Bruce Berman Explained
Bruce Berman (born April 25, 1952) is an American film industry executive and executive producer. He is the chairman and CEO of Village Roadshow Pictures, a position he has held from 1997 to 2021. His credits as an executive producer include American Sniper, The Lego Movie, The Great Gatsby, the Ocean's trilogy, Sherlock Holmes and its sequel, , Happy Feet and The Matrix franchise.[1] [2] [3]
Berman is noted for his collection of contemporary American photographs. In 2004, he was listed among the world's top 25 photography collectors by ARTnews.[4]
Early life and education
Berman was born to a Jewish family[5] in New York in 1952. As a teenager, he developed a passion for photography and contemplated a career as a photographer. He continued to pursue photography throughout high school and into college, where, as a student at Bennington College, he would take frequent road trips to shoot photos of 20th century Americana.[6]
Berman's focus shifted to film after he was accepted at the California Institute of the Arts film school. "I didn't think I could make a living at photography," Berman said in a 2007 interview with the Los Angeles Times. "And when I got into film school, I didn't think I could do both."[7]
In addition to Bennington and CalArts, Berman attended UCLA, where he graduated cum laude with a degree in United States history. He also attended Georgetown University Law School, earning a juris doctor in 1978.
Career
Berman began working with Jack Valenti at the MPAA while a student at Georgetown. After he received his degree, he was hired as an assistant to Peter Guber at Casablanca Filmworks. In 1979, he moved to Universal Pictures, where he worked for Sean Daniel and Joel Silver. Less than three years later, he was named vice president of production.[8]
In 1984, Berman was recruited by Warner Bros. Pictures as a vice president of production, and in 1987 was promoted to senior vice presidentof production. He was named president of theatrical production in 1989 and president of worldwide theatrical production in 1991. During his tenure at Warner Bros. he produced and distributed films including Goodfellas, Batman Forever, JFK, The Fugitive, The Bodyguard, and Driving Miss Daisy.[9]
In May 1996, Berman started Plan B Entertainment, an independent motion picture company affiliated with Warner Bros. In 1997, Warner Bros entered into a joint venture with Village Roadshow Pictures, and Berman was appointed chairman and CEO. Considered "one of the industry’s leading financiers and producers of studio released motion pictures," the Village Roadshow and Warner Bros. partnership was extended in 2012 to 2017. The company established a second joint partnership with Sony Pictures Entertainment in 2014.[10] [11]
On September 27, 2021, Berman stepped down as chairman and CEO of Village Roadshow Pictures.[12]
In May 2023, Bruce came out of retirement to join the new Pan-Asian studio Through The Lens Entertainment as the President and Co-Chairman.
Photography collection
In 1991, Berman was given an Edward S. Curtis photograph of a thatched American Indian shelter as a gift. It inspired him to begin a photography collection, which grew to include more than 2600 works by photographers including William Eggleston, Diane Arbus, Richard Misrach, Dorothea Lange, and Walker Evans. He and his ex-wife Nancy Goliger donated nearly 500 of the photographs to the J. Paul Getty Museum, which in 2007 showcased them in the exhibition Where We Live: Photographs of America From the Berman Collection.[13]
Personal life
Berman has two children; a daughter, with his wife, Lea Russo (an art collection manager), and a son from his previous marriage to Goliger.
