Rick Schwartz
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Rick Schwartz (born c. 1968) is an independent producer and financier whose credits include The Departed, Black Swan, Gangs of New York, The Aviator and The Others.
Raised in Teaneck, New Jersey, Schwartz grew up in a Modern Orthodox Jewish home and graduated from the Moriah School and the Frisch School. He has been a resident of Englewood, New Jersey.[1]
[edit] Film career
Schwartz began his career at Miramax under Harvey and Bob Weinstein, eventually serving as the company’s Senior Vice President of Production. During his tenure at Miramax, Schwartz was entrusted to oversee the development and production of some of Miramax’s most high profile, big budget projects; producing credits include “The Others”, directed by Alejandro Amenabar, starring Nicole Kidman and produced in conjunction with Tom Cruise; “Gangs of New York”, directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day Lewis and Cameron Diaz.
In 2006, Schwartz partnered with film financier Graham King, helping to develop strategic relationships with Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio, Johnny Depp and Nicole Kidman. Together, they produced “The Aviator” as well as the Academy Award winning film, “The Departed”, directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg and Jack Nicholson.
In 2008, Schwartz announced the launch of his new film company, Overnight Productions. The first film to be released under the new banner was The Lucky Ones, directed by Neil Burger and starring Rachel McAdams, Tim Robbins, and Michael Peña. The film had its world premiere at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival and was released in 2009 by Lionsgate Films.
In 2009, Schwartz produced the thriller "13", a remake of the award-winning French film "13 Tzameti. Directed by Gela Babluani, the film stars Jason Statham, Mickey Rourke, Ray Winstone, Alexander Saarsgard, 50 Cent and Emmanuelle Chriqui. The film will be released theatrically in November 2011 by Anchor Bay Entertainment.
Schwartz and his Overnight banner also financed and produced the $10m action movie "Machete", an independent feature co-directed by Robert Rodriguez and starring Robert De Niro, Jessica Alba, Michelle Rodriguez, Steven Seagal, Lindsay Lohan and Danny Trejo. The North American distribution rights were acquired by Fox Entertainment in January 2010 for $9m. "Machete" went on to gross over $40m worldwide, along with $14m in DVD sales; Rodriguez and Schwartz recently announced plans for a sequel.
Schwartz's success continued in 2010 with the Academy Award nominated, "Black Swan", directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel and Barbara Hershey. The $13m movie went on to gross over $320m worldwide, with Portman winning an Academy Award for Best Actress.
Future projects include "Spectre", a supernatural thriller to star Nicole Kidman and be directed by James Wan ("Saw", "Insidious"); "Southbound'", to be directed by Jonathan Jakubowitz and starring Matthew McConaughey, Eva Mendes and Liv Tyler; "Goree Girls" to be produced with Jennifer Aniston who is also starring; and “Who Gets The Dog?”, a romantic comedy to star Eva Longoria.
Throughout his career Schwartz’s eye for material and strong relationships with leading talent have produced an impressive resume of commercial and critically successful films. The films in which Schwartz has been involved have grossed over $1 billion dollars in worldwide box office sales.
Schwartz is active in numerous charities, including The Robin Hood Foundation, United Jewish Appeal, and Amfar. He is a member of the Producers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild, as well as a published writer.
[edit] References
- ^ Rosenblatt, Gary. "Joining ‘Gangs’ to Work With the Best: Executive producer Rick Schwartz savors a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work with Martin Scorsese and others.", The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, January 2, 2003. Accessed October 22, 2011. "When the now-legendary film director Martin Scorsese first discovered Herbert Asbury's book, Gangs of New York, in 1970 and decided to make it into a film, Rick Schwartz was a 2-year-old growing up in a modern Orthodox home in Teaneck, N.J.... During several recent interviews, Schwartz, 34, who now lives in Englewood, N.J., spoke about the 'incredible opportunity' of spending much of the last three years working closely with Scorsese and actors like Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis and Cameron Diaz on the film, an almost three-hour depiction of the brutal and bruising life in Lower Manhattan during the Civil War period, little explored in American movies.... Schwartz said that while the rest of his family is 'quite Orthodox, I am still finding my way, but I no longer take my Jewish education for granted.' He graduated from the Moriah day school in Englewood and Frisch yeshiva high school in Paramus, N.J., and said he increasingly appreciates the rootedness his traditional Jewish lifestyle gives him."
[edit] External links
- New York Times article
- Variety
- IMDB Film Credits
- Vanity Fair
- Los Angeles Times
- The New York Observer Article; Company Overview
- Los Angeles Times
- The Hollywood Reporter
- Entertainment Weekly
- Grantland
- Huffington Post
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