Lawrence Gordon (producer)
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Lawrence Gordon | |
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| Born | March 25, 1936 |
| Occupation(s) | Producer, executive |
| Years active | 1975–present |
| Children | 3 |
Lawrence Gordon (born March 25, 1936) is an American producer and motion picture executive.[1] He specializes in producing action-oriented films. Some of his most popular productions include Predator (1987), Die Hard (1988) and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001).
Life and career
Gordon was raised in a Jewish family[2] in Belzoni, Mississippi. He graduated from Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana. He has enjoyed a long career in film. After moving to Los Angeles he began his career working for Aaron Spelling. He quickly moved up the ranks and began co-producing for Spelling and in the early 1980s created the TV series Matt Houston.
In the 1970s he was a key executive at American International Pictures.[3]
He served as President of 20th Century Fox from 1984 to 1986.[4]
He subsequently formed Largo Entertainment and Gordon Company with his brother and producer Charles Gordon, Largo which was backed by the Japanese company JVC. This was revolutionary as it was the first time a Japanese company had seriously invested in a film enterprise. In 1989, he produced Field of Dreams, which received an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture.
Under the Largo Entertainment banner, Gordon produced Point Break (1991), Mulholland Falls (1996), G.I. Jane (1997), and 23 other films.
In 1994, he left Largo. Gordon Company was split up into two companies Golar, in tandem with the Lawrence Gordon Productions shingle headed by Lawrence Gordon, and Daybreak Productions, headed up by Charles Gordon over the late 1990s.
Gordon also had an independent production deal with Universal Pictures under the shingle Lawrence Gordon Productions. Under Lawrence Gordon Productions, he produced Jumpin' Jack Flash, Boogie Nights, Mystery Men, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider franchise, Hellboy franchise and Watchmen.
Gordon has been credited with giving some of the most prolific producers their start in entertainment such as Joel Silver, Scott Rudin, Amy Pascal, and James L. Brooks.
He has three children including filmmaker and musician, George Joseph Gordon.
Selected filmography
Producer:
- Hard Times (1975)
- The End (1978)
- Hooper (1978)
- The Driver (1978)
- The Warriors (1979)
- Xanadu (1980)
- Paternity (1981)
- Jekyll and Hyde... Together Again (1982)
- 48 Hrs. (1982)
- Streets of Fire (1984)
- Brewster's Millions (1985)
- Jumpin' Jack Flash (1986)
- Predator (1987)
- Die Hard (1988)
- Family Business (1989)
- Lock Up (1989)
- Field of Dreams (1989)
- K-9 (1989)
- Another 48 Hrs. (1990)
- Predator 2 (1990)
- Die Hard 2 (1990)
- The Rocketeer (1991)
- Waterworld (1995)
- Event Horizon (1997)
- The Devil's Own (1997)
- Mystery Men (1999)
- K-PAX (2001)
- Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001)
- Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life (2003)
- Hellboy (2004)
- Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)
- Watchmen (2009)
- Hellboy (2019)
Executive Producer:
- The Renegades (1982)
- The Wrong Guys (1988)
- Leviathan (1989)
- Boogie Nights (1997)
- K-911 (1999)
- K-9: P.I. (2002)
References
- ^ The New York Times
- ^ Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life: "Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish Communities - Belzoni, Mississippi" retrieved October 25, 2017
- ^ Larry Gordon Rolls His Dice. Taylor, Clarke. Los Angeles Times (1923-Current File) [Los Angeles, Calif] 08 Oct 1978: n35.
- ^ "New York Times Biography". New York Times. Retrieved 18 February 2014.
External links
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