Filmography (as executive producer)
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|
| 1998 | Practical Magic | |
| 1999 | Analyze This | |
| The Matrix | Four Academy Awards
Best Film Editing (Zach Staenberg)
Best Sound (John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff, David E. Campbell)
Best Visual Effects (John Gaeta, Janek Sirrs, Steve Courtley, Jon Thum)
Best Sound Effects Editing (Dane A. Davis) |
| Deep Blue Sea | |
| Three Kings | |
| Three to Tango | |
| 2000 | Gossip | |
| Red Planet | Producer |
| Miss Congeniality | |
| 2001 | Valentine | |
| Saving Silverman | |
| See Spot Run | |
| Exit Wounds | |
| Swordfish | |
| Cats & Dogs | |
| Training Day | |
| Hearts in Atlantis | |
| Don't Say a Word | |
| Ocean's Eleven | |
| 2002 | Queen of the Damned | |
| Showtime | |
| Eight Legged Freaks | Producer |
| The Adventures of Pluto Nash | |
| Ghost Ship | |
| Analyze That | |
| Two Weeks Notice | |
| 2003 | Dreamcatcher | |
| The Matrix Reloaded | |
| Mystic River | Two Academy Awards
Best Actor in a Leading Role (Sean Penn)
Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Tim Robbins) |
| The Matrix Revolutions | |
| 2004 | Torque | |
| Taking Lives | |
| Catwoman | |
| Ocean's Twelve | |
| 2005 | | |
| House of Wax | |
| Charlie and the Chocolate Factory | Academy Award nomination
Best Costume Design (Gabriella Pescucci) |
| The Dukes of Hazzard | |
| Rumor Has It... | |
| 2006 | Firewall | |
| The Lake House | |
| Happy Feet | Academy Award
Best Animated Feature |
| Unaccompanied Minors | |
| 2007 | Music and Lyrics | |
| The Reaping | |
| Lucky You | |
| Ocean's Thirteen | |
| License to Wed | |
| No Reservations | |
| The Invasion | |
| The Brave One | |
| I Am Legend | |
| 2008 | Street Kings | |
| Speed Racer | |
| Get Smart | |
| Nights in Rodanthe | |
| Yes Man | |
| Gran Torino | |
| 2009 | Where the Wild Things Are | |
| Sherlock Holmes | Two Academy Award nominations
Best Original Score (Hans Zimmer)
Best Art Direction (Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer) |
| 2010 | | |
| | |
| Life as We Know It | |
| 2011 | Happy Feet Two | |
| | |
| 2012 | The Lucky One | |
| Dark Shadows | |
| 2013 | Gangster Squad | |
| The Great Gatsby | Two Academy Awards
Best Production Design (Catherine Martin and Beverley Dunn)
Best Costume Design (Catherine Martin) |
| 2014 | The Lego Movie | Academy Award nomination
Best Original Song (Shawn Patterson) |
| Winter's Tale | |
| Edge of Tomorrow | |
| The Judge | |
| Into the Storm | |
| American Sniper | Academy Award
Best Sound Editing (Alan Robert Murray and Bob Asman)
Six Academy Award Nominations
Best Picture
Best Actor (Bradley Cooper)
Best Adapted Screenplay (Jason Hall)
Best Film Editing (Joel Cox and Gary D. Roach)
Best Sound Mixing (John T. Reitz, Gregg Rudloff and Walt Martin) |
| 2015 | Jupiter Ascending | |
| Six Academy Awards
Best Film Editing (Margaret Sixel)
Best Production Design (Colin Gibson and Lisa Thompson)
Best Costume Design (Jenny Beavan)
Best Makeup and Hairstyling (Lesley Vanderwalt, Elka Wardega and Damian Martin
Best Sound Mixing (Chris Jenkins, Gregg Rudloff, Ben Osmo)
Best Sound Editing (Mark Mangini and David White)
Ten Academy Award Nominations
Best Picture
Best Director (George Miller)
Best Cinematography (John Seale)
Best Visual Effects (Andrew Jackson, Tom Wood, Dan Oliver, and Andy Williams) |
| San Andreas | |
| Goosebumps | |
| Concussion | |
| In the Heart of the Sea | |
| 2016 | Grimsby | |
| The Legend of Tarzan | |
| Sully | |
| The Magnificent Seven | |
| Collateral Beauty | |
| Passengers | |
| 2017 | Fist Fight | |
| Going in Style | |
| |
| The House | |
| 2018 | | |
| Ready Player One | |
| Ocean's 8 | |
| 2019 | Joker | Two Academy Awards
Best Actor (Joaquin Phoenix)
Best Original Score (Hildur Guðnadóttir)
Eleven Academy Award Nominations
Best Picture
Best Director (Todd Phillips)
Best Adapted Screenplay (Todd Phillips and Scott Silver)
Best Film Editing (Jeff Groth)
Best Cinematography (Lawrence Sher)
Best Costume Design (Mark Bridges)
Best Makeup And Hairstyling (Nicki Ledermann, Kay Georgiou)
Best Sound Mixing (Tom Ozanich, Dean Zupancic and Tod Maitland)
Best Sound Editing (Alan Robert Murray) |
| 2021 | The Matrix Resurrections | | |
External links
Notes and References
- News: Eller. Claudia. For Warner and Roadshow Studios, No Need to Analyze Joint Ventures. 4 September 2015. Los Angeles Times. March 5, 1999. 24 October 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181024232013/http://articles.latimes.com/1999/mar/05/business/fi-14164. live.
