Pirates of the Caribbean - Crew Biographies
ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS
GORE VERBINSKI (Director) began work on “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” immediately following the release of his wildly popular horror thriller, “The Ring,” which chronicles a young journalist’s investigation of a seemingly innocuous videotape that appears to cause the immediate death of anyone viewing it. The sleeper hit earned $129 million domestically and more than $116 million overseas in box office receipts.
He made his feature film directorial debut with the comedy “Mouse Hunt,” starring Nathan Lane, which he followed with the action comedy “The Mexican,” starring Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt and James Gandolfini. Verbinski is currently prepping the drama “Butterfly” for Revolution Studios.
He was already an award-winning commercial director when he made the transition to films. He has been honored with four Clio Awards along with several Cannes Silver Lion Awards for his innovative work on an assortment of memorable advertising spots. Verbinski graduated from UCLA in 1987 with a B.A. in Motion Pictures & Television and started his career directing music videos for Los Angeles-based Limelight Pictures.
Academy Award®-nominated and BAFTA Award-winning writers TED ELLIOTT & TERRY ROSSIO (Screenplay, Screen Story) co-wrote the DreamWorks’ animated feature “Shrek,” winner of the first Academy Award® for Best Animated Film in 2002. In 1992, the pair co-wrote the Disney animated feature “Aladdin,” starring Robin Williams, which became the No. 1 box office picture of the year. In 1998, they co-wrote the live-action offering “The Mask of Zorro,” starring Anthony Hopkins and Antonio Banderas.
Recently, Elliott and Rossio have teamed with Digital Domain to produce several live action/CGI movies, including “Instant Karma,” “Plant Life” and “Shadowplay.”
In 1996, Elliott and Rossio were the first writers signed to an overall writing and producing deal at DreamWorks SKG. Their animated projects there include “Shrek,” starring Mike Myers and Eddie Murphy, and “The Road to El Dorado,” featuring Kevin Kline and Kenneth Branagh. The pair served as creative consultants on the animated films “Antz,” featuring Woody Allen; and the forthcoming “Sinbad,” featuring Brad Pitt and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Their film writing credits also include the feature films “Small Soldiers” (co-screenplay), “Godzilla” (costory) and “Treasure Planet” (co-animation story). Elliott and Rossio have been members of the Writers Guild of America, West since 1986.
STUART BEATTIE (Screen Story) has written two Australian films: “Kick,” about a high school rugby player who secretly desires to be a ballet dancer, in 1999; and the family film “Joey,” about the rescue of a baby kangaroo, in 1997. His other credits include the action thriller “Body Armor.”
JAY WOLPERT (Screen Story) The initial phase of Jay Wolpert’s career was spent as a successful television producer of game and reality shows, among which was “The Price Is Right,” which he produced for six years.
As time went by, however, he found himself drawn more and more to writing–so much so, in fact, that the beginning of 2003 saw him having written a number of television episodes and five feature scripts for various production companies and/or studios including the successful Spyglass/Touchstone film, “The Count Of Monte Cristo.”
He is currently at work on his sixth feature project, “The Sword In The Stone,” a live-action version of the T.H. White classic novel. Somewhere in the midst of all that, Wolpert has found time to play Diane Keaton’s gynecologist in “Father Of The Bride Part II” as well as winning the “Jeopardy” Tournament Of Champions… an accomplishment on which, according to Wolpert, he has been dining out for years.
JERRY BRUCKHEIMER (Producer) Even if you miss the signature lightning bolt that identifies every one of his productions, and whether you’re in a dark theatre looking up at a 70-foot screen or your own home watching a 27” picture, you know when you’re looking at a Jerry Bruckheimer Production. One of the most successful producers of all time, he is a filmmaker and now a television mogul who loves telling a story, respects his audiences and delivers a visual feast unmistakably his own.
Bruckheimer’s films have worldwide revenues of over $12.5 billion in box office, video and recording receipts; and this season three of his network series were simultaneously listed in the Top 10, a feat heretofore unprecedented by any television producer. Always a storyteller, Bruckheimer learned early how to keep a story moving. He had to. His first films were the 60-second tales he created as an awardwinning commercial producer in his native Detroit.
