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Bonnie Bruckheimer

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Bonnie Bruckheimer
Born
Bonnie Sue Fishman

(1944-07-26) July 26, 1944 (age 80)
New York, U.S.
Other namesBonnie Fishman, Bonnie Martell, Bonnie Bruckheimer-Martell
Alma materFar Rockaway High School
Occupation(s)Film and television producer, professor, philanthropist
Years active1985-present
Notable workHocus Pocus (1993), Beaches (1988), Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (2002)
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1969; div. 1974)​
Eric Martell
​
​
(m. 1984; div. 1990)​
Children2

Bonnie Sue Fishman (born July 26, 1944), known professionally as Bonnie Bruckheimer, is an American film and television producer. She has also been known professionally as Bonnie Fishman, Bonnie Martell, and Bonnie Bruckheimer-Martell. She has been nominated for 2 Emmy Awards. In 1985, she and Bette Midler formed their own production company, All Girl Productions, and were producing partners until 2002.

Some of her best-known films include Hocus Pocus, Beaches and Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. Her films have been produced by Disney and Universal, while her TV specials and sitcom were produced by HBO and CBS Television Studios.

Early life

Bruckheimer was born in New York, the daughter of Hyman and Roslyn Fishman, both of Jewish descent. She is the second oldest of 4 children: Blossom, Bonnie, Bettiann and Robert. She attended Far Rockaway High School in Far Rockaway, NY and graduated from the class of 1962.[1]

Early career

While in New York, she was married to Jerry Bruckheimer who went on to become producer of many films and other projects.[2][3] Their marriage lasted from 1969 to 1974.[1]

She worked as a producer's assistant on Night Moves (1975) and Blue Collar (1978)[4] and then went on to be Aaron Russo's assistant on The Rose in 1979. This was when she met Bette Midler and then went on to be Midler's personal and professional assistant.[5]

She continued to assist Bette Midler during Jinxed! (1982), the film that nearly destroyed Midler's career.[6] Bruckheimer also worked with Midler in other aspects of her career, like her already-successful music career—including concert tours like Bette Midler No Frills (1983) which was televised on Cinemax.[7] Bruckheimer worked as an associate producer on that production. They collaborated so well that the two decided to go into business together as producing partners and formed All Girl Productions.[8] Bruckheimer was president of the production company from 1985 till 2002.

Film and television productions

In 1985, Bonnie Bruckheimer and Bette Midler, along with Margaret Jennings South, formed All Girl Productions at the suggestion of Disney’s top executives Michael Eisner and Jeffrey Katzenberg.[9] Bruckheimer and Midler named their production company All Girl Productions as an ironic play on the politically incorrect term for women.[9] Bruckheimer had come up with their business motto: "We hold a grudge."[10] After producing Beaches, South left the company in 1990.[11]

Bruckheimer is a leading pioneer for women in the contemporary film industry.[12] With the creation of her production company, the initial path was laid for more female executive opportunities in Hollywood.[13] All Girl Productions produced movies that resuscitated Midler's film career with Big Business co-starring Lily Tomlin and Beaches co-starring Barbara Hershey. The long-lasting success of Beaches included the number 1 Billboard hit and Grammy-winning song “Wind Beneath My Wings.” The film is considered one of the greatest chick flicks on many critics' lists.[14]

Following the success of Beaches, Bruckheimer co-produced Stella (1990), co-starring John Goodman, and produced For the Boys, a film that earned Midler a Golden Globe Award and her second Academy Award nomination.[15]

In 1993, Bruckheimer co-produced the family-friendly Halloween-themed film Hocus Pocus which continues to air annually on Disney Channel after earning itself a cult following.[16] That same year, she was the executive producer on the made-for-television movie Gypsy, an adaptation of the 1959 stage musical of the same name about the iconic Gypsy Rose Lee. Bruckheimer earned an Emmy nomination for Gypsy. The movie was also nominated for several Golden Globe Awards that year.