- News: Barnes. Brooks. In Major Deal, Village Roadshow Gets $1 Billion in Credit to Make Movies. 4 September 2015. New York Times. May 27, 2010. 10 September 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150910213503/http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/27/in-major-deal-village-roadshow-gets-1-billion-in-credit-to-make-movies/. live.
- News: Galloway. Stephen. Village Roadshow Chief Bruce Berman on Legendary's Warner Bros. Split and Summer's Tentpole Disaster. 4 September 2015. The Hollywood Reporter. July 31, 2013. 27 August 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170827123458/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/village-roadshow-chief-bruce-berman-595006. live.
- News: Thomas. Kelly Devine. THE TOP 25 PHOTO COLLECTORS. 6 September 2015. ARTnews. February 1, 2004. 4 March 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304192729/http://www.artnews.com/2004/02/01/the-top-25-photo-collectors/. live.
- Web site: Brady. Celia. Vain Man: Why Guber-Peters May Bomb in Tokyo. 42. April 1990. Spy Magazine. November 15, 2017. September 2, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230902024833/https://books.google.com/books?id=3xaVrHhMQkQC&q=Bruce+Berman&pg=PA42. live.
- Web site: Where We Live: Photographs of America from the Berman Collection. The Getty Center. The Getty. 6 September 2015. 4 March 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304083802/https://getty.edu/news/press/berman/berman_biography.pdf. live.
- News: Bryant. Kathy. A filmmaker's pictures. 4 September 2015. Los Angeles Times. February 22, 2007. 9 December 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151209163007/http://articles.latimes.com/2007/feb/22/home/hm-berman22. live.
- Book: Quigley. Eileen S.. International Television & Video Almanac. 2006. Quigley Publishing. 0900610786. 74. registration.
- News: Business Day staff. Executives. 6 September 2015. New York Times. October 8, 1991. 25 May 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150525224346/http://www.nytimes.com/1991/10/08/business/executives.html. live.
- News: Cheyney. Alexandra. Village Roadshow Inks Co-Finance Deal with Sony Pictures (EXCLUSIVE). 6 September 2015. The Hollywood Reporter. May 5, 2014. 28 May 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140528011833/http://variety.com/2014/film/news/village-roadshow-co-fi-deal-with-sony-1201170634/. live.
- News: Bond. Paul. Warner Bros. Extends $1 Billion-Plus Village Roadshow Deal Through 2017. 6 September 2015. The Hollywood Reporter. November 26, 2012. 24 September 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150924205533/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/warner-bros-village-roadshow-extend-394231. live.
- News: Lang. Brett. Bruce Berman Steps Down as Village Roadshow CEO. 27 September 2021. Variety. September 27, 2021. 23 March 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230323065803/https://variety.com/2021/film/news/bruce-berman-steps-down-as-village-roadshow-pictures-ceo-ending-24-year-run-1235075359/. live.
- News: Vogel. Carol. Splitting Up a Collection. 6 September 2015. New York Times. November 30, 2007. 5 June 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150605084940/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/30/arts/design/30voge.html. live.