One of those mini-films, a parody of “Bonnie and Clyde” he created for Pontiac, was noted for its brilliance in Time magazine. It also brought the 23- year-old producer to the attention of world-renowned ad agency BBD&O, which lured him to New York.
Four years on Madison Avenue gave him the experience and confidence to tackle Hollywood, and, not yet 30, he was at the helm of memorable films like “Farewell, My Lovely,” “American Gigolo” and 1983’s “Flashdance” which changed Bruckheimer’s life by becoming a sleeper hit (grossing $100 million in the U.S. alone) and pairing him with an old acquaintance, producer Don Simpson, who would be his partner for the next 13 years.
One of the most prolific partnerships in recent motion picture history, Bruckheimer and Simpson produced films that were honored with 15 Academy Award® nominations, two Oscars® for Best Song, four Grammys, three Golden Globes, two People’s Choice Awards for Best Picture and the MTV Award for Best Picture of the Decade.
Industry acclaim followed the box office success. In both 1985 and 1988, the National Association of Theater Owners (NATO) named Bruckheimer Producer of the Year. And, along with Simpson, the Publicists Guild of America chose him as 1988’s Motion Picture Showman of the Year, a tribute he received again in 2003 when the Publicists Guild honored him for Showmanship in Television.
By 1995, the team was producing one hit after another. In that year alone, Bruckheimer was responsible for “Bad Boys,” the Will Smith/Martin Lawrence film that was Columbia Pictures’ highest grossing movie of the year; Michelle Pfeiffer’s acclaimed “Dangerous Minds”; and “Crimson Tide,” the Denzel Washington/Gene Hackman adventure that, with “Dangerous Minds,” topped Hollywood Pictures’ box office slate.
In 1996, Bruckheimer produced “The Rock” starring Sean Connery and Nicolas Cage. The film broke new ground and continued established Bruckheimer traditions with a box office gross of nearly $350 million worldwide. It also set the video rental record as the most-ordered film in history. His casting of the film re-established Connery as an action star and created that same image for the intellectual Cage. “The Rock,” named Favorite Movie of the Year by NATO, was Bruckheimer’s last movie with Simpson, who died during production.
Now on his own, Bruckheimer followed in 1997 with “Con Air,” a film that elevated Cage to the pantheon of international action heroes, and grossed over $230 million. It also earned a Grammy and two Oscar® nominations and brought its producer once more to the attention of the international industry, when, in 1999, he was awarded the ShoWest International Box Office Achievement Award for unmatched foreign grosses.
In 1998 Touchstone Pictures released “Armageddon,” starring Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler and Steve Buscemi. The outer space adventure, directed by Michael Bay, was the biggest movie of 1998, with combined revenues of nearly $560 million worldwide. Its soundtrack album reached multi-platinum status and spawned Aerosmith’s first #1 single, “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,” which was honored with an Academy Award® nomination.
Bruckheimer’s second hit of 1998 was the psychological thriller “Enemy of the State,” starring Will Smith and Gene Hackman. Both a critical and box office hit, “Enemy” earned over $225 million worldwide.
The year 2000 began with an acknowledgment of the highest order from his own peers as Bruckheimer received the David O. Selznick Award for Lifetime Achievement in Motion Pictures from the Producers Guild of America.
On the heels of this accolade, Bruckheimer released three films. The first, “Gone in 60 Seconds,” starring Nicolas Cage, Angelina Jolie, Giovanni Ribisi, Delroy Lindo and Robert Duvall, was released in June and brought Bruckheimer his biggest non-holiday opening ever. This update of the 1974 cult classic went on to blockbuster status, grossing over $230 million worldwide. Later that summer came “Coyote Ugly,” a romantic comedy from Touchstone Pictures about a young songwriter’s wild adventures in Manhattan. Its hit soundtrack album, with songs written by Diane Warren and performed by LeAnn Rimes, has spent over two years on the Billboard chart. The single “Can’t Fight the Moonlight” has sold over 500,000 copies and the album went triple platinum in 2002.
