Edward Zwick

Edward Zwick
Edward Zwick in 2008
Born	Edward M. Zwick October 8, 1952 (1952-10-08) Chicago, Illinois, United States
Occupation	Director, Producer, Screenwriter
Years active	1983 – present
Spouse	Lynn Liberty Godshall (1982-)

Edward M. Zwick (born October 8, 1952) is an American filmmaker and film producer noted for his epic films about social and racial issues. He has been described as a "throwback to an earlier era, an extremely cerebral director whose movies consistently feature fully rounded characters, difficult moral issues, and plots that thrive on the ambiguity of authority."

Life and career

Zwick was born into a Jewish family in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Ruth Ellen (née Reich) and Allen Zwick. He received an A.B from Harvard in 1974. He attended the AFI Conservatory and graduated with an M.F.A. degree in 1975.

His films include Glory (1989), Legends of the Fall (1994), The Siege (1998), The Last Samurai (2003), Blood Diamond (2006), and Defiance (2008). Along with Marshall Herskovitz, Zwick runs a film production company called The Bedford Falls Company (inspired by the name of the town featured in Frank Capra's It's A Wonderful Life). This company has produced such notable films as Traffic and Shakespeare in Love and the TV shows Thirtysomething, Relativity, Once and Again, and My So-Called Life.

He was one of the recipients of the Academy Award for Best Picture for Shakespeare in Love; he was also nominated in the same category for Traffic.

Despite a popular misconception, Edward is not related to fellow director Joel Zwick.

Films

Directed

• About Last Night... (1986)
• Glory (1989)
• Leaving Normal (1992)
• Legends of the Fall (1994)
• Courage Under Fire (1996)
• The Siege (1998)
• The Last Samurai (2003)
• Blood Diamond (2006)
• Defiance (2008)
• Love and Other Drugs (2010)

Reviews

• Denby, David (12 January 2009). "The Current Cinema: Survivors". The New Yorker 84 (44): 72–73. http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/cinema/2009/01/12/090112crci_cinema_denby. Retrieved 27 March 2009.  Review of Defiance.

External links

• Edward Zwick on Charlie Rose
• Edward Zwick at the Internet Movie Database
• Works by or about Edward Zwick in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
• Edward Zwick collected news and commentary at The New York Times
• Edward Zwick at the Notable Names Database