Bruckheimer later produced Man of the House (1995), starring Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Chevy Chase, and Farrah Fawcett. This was the final production that Bruckheimer would have with Disney studios. She and Midler consequently took their production company to Universal Studios where Bruckheimer produced That Old Feeling (1997), a starring vehicle for Midler along with Dennis Farina.[9]

While Midler continued with her music career, Bruckheimer was executive producer on the televised special Bette Midler in Concert: Diva Las Vegas (1997) for HBO, which earned Midler an Emmy Award for Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program.[17]

After leaving Universal Studios, Bruckheimer and Midler took All Girl Productions to Sony Tri-Star that included a television deal.[18] It was from this new deal that led to Midler's first-ever sitcom, aptly titled Bette (2000-2001) which earned her another Golden Globe nomination. Both Bruckheimer and Midler were executive producers on the show created by Jeffrey Lane. Lindsay Lohan played Midler's daughter in the pilot but was replaced with Marina Malota for the rest of the series. The series focused on Midler and the hijinks she experienced with people based on her family and business associates. The character that was based on Bruckheimer was named "Connie" (which rhymed with Bonnie), played by Joanna Gleason.[19] 18 total episodes were produced but only 16 episodes aired before CBS canceled the show.[20] It was after the show had been canceled that Bruckheimer and Midler decided to end their partnership and closed the doors on their production company All Girl Productions.[21]

There was one last project that All Girl Productions was yet to complete: the film adaptation of Rebecca Wells' Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (2002), starring Sandra Bullock, Ashley Judd and Ellen Burstyn. Bruckheimer's last production was a critical hit, which was directed by Callie Khouri.[22]

In 2018, she was given the inaugural Vision Award by the Set Decorators Society of America International for her film and television work.[23]

Personal life

With her experience and successes in the industry, she started teaching a course on women in the entertainment industry at USC's School of Cinematic Arts in 2011 where she has served as an adjunct professor ever since.[24][12] She often brings in women who work in the industry to share their experiences about working in different fields.[25]

"Many lessons from Jeffrey [Katzenberg] keep coming to mind as I teach my USC class. However, the one that stands out, when I first started producing, was 'Everyone passes on everything,'" she said. "He taught me that if you believe in a project, don’t second guess yourself just because a writer or director turns it down." What Bruckheimer has found to have more meaning outside of Hollywood, however, is serving as a volunteer grief counselor at Our House (2008–present).[26] "Helping teens cope with the death of a parent is the most gratifying work I’ve ever done," she said.[27] Bruckheimer continues to speak at various events and benefits to encourage the empowerment of women in the film industry.[12] She has also been outspoken in Hollywood about ageism in the industry.[28]

Since the 1990s, Bruckheimer has lived in a 1936 Spanish-style house in Valley Village, CA once owned by Fleetwood Mac's John McVie. She has parlayed her unique decorative style that she used in her own home into a new career as a sales executive for Vesta Home Staging.[29]

Stage and film work

Film

Television

Broadway

Cameos and special appearances

Publication

  • "Handsome," What Was I Thinking?: 58 Bad Boyfriend Stories (edited by Barbara Davilman & Liz Dubelman, St. Martin's Press, 1999).  

Professional honors and awards

Philanthropy

Further reading

"Handsome," What Was I Thinking?: 58 Bad Boyfriend Stories, edited by Barbara Davilman & Liz Dubelman (St. Martin's Press, 1999), ISBN 978-0312384722.[37]