In fall 2000, Walt Disney Pictures released “Remember the Titans” starring Denzel Washington. Inspired by the true story of the integration of a Virginia high school football team, the film touched audiences with its sensitive portrayals and moving story and earned the film the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Motion Picture, and Washington the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture. It also won nominations for People’s Choice Awards as Favorite Dramatic Film, Favorite Movie and Best Actor and grossed over $115 million in domestic box office receipts.
Over Memorial Day Weekend 2001, Disney opened the eagerly anticipated “Pearl Harbor,” directed by Michael Bay and starring Ben Affleck, Josh Hartnett, Kate Beckinsale and Alec Baldwin. Hailed by World War II veterans and scholars as a worthy recreation of the shock and horror of the surprise attack that brought the United States into the war, the film was nominated for three Academy Awards® including Best Original Song for “There You’ll Be,” Best Visual Effects, and Best Sound and was the recipient of the Academy Award® for Best Sound Editing. “Pearl Harbor” amassed over $450 million in worldwide box office receipts and its $250 million in DVD and video sales increases daily.
“Black Hawk Down,” the story of the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu adapted from the best-selling book by Mark Bowden and starring Josh Hartnett, Eric Bana, Ewan McGregor, Tom Sizemore and Sam Shepard, opened to rave reviews and multiple award nominations. Director Ridley Scott was not only nominated for an Academy Award® for his work, but also received nominations for a Golden Globe Award, a Directors Guild Award and an A.F.I. Award. The film itself garnered nominations from the A.F.I. and the National Board of Review as well as the History Channel. Editor Pietro Scalia won the Academy Award® and was recognized with nominations from BAFTA and A.F.I. The picture was honored with the Best Sound Oscar® as well as an Oscar® nomination for Cinematographer Slawomir Idziak.
On June 7, 2002 Touchstone Pictures released “Bad Company” starring Anthony Hopkins and Chris Rock. The action/comedy, directed by Joel Schumacher, chronicles the efforts of a veteran CIA agent to transform a sarcastic, streetwise punk into a sophisticated and savvy spy in order to replace his murdered twin brother for a highly dangerous mission. “Kangaroo Jack,” a raucous comedy set in the Australian Outback, starring Jerry O’Connell, Anthony Anderson, Estella Warren and Christopher Walken, was Bruckheimer’s first collaboration with Castle Rock Pictures and reunited him with director David McNally. The hit family film was given an award for excellence by the National Film Advisory Board and was nominated for an MTV Movie Award for “Virtual Performance.”
As Time magazine recently stated, “The most successful producer in film history… is on his way to becoming the most successful producer in the history of TV.” Bruckheimer brought the power of the lightning bolt to the small screen. The show “C.S.I.” starring William Petersen and Marg Helgenberger as members of an elite forensic crime scene investigation unit in Las Vegas quickly won the loyalty of both critics and viewers and is currently the No. 1 show on television. In 2001, “C.S.I.” was honored with the TV Guide Award for Best New Drama, nominations for a Golden Globe and People’s Choice Award for Best Dramatic Series, as well as four Emmy nominations. In 2002, “C.S.I.” was honored with six Emmy nominations including Outstanding Drama as well as a Golden Globe nomination. In 2003, “C.S.I.” was the mostwatched show on television, an honor CBS has held only twice before in its history with “Gunsmoke” and “Dallas.”
In addition to mega-hit “C.S.I.,” JBTV introduced two new dramas on CBS in the fall of 2002. The first, “C.S.I.: Miami,” starring David Caruso, is a spin-off of “C.S.I. Crime Scene Investigation.” The second is “Without a Trace” starring Anthony LaPaglia as the leader of the FBI Missing Person’s Unit in New York City. “C.S.I.: Miami” and “Without a Trace” are the No. 1 and 2 new dramas this season. Also produced by JBTV and currently picked up for a fourth season on CBS, “The Amazing Race,” a reality show in which twelve couples are sent around the world, has developed a loyal following on Wednesday nights.
