Grazer struggled withdyslexia. Grazer got through school by reading other students' papers and arguing his grades with his teachers.[11]
His nephew is actorJack Dylan Grazer.[12][13]
Grazer won a scholarship to theUniversity of Southern California (USC) as a psychology major. He graduated from USC'sSchool of Cinema-Television in 1974.[6][14] He then attendedUSC Law School for one year, but quit in 1975 to pursue a life in Hollywood.[5][6][10][15]
Grazer began his career as a producer developing television projects. While executive-producing television pilots atParamount Pictures in the early 1980s, he met current long-time friend and business collaboratorRon Howard.[4]
He produced his first feature film,Night Shift, in 1982, directed by Howard.[4] Grazer and Howard collaborated again forSplash in 1984, which Grazer produced and co-wrote.Splash earned him anAcademy Award nomination forBest Original Screenplay of 1984.[4] Grazer went on to become an independent producer, collaborating withTri-Star Pictures to set up plans for a film to starRichard Pryor, and had a continuing relationship withThe Walt Disney Studios, and has plans to develop projects forParamount Pictures.[16]
In November 1985, Grazer and Howard co-foundedImagine Entertainment, which became one of Hollywood's most prolific and successful production companies. Over the years, Grazer's films and television shows have been nominated for a total of 43Academy Awards, and 198Emmys. At the same time, his movies have generated over $15 billion in worldwide theatrical, music, and video grosses.[4]
Grazer's early film successes includeParenthood (1989) andBackdraft (1991).[4] He producedApollo 13 (1995), for which he won theProducers Guild of America's Daryl F. Zanuck Motion Picture Producer of the Year Award, as well as an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture of 1995.[4]
In 1998, he earned two major honors: he was given his own star on theHollywood Walk of Fame, and made a cameo appearance on the animated seriesThe Simpsons.[17]
In 2001, Grazer won an Academy Award for Best Picture forA Beautiful Mind, which also took home Academy Awards forBest Supporting Actress (Jennifer Connelly),Best Director (Ron Howard), andBest Adapted Screenplay (Akiva Goldsman).
In 2002, Grazer's8 Mile was released.[4] It proved not only to be a huge box office hit, but also the first film with a rap song to win aAcademy Award for Best Original Song, forEminem's "Lose Yourself".[18]
Grazer also produced thefilm adaptation ofPeter Morgan's playFrost/Nixon (2008).Frost/Nixon was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture.[4]
Grazer's productions span over a quarter of a century, and almost the full spectrum ofmovie genres. His comedies includeBoomerang (1992),The Nutty Professor (1996),Liar Liar (1997),Life (1999),How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000),Intolerable Cruelty (2003) andThe Spy Who Dumped Me (2018). He has also produced many dramatic thrillers includingInside Man (2006),The Da Vinci Code (2006),American Gangster (2007),Changeling (2008),Angels & Demons (2009),Robin Hood (2010), andCowboys & Aliens (2011). His recently released films includeJ. Edgar, theClint Eastwood-directed biopic ofJ. Edgar Hoover, starringLeonardo DiCaprio,Tower Heist, starringBen Stiller andEddie Murphy, andRestless, directed byGus Van Sant.
Grazer's Imagine Entertainment's television series includeSports Night,Felicity,Arrested Development,24 with Kiefer Sutherland,Friday Night Lights,Parenthood,Lie to Me,Empire,Genius: Einstein,Genius: Picasso, andWu-Tang: An American Saga.[4]
Grazer's recent productions includesRebuilding Paradise,Dads, the 2017 Grammy awarding winning Best Music FilmThe Beatles: Eight Days a Week (2016),American Made (2017),Rush (2013), directed byRon Howard, and starringChris Hemsworth andDaniel Brühl,[19] andMade in America.
Grazer producedGet on Up, a biopic of the legendary "Godfather of Soul"James Brown, andIn the Heart of the Sea, directed byRon Howard and starringChris Hemsworth, about the American whaleship theEssex.[20]
In 2015, Grazer published his bookA Curious Mind: The Secret to a Bigger Life, a #1 NY Times Bestseller, in which he discusses conversations with interesting people, many of whom inspired his work.[21] In 2019, Grazer released his second bookFace to Face: The Art of Human Connection.
In January 2024, it was announced thatScar Tissue, the autobiography ofAnthony Kiedis, singer for theRed Hot Chili Peppers, will be turned into a theatrical movie with Grazer, Kiedis andGuy Oseary producing the film forUniversal Pictures.[22]
Grazer has been married three times: Corki Corman (1982–1992; they have two children), and novelist and screenwriterGigi Levangie (1997–2007; they have two sons).[6][17] In April 2014, Grazer became engaged to Veronica Smiley, chief marketing officer of SBE, a hotel management company.[23] They married on February 20, 2016.[24]
Grazer currently resides inSanta Monica, California.[25] He also has a home in Hawaii onSunset Beach, on theBanzai Pipeline onO'ahu'sNorth Shore.[26][27]He is a keen user ofjump ropes.[28]
In June 2025,The New York Times reported on Grazer's appearance in a documentary series calledArt of the Surge. In the show, Grazer says that he voted for Donald Trump in the 2024 U.S. presidential election, which Trump won. Grazer says that he opted for Trump because “I could feel and see Biden’s deterioration and the lack of direction in the Democratic Party at that time.”The Times also notes that Grazer producedHillbilly Elegy, the movie based on the memoir of Vice President J.D. Vance.[29]
Producer
Executive producer
Story writer
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Apollo 13 | Executive music producer | Uncredited |
| Year | Film | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | The Haunting of Pearson Place | Inspired by |
Executive producer
Producer
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Zuma Beach | TV movie |
| Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery | TV movie | |
| 1988 | Poison | |
| 1998 | From the Earth to the Moon | |
| 1999 | Student Affairs | TV movie |
| 2005 | The WIN Awards | TV special |
| 2006 | Treasure Hunters | Co-producer |
| Misconceptions | ||
| 2007 | Entourage | |
| 2012 | 84th Academy Awards | TV special; Co-producer |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | The Simpsons | Himself | Voice role |
| 2007 | Entourage | Uncredited | |
| 2013 | Arrested Development | ||
| 2017 | This Is Us | ||
| 2024 | Everybody's in LA | Uncredited |
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1985-86 | Shadow Chasers | Co-created withKenneth Johnson Story with Johnson for episode "Pilot" |
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | The Clint Howard Variety Show | Special thanks |