References

  1. ^ "rhlist". www.farrockaway.com. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
  2. ^ "Producer Bonnie Bruckheimer: Insider insights - Hollywood Journal". hollywoodjournal.com. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  3. ^ "Empire". Empire. August 14, 2015. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
  4. ^ "Bonnie Bruckheimer". IMDb. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
  5. ^ Hirschberg, Lynn (October 8, 2000). "Meta-Midler". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
  6. ^ "Bette Midler". Biography.com. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
  7. ^ TheDivineBetteMidler (February 14, 2013), Bette Midler - Promotional Spot for " No Frills ", retrieved July 26, 2017
  8. ^ Frederick., Levy (2013). Hollywood 101 : the film industry. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-1429955256. OCLC 865097742.
  9. ^ a b c Dutka, Elaine (July 16, 1995). "MOVIES : For the Girls : Bette Midler and pal Bonnie Bruckheimer, tired of crashing the boys' club at Disney, jump ship and swim toward their own Tomorrowland". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
  10. ^ Setoodeh, Ramin (April 2, 2019). "Bette Midler Gets Candid About Hollywood, Feminism and Trump". Variety. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  11. ^ "Margaret South - Professional Profile".
  12. ^ a b c "BONNIE BRUCKHEIMER :: AN INTERVIEW WITH THE FEMALE FILM PIONEER - ON CAREER, ACTIVISM, FEMINISM, PARENTING AND PURSUINGYOUR DREAMS". Elaine Sir. March 22, 2017. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  13. ^ "Grit and Determination - Bonnie Bruckheimer - Dr. Linda Tucker". Dr. Linda Tucker. May 18, 2015. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  14. ^ "www.thejc.com/culture/music/interview-bette-midler-1.61733". www.thejc.com. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
  15. ^ For the Boys, retrieved July 26, 2017
  16. ^ "The Magical Tale of How 'Hocus Pocus' Went From Box-Office Flop to Halloween Favorite". Retrieved July 26, 2017.
  17. ^ Library, C. N. N. (January 27, 2016). "Bette Midler Fast Facts". CNN. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
  18. ^ "Meta-Midler". partners.nytimes.com. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
  19. ^ Mark., Bego (2002). Bette Midler : still divine (1st Cooper Square Press ed.). New York: Cooper Square Press. ISBN 0815412320. OCLC 50006559.
  20. ^ "Bette's 'Canceled' Canceled". PEOPLE.com. March 30, 1998. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
  21. ^ "2006 Bonnie Bruckheimer | International Student Film Festival Hollywood". Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  22. ^ TURAN, KENNETH (June 7, 2002). "Forever Ya-Yas". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
  23. ^ a b Staff, CCWire (February 6, 2018). "Set Decorators Society of America International Honors Marc E. Meyer Jr. and Bonnie Bruckheimer at 25th Anniversary Celebration | Creative Content Wire". Creative Content Wire. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  24. ^ "USC Cinematic Arts | Directory of SCA Faculty". cinema.usc.edu. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
  25. ^ Gray, Catherine (2016). Live. Love, Thrive: Inspiring Women's Empowerment. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. pp. 147–160. ISBN 978-1539375739.
  26. ^ "Kat1ovzVPZk Ep. 12 Movie producer Bonnie Bruckheimer, Radio Hosts Elizabeth Keener & Alexander Rodriguez MP3 - MP3PLAYER". tigsrimp3.online. Archived from the original on August 26, 2017. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  27. ^ a b "Producer Bonnie Bruckheimer: Insider insights - Hollywood Journal". hollywoodjournal.com. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
  28. ^ "Cover Story: What's Age Got to Do with It? – Vol. 50 No. 4". PEOPLE.com. August 10, 1998. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  29. ^ "Former Producer Bonnie Bruckheimer Invites Us into Her Home". Ventura Blvd. October 1, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  30. ^ "Bonnie Bruckheimer | Television Academy". Television Academy. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
  31. ^ "Athena Film Festival".
  32. ^ "Board of Directors". Archived from the original on October 31, 2014. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
  33. ^ "Natural Women's History Museum - National Advisory Council".
  34. ^ "Women's Cancer Research Fund - A Breast Cancer Research Foundation Program". wcrfcure.org. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
  35. ^ "Cancer's triple threat: three doctors at Cedars-Sinai team up against women's cancers". EurekAlert!. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
  36. ^ Higgins, Bill (March 27, 2003). "Enchanged 'Evening'". Variety. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
  37. ^ What was I thinking? : 58 bad boyfriend stories. Davilman, Barbara., Dubelman, Liz. (1st ed.). New York: St. Martin's Press. 2009. ISBN 978-0312384722. OCLC 234440230.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
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