His ability to leverage his power in the film business to the advantage of his television projects is unmatched and in the fall of 2003, Jerry Bruckheimer Television will premiere three new dramas: “Skin” for Fox Television, “Fearless” for The WB and “Cold Case” for CBS. “Skin” stars Ron Silver and introduces Olivia Wilde and DJ Cottrona as two young lovers who are forced to navigate between their feuding families. “Fearless” explores the life of a young FBI agent born without the gene for fear. Rachel Leigh Cook stars along with Eric Balfour. And Kathryn Morris stars as a Philadelphia homicide detective seeking justice for unsolved murders, each filed away and labeled as a “Cold Case.” That puts JBTV at the top of the heap with a record six hours of weekly primetime television programming on the air.
Three feature films are set for release in 2003. Opening July 9, “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” is the swashbuckling tale of a daring rescue mission aimed at reversing an ancient curse. An irreverent wink at the popular Disney theme park attraction, the film stars Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley and is directed by Gore Verbinski. Up next on July 18 is Columbia Pictures’ “Bad Boys II,” which re-teams Martin Lawrence and Will Smith with director Michael Bay.
The action comedy also stars Joe Pantoliano, Gabrielle Union and Jordi Molla. And finally, “Veronica Guerin,” the biography of the heroic Irish journalist gunned down by Dublin crime lords, starring Cate Blanchett and directed by Joel Schumacher for Touchstone Pictures, will premiere in October 2003. Filming begins in July in Ireland on “King Arthur,” a gritty revisionist take on the Arthurian legend penned by David Franzoni. The film stars Clive Owen as Arthur opposite “Pirates” headliner Keira Knightley as Guinevere and is directed by Antoine Fuqua.
Bruckheimer will again team with Nicolas Cage on the Jon Turteltaub-directed “National Treasure,” a fast-paced action comedy set to begin production this August.
What these and the other projects on Jerry Bruckheimer’s slate have in common is what his concepts have always shared: great characters playing out great stories. When the films reach the screen, they will embody what his films have always given us: stories told with visual style and passion, cinematic adventures that engage audiences worldwide.
MIKE STENSON (Executive Producer) is president of Jerry Bruckheimer Films, for which he supervises all aspects of film development and production. Before joining the company he was an executive in charge of production at Disney, responsible for many Bruckheimer films including “Armageddon,” “The Rock,” “Crimson Tide” and “Dangerous Minds.” More recently, Stenson served as a producer on “Bad Company” and “Gone in 60 Seconds” and as an executive producer on “Kangaroo Jack,” “Black Hawk Down,” “Pearl Harbor,” “Coyote Ugly,” “Remember the Titans” and the upcoming “Bad Boys II,” opening on July 18; and “Veronica Guerin,” set for release this October 17.
Born and raised in Boston, Stenson graduated from Harvard University with a bachelor’s degree in economics and a master of business administration. After his undergraduate stint, he started as a production assistant in New York and worked for two years in independent film and television as an assistant director and production manager before returning to Boston to complete his graduate education.
After completing business school, Stenson moved to Los Angeles where he began his tenure at Walt Disney Studios in Special Projects for two years before moving into the production department at Hollywood Pictures as a creative executive. He was promoted to vice president and subsequently executive vice president during his eight years with the company, overseeing development and production for Hollywood Pictures as well as Touchstone Pictures. In addition to the many Bruckheimer films, Stenson also developed several other films and nurtured them through production including “Rush Hour,” “Instinct,” “Six Days, Seven Nights” and “Mr. Holland’s Opus.” While at Disney, many filmmakers attempted to woo Stenson away from the studio, but not until 1998 did he entertain leaving. With his newest position at the helm of Jerry Bruckheimer Films, Stenson spearheaded Bruckheimer’s plan to expand the company’s film production schedule.
Upcoming is the action drama “King Arthur,” starring Clive Owen and Keira Knightley, directed by Antoine Fuqua, which is set to begin production in July, as well as the action-adventure “National Treasure,” directed by Jon Turteltaub, starring Nicolas Cage, which is scheduled to film this August.
