| Gerald R. Molen | |
| Birth Name: | Gerald Robert Molen |
| Birth Date: | January 6, 1935 |
| Birth Place: | Great Falls, Montana, U.S. |
| Occupation: | Film producer |
| Notable Works: | Jurassic Park Schindler's List Various other films of Steven Spielberg or Amblin Entertainment |
| Awards: | Academy Award for Best Picture |
Gerald Robert "Jerry" Molen (born January 6, 1935) is an American film producer. In 2019, Movicorp announced[1] Molen will be producing Sweet By and By,[2] southern gothic romantic thriller; and in 2021, Molen began initial preparations[3] for the mini-series. Molen is now semi-retired and spends his time traveling between his native Montana and Las Vegas, Nevada.[4]
Molen was born in Great Falls, Montana, the son of Edith Lorraine (née Meyer) and Gerald Richard Molen.[5] He grew up in North Hollywood, California, after moving from Montana, with a number of younger brothers and sisters. His mother ran a diner, "The Blue Onion", which was located across from one of the major studios. Molen has appeared in supporting roles or cameos in several of the films he has produced, including Rain Man, Days of Thunder, and Jurassic Park.
Molen produced , a documentary critical of American President Barack Obama, during the 2012 presidential campaign.[6] [7] He also produced a later follow-up, , a 2016 documentary that was heavily panned, winning four of the five Golden Raspberry Awards for which it was nominated, including Worst Picture, the first documentary to do so.
In 2016, with a second consecutive year of an all-white Oscar nominee list brought accusations of discrimination in Hollywood and the threat of an Oscar boycott, Molen argued that racism in the film industry was not a matter of concern. "There is no racism except for those who create an issue,” he said. “That is the worst kind. Using such an ugly way of complaining.”[8]
Molen is an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is a conservative.[9] [10]