CHAD OMAN (Executive Producer) is the president of production for Jerry Bruckheimer Films, for which he oversees all aspects of film development and production.
Along with Bruckheimer, Oman produced “Remember the Titans,” starring Denzel Washington and Will Patton for Walt Disney Pictures and “Coyote Ugly,” starring Piper Perabo, Maria Bello and John Goodman for Touchstone Pictures.
His resume also includes credits as an executive producer on Jerry Bruckheimer Films’ “Kangaroo Jack,” “Black Hawk Down,” “Pearl Harbor,” “Gone in 60 Seconds,” “Enemy of the State,” “Armageddon,” “Con Air” and the upcoming “Bad Boys II,” opening on July 18, and the biographical tale of “Veronica Guerin,” starring Cate Blanchett, set for release this October 17. Upcoming is the action drama “King Arthur,” starring Clive Owen and Keira Knightley, and directed by Antoine Fuqua, beginning production in July, and “National Treasure,” directed by Jon Turteltaub, starring Nicolas Cage, which is scheduled to film this August.
In addition to his work on JBF’s many motion pictures, Oman also supervised production on several television projects including the “Soldier of Fortune” series starring Brad Johnson for Rysher Entertainment, ABC’s drama “Dangerous Minds,” starring Annie Potts, and the ABC drama “Swing Vote,” written by Ron Bass and starring Andy Garcia.
Prior to joining Simpson-Bruckheimer in the spring of 1995, Oman was a founding employee of the Motion Picture Corporation of America. After six years he left the independent production company as senior vice president of production.
Oman served as associate producer on “Dumb and Dumber,” starring Jim Carrey, executive produced Touchstone Pictures’ “The War at Home,” starring Emilio Estevez, Kathy Bates and Martin Sheen and was a co-producer on “The Desperate Trail” with Sam Elliott and on “The Sketch Artist” with Drew Barrymore and Sean Young. Oman produced “Hands that See” starring Courteney Cox and Jeff Fahey, and “Love, Cheat and Steal,” starring John Lithgow and Eric Roberts.
Oman graduated from Southern Methodist University with a degree in finance. He also attended the University of California at Los Angeles where he studied screenwriting, and New York University where he participated in the undergraduate film production program. He was born and raised in Wichita Falls, Texas.
BRUCE HENDRICKS (Executive Producer) was also an executive producer on the Jerry Bruckheimer Films production of “Pearl Harbor.” As a filmmaker for over 25 years, he has been associated with many of the most prestigious, topgrossing films in motion picture history. He has a unique position in the entertainment industry, working as a studio executive, producer and director. As president of physical production for Walt Disney Studios, Hendricks oversees all aspects of live action feature film production at the company. In this capacity he has supervised the making of over 200 motion pictures and filmed in more than 20 countries. Among these films are the blockbusters “The Sixth Sense,” “Armageddon,” “The Rock” and “Pretty Woman,” to name a few. His directing credits include the Large Format film “Ultimate X” as well as numerous music videos and television programs. Hendricks is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences and the Directors Guild of America. He received an Emmy Award for his work on the telefilm “The Wave.” A native of Dallas, Texas he holds a bachelor of science degree in film production from the University of Texas.
PAUL DEASON (Executive Producer) was both a co-producer and unit production manager on such films as “Old School,” “Evolution,” “Thirteen Days,” “End of Days,” “Small Soldiers,” “Amistad,” “Mars Attacks!,” “Congo” and “Casper.” As a production manager, he was responsible for the motion pictures “The Flintstones,” “Jurassic Park,” “Innocent Blood,” “Father of the Bride” and “Oscar” as well as such television projects as “Parent Trap: Hawaiian Honeymoon” and “14 Going On 30.” Deason served as both production manager and first assistant director on “Funny, You Don’t Look 200: A Constitutional Vaudeville,” “The Dog Days of Arthur Cane” and “The Woman Who Willed a Miracle,” for which he and his staff won a Directors Guild Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Dramatic Show – Daytime.
Prior to becoming a unit production manager, he was a much sought-after assistant director, supervising the action on movie sets as well as on various television productions.
DARIUSZ WOLSKI, A.S.C. (Director of Photography) most recently served as cinematographer on the Jerry Bruckheimer production of “Bad Company,” starring Anthony Hopkins and Chris Rock. Prior to that he showcased his talents on director Gore Verbinski’s “The Mexican,” starring Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt.
Wolski has collaborated with several notable directors, including Andrew Davis on “A Perfect Murder”; Alex Proyas for “Dark City” and the cult favorite “The Crow”; Peter Medak’s “Romeo is Bleeding”; as well as with Tony Scott on “The Fan” and the Don Simpson-Jerry Bruckheimer production “Crimson Tide.” For his work on the controversial, highly acclaimed “Crimson Tide,” he garnered an ASC Award nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography.
Born in Warsaw, Poland, Wolski attended the Film School in Lodz. After emigrating to the United States in 1979, he worked on documentaries, industrials and smaller independent films.
His first big break came in 1986 on the film “Heart” when he was asked to replace the cinematographer who moved on to work on another project. Soon after, Wolski moved to Los Angeles where he worked as a director of photography on music videos and commercials for such directors as Alex Proyas, David Fincher, Tony Scott and Jake Scott. He went on to work on the Roger Corman-produced feature “Nightfall” and on the PBS American Playhouse production of “Land of Little Rain.”
Born and raised in England, BRIAN MORRIS (Production Designer) has demonstrated great versatility, moving easily from stylized musicals to period films to more contemporary fare. He attended Manchester Art College and Central School of Arts and Crafts in London before beginning his career with the Royal Shakespeare Company and moving on to television and motion pictures.
His earliest credits as an art director came with two Richard Loncraine films, “Flame” and “Full Circle.” He graduated to full-fledged production design on John Schlesinger’s World War II drama “Yanks.” After creating the prehistoric world of Jean-Jacques Annaud’s “Quest for Fire,” Morris began a long-term association with director Alan Parker on the rock and roll musical “Pink Floyd The Wall.”
Among Morris’ notable credits are “Unfaithful,” “The Insider,” “The Boxer,” “Sabrina,” “The Road to Wellville,” “Damage,” “The Commitments,” “Angel Heart,” and “Another Country.” He earned the Los Angeles Film Critics Award For Best Production Design for his work on “Evita,” as well as Oscar® and BAFTA nominations.
Morris is currently in London working on “Wimbledon” for director Loncraine. The film stars Kirsten Dunst and Paul Bettany.
CRAIG WOOD (Editor) has had a long and rewarding association with director Gore Verbinski. Most recently he edited the director’s horror thriller “The Ring,” which garnered almost $250 million in worldwide box office receipts and has gone on to become a rental sensation. Previously Wood served as the editor on “The Mexican” and “Mouse Hunt.” The duo also collaborated on more than a dozen commercials, including the Clio Award-winning Budweiser “Frogs” and the 1996 short film “The Ritual,” as well as Verbinski’s video “Negasonic Teenage Warhead” for the rock group Monster Magnet.
Wood was an additional editor on Randall Wallace’s “We Were Soldiers,” starring Mel Gibson. Other editing credits include “Highway” for director James Fox; Bronwen Hughes’ romantic comedy “Forces of Nature,” starring Sandra Bullock and Ben Affleck; “Secrets of the City,” written and directed by Cathy Linsley; and Alex Proyas’ 1986 feature film “Spirits of the Air, Gremlins of the Clouds.”
Born in Sydney, Australia, Wood began his career at age 19 as assistant editor in the documentary department at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation television network before moving into music videos and commercials. He has fashioned the videos of such artists as Smashing Pumpkins, Bjork, Fiona Apple, Garbage, Tina Turner, Tom Petty, UB40 and Janet Jackson, not to mention creating stylish ads for various corporate clients.
STEPHEN RIVKIN, A.C.E. (Editor) was a coeditor on “Ali,” starring Oscar® nominee Will Smith, for director Michael Mann. He also cut the action thriller “Swordfish,” starring John Travolta, Hugh Jackman and Halle Berry. Previously he worked with director Norman Jewison on “The Hurricane,” for which Denzel Washington received an Oscar® nomination, as well as “Bogus” and “Only You.” Other credits include “Idle Hands,” “Excess Baggage,” “Robin Hood: Men in Tights,” “Bat 21” and “Hot Dog: The Movie.” Rivkin edited and was the associate producer on the features “Youngblood” and “The Personals.” He was a co-editor on the popular films “Nine Months,” “Outbreak,” “My Cousin Vinny,” “Band of the Hand” and “Fire in the Sky.”
Among Rivkin’s television credits are TNT’s CableAce Award-nominated “Nightbreaker”; HBO’s “The Comrades of Summer” and “El Diablo”; as well as Lifetime’s “Wildflower” and the CBS movie “The Girl with the Crazy Brother,” both directed by Diane Keaton.
Rivkin will soon begin work on “The Statement,” directed by Jewison and starring Michael Caine.
He was born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
ARTHUR SCHMIDT (Editor) has won Academy Awards® for Best Film Editing for his work on “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” and “Forrest Gump,” and received an Oscar® nomination for “Coal Miner’s Daughter.” He has been nominated six times by the American Cinema Editors Guild, taking home the guild’s Eddie Award for “Forrest Gump” as well as for the ABC movie-of-the-week, “The Jericho Mile,” for which he also won an Emmy.
Among his other credits are “Cast Away,” “What Lies Beneath,” “Contact,” “The Birdcage,” “The Last of the Mohicans” and the “Back to the Future” trilogy. PENNY ROSE (Costume Designer) recently began working on producer Jerry Bruckheimer’s next project, “King Arthur,” starring Clive Owen and Keira Knightley. The film, directed by Antoine Fuqua, begins shooting in Ireland this July.
Rose received a BAFTA nomination for her work on director Alan Parker’s acclaimed “Evita,” starring Madonna. Rose is a long-time collaborator of Parker’s and has designed costumes for three of his other films: “The Road to Wellville,” “Pink Floyd The Wall” and “The Commitments.”
Most recently she created the attire for “The Sleeping Dictionary,” written and directed by Guy Jenkins and starring Jessica Alba, Brenda Blethyn and Bob Hoskins.
Additional credits include “The Good Thief,” starring Nick Nolte and Tcheky Karyo for director Neil Jordan; “Just Visiting,” with Jean Reno, Christina Applegate and Christian Clavier; “Entrapment,” starring Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta-Jones; and Disney’s remake of “The Parent Trap,” starring Dennis Quaid, Natasha Richardson and Lindsay Lohan, directed by Nancy Meyers.
Earlier in her career, Rose designed costumes for Brian de Palma’s “Mission: Impossible” and has twice worked with director Lord Richard Attenborough on “Shadowlands” and “In Love and War.” Her resume also includes Christopher Hampton’s “Carrington,” Vincent Ward’s “Map of the Human Heart,” Bill Forsyth’s “Local Hero,” Pat O’Connor’s “Cal,” Marek Kanievska’s “Another Country” and Jean-Jacques Annaud’s “Quest for Fire.”
Rose was trained at the West End Theatre. She began her career working not only in the theatre, but also in television, designing for commercials where she first met Alan Parker, Adrian Lyne, Ridley and Tony Scott, and Hugh Hudson. She was born and raised in Britain, and is fluent in French and Italian.
JOHN KNOLL (Visual Effects Supervisor) joined Industrial Light & Magic as a technical assistant in 1986, and was soon promoted to motion control camera operator for “Captain EO.” After three years of operating, Knoll was called upon to work on the groundbreaking digital effects for “The Abyss.” Since that time, he has been promoted to visual effects supervisor, heading up the visual effects on more than twenty feature films and commercials. His film background, coupled with an advanced understanding of digital technologies, has made Knoll a much soughtafter effects supervisor with two Academy Award® nominations for “Star Wars: Episode II-Attack of the Clones” and “Star Wars: Episode I-The Phantom Menace” (the latter earning him a BAFTA nomination as well.) His resume also includes “Mission to Mars,” “Deep Blue Sea,” “Star Trek: First Contact” and “Mission Impossible,” among others.
Knoll’s interest in filmmaking began at an early age. Having a keen interest in model making, Knoll was mesmerized by the original “Star Wars.” During a visit to ILM in 1978, he was able to observe first-hand the world of visual effects. Inspired to learn more, Knoll attended the University of Southern California’s Film School and earned a bachelor of arts in cinema production, while freelancing as a model maker at a variety of Los Angeles-based production facilities. During his last year at USC, Knoll took an advanced animation class where he built a motion control system from an Oxberry animation stand, an Apple II computer, a CNC milling machine controller and a bunch of industrial surplus stepper motors. Impressed by the student film generated from this class project, ILM hired Knoll as a technical assistant for motion control photography. Greatly impressed by visits to ILM’s newly founded computer graphics department, Knoll took up computer graphics as a hobby. Teaming up with his brother, who was working on his doctoral thesis in computer vision at the University of Michigan, the Knoll brothers created Photoshop in 1987.
KLAUS BADELT (Composer) started his musical career producing records and writing music for dozens of movies and commercials in his native Germany. In 1997, Badelt moved his musical home to Los Angeles, where he first contributed music to movies like “The Thin Red Line,” “X-Men,” “Mission: Impossible 2,” “Hannibal” and “Gladiator,” which he co-produced. Badelt then co-wrote the scores for “The Pledge,” starring Jack Nicholson, and Werner Herzog’s “Invincible,” starring Tim Roth, with Oscar®-winning composer Hans Zimmer.
In 2002, Badelt scored DreamWorks' remake of the classic “The Time Machine,” which earned him the Discovery of the Year Award at that year’s World Soundtrack Awards. Later in 2002, Badelt recorded his score to “K-19: The Widowmaker,” with the Kirov Orchestra in St. Petersburg, Russia, with conductor Valery Gergiev. After writing the techno-progressive score for “The Recruit,” starring Al Pacino and Colin Farrell, director John McTiernan (“Die Hard,” “The Hunt for Red October”) asked Klaus to write the music for his thriller “Basic,” starring John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson. Still in 2002, the soon-to-bereleased epic "Ned Kelly" followed, starring Heath Ledger, Orlando Bloom, Geoffrey Rush and Naomi Watts. Over the last few years, Badelt has written music for such directors and producers as Ridley Scott, Tony Scott, Terrence Malick, John Woo, Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and Tom Cruise.
BOB BADAMI (Music Supervisor) has enjoyed a long and distinguished career in Hollywood as a motion picture music supervisor and music editor. His previous films for producer Jerry Bruckheimer include “Bad Boys 2,” “Kangaroo Jack,” “Bad Company,” “Black Hawk Down,” “Remember the Titans,” “Coyote Ugly,” “Gone in 60 Seconds,” “Enemy of the State,” “Armageddon,” “Con Air,” “The Rock,” “Dangerous Minds,” “Crimson Tide,” “Beverly Hills Cop,” “Beverly Hills Cop 2,” “Top Gun” and “American Gigolo.” In addition, he worked on many films with Tim Burton including “Mars Attacks!,” “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” “Batman,” “Batman Returns,” “Edward Scissorhands” and “Beetlejuice.” Among his other recent feature film credits are “Tears of the Sun,” “Riding in Cars with Boys,” and “AntiTrust.” Badami’s nearly innumerable contributions to film music over more than two decades include “The Insider,” “Bulworth,” “Instinct,” “Mighty Joe Young,” “Grosse Pointe Blank,” “Michael,” “James and the Giant Peach,” “Grumpier Old Men,” “Darkman,” “Love Affair,” “Sommersby,” “Scent of a Woman,” “Dick Tracy,” “Midnight Run,” “Broadcast News,” “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure,” “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan,” “Star Trek III,” “Thief of Hearts,” “Terms of Endearment,” “The Outsiders,” “Wolfen,” “Boulevard Nights” and “Thief.” In 1989, Badami won an Academy Award® for Technical Achievement.
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Posted: 11/7/09