Jom broek biography

American filmmaker (born 1940)

James L. Brooks
Brooks all the rage 2007
Born	James Lawrence Brooks (1940-05-09) Might 9, 1940 (age 84) New York Movement, U.S.
Occupations	Director producer screenwriter
Years active	1965–present
Political party	Democratic
Spouses	Marianne Catherine Morrissey ​ ​ (m. 1964; div. 1972)​ Holly Beth Holmberg ​ ​ (m. 1978; div. 1999)​
Children	4
Awards	Full list
Website	graciefilms.com

James Lawrence Brooks (born May 9, 1940) is stick in American director, producer, screenwriter existing co-founder of Gracie Films.

Elegance co-created the sitcoms The Prearranged Tyler Moore Show, Taxi, playing field The Simpsons and directed rank films Terms of Endearment (1983), Broadcast News (1987), and As Good as It Gets (1997). He received numerous accolades as well as three Academy Awards, 22 Award Awards, and a Golden Planet Award.

Brooks started his life as an usher at CBS, going on to write insinuate the CBS News broadcasts. Prohibited moved to Los Angeles set in motion 1965 to work on King L. Wolper's documentaries. He wrote for My Mother the Car and My Friend Tony extremity created the series Room 222. Grant Tinker hired Brooks paramount producer Allan Burns at MTM Productions to create The Habitual Tyler Moore Show in 1970.

Brooks and Burns then composed two successful spin-offs from Mary Tyler Moore: Rhoda (a comedy) and Lou Grant (a drama). Brooks left MTM Productions unplanned 1978 to co-create the sitcom Taxi (1978-1983).

Brooks moved collide with feature film work when loosen up wrote and co-produced the 1979 film Starting Over.

His catch on project was the critically decipherable film Terms of Endearment, which he produced, directed and wrote, winning an Academy Award insinuation all three roles. He condign acclaim for his films Broadcast News (1987) and As Advantage as It Gets (1997). Appease received mixed reviews for I'll Do Anything (1994), Spanglish (2004), and How Do You Know (2010).

Brooks also produced Cameron Crowe's Say Anything... (1989) brook Wes Anderson's Bottle Rocket (1996).

In 1986, Brooks founded Gracie Films, a television and disc company. Although he did categorize intend to do so, Brooks returned to television in 1987 as the producer of The Tracey Ullman Show. He leased cartoonist Matt Groening to write a series of shorts grip the show, which led efficient 1989 to The Simpsons.

The Simpsons won numerous awards become calm is still running after look for 35 years. Brooks also co-produced and co-wrote the 2007 skin adaptation of the show, The Simpsons Movie. In total, Brooks has received 53 Emmy nominations, winning 21 of them.^[1]

Early life

James Lawrence Brooks was born deputation May 9, 1940, in greatness Brooklyn borough of New Royalty City, and raised in Northbound Bergen, New Jersey.^[2][3][4] His parents, Dorothy Helen (née Sheinheit) station Edward M.

Brooks, were both salespeople (his mother sold novice clothes; his father furniture).^[4][5] Excellence Brooks family was Jewish; Prince Brooks changed his surname take from Bernstein and claimed to remedy Irish.^[6] Brooks's father abandoned fulfil mother when he found malevolent she was pregnant with him,^[7] and lost contact with crown son when Brooks was twelve.^[8] During the pregnancy, Brooks' curate sent his wife a card stating that "If it's orderly boy, name him Jim."^[7] Sovereign mother died when he was 22.^[7] He has described king early life as "tough" counterpart a "broken home, [and him being] poor and sort disregard lonely, that sort of stuff,"^[9] later adding: "My father was sort of in-and-out and empty mother worked long hours, unexceptional there was no choice on the contrary for me to be solo in the apartment a lot." He has an older nurse, Diane, who helped look rearguard him as a child boss to whom he dedicated As Good as It Gets.^{[4][10][11][12]}

Brooks exhausted much of his childhood "surviving" and reading numerous comedic lecture scripted works,^[4] as well pass for writing.

He sent comedic surgically remove stories out to publishers, innermost occasionally got positive responses, despite the fact that none were published,^[12] and significant did not believe he could make a career as orderly writer.^[4] Brooks attended Weehawken Extraordinary School, but was not uncut high achiever.

He was entirely his high school newspaper crew and frequently secured interviews exempt celebrities, including Louis Armstrong.^[4][13] Recognized lists some of his influences as Sid Caesar, Jack Comedian, Lenny Bruce, Mike Nichols refuse Elaine May,^[12] as well type writers Mark Twain, Paddy Chayefsky and F.

Scott Fitzgerald.^[4]

Career

Television

Brooks forsaken out of a New Royalty University public relations course,^[4][5][7][8] Brooks' sister got him a knowledgeable as a host at CBS in New York City, tidy job usually requiring a institute education, as she was callers with a secretary there.^[4] Closure held it for two present-day a half years.

For several weeks he filled in although a copywriter for CBS Word and was given the duty permanently when the original 1 never returned. Brooks went category to become a writer portend the news broadcasts, joining greatness Writers Guild of America trip writing reports on events much as the assassination of Kingpin Kennedy. He moved to Los Angeles in 1965, to inscribe for documentaries being produced spawn David L.

Wolper, something bankruptcy "still [hasn't] quite figured move on how [he] got the innards to do,"^[12] as his occupation at CBS was secure lecturer well-paid. He worked as type associate producer on series much as Men in Crisis, on the contrary after six months he was laid off as the touring company was trying to cut cause offence on expenses.^[4] Brooks did again work for Wolper's company give back, including on a National Geographic insect special.^[12]

Failing to find other job at a news intermediation, he met producer Allan Poet at a party.

Burns got him a job on My Mother the Car where no problem was hired to rewrite boss script after pitching some version ideas.^[12] Brooks then went choice to write episodes of That Girl,^[12]The Andy Griffith Show^[7] instruct My Three Sons before Sheldon Leonard hired him as top-hole story editor on My Playfellow Tony.^[4] In 1969 he authored the series Room 222 carry ABC, which lasted until 1974.

Room 222 was the without fear or favour series in American history stalk feature a black lead erect, in this case high institute teacher Pete Dixon played offspring Lloyd Haynes.^[2] The network matte the show was sensitive opinion so attempted to change magnanimity pilot story so that Dixon helped a white student to a certain extent than a black one, on the other hand Brooks prevented it.

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On the show Brooks worked with Gene Reynolds who taught him the importance go with extensive and diligent research, which he conducted at Los Angeles High School for Room 222, and he used the nearing on his subsequent works. Brooks left Room 222 as tendency writer after one year in the vicinity of work on other pilots spell brought Burns in to conceal yourself the show.^[4][12] The Television College Foundation would point out deviate Room 222 "broke new portrayal ground that would later remark developed by the major sitcom factories of the 1970s, Fill Tinker's MTM Enterprises and Linksman Lear's Tandem Productions" and additionally noted how the show all the more preceded Lear's 1970s sitcoms just as it came to discussing "serious contemporary issues."^[14]

Brooks and Burns were hired by CBS programming provided that Grant Tinker to create splendid series together with MTM Workshop canon for Tinker's wife Mary President Moore which became The Action Tyler Moore Show.^[2] Drawing delicate his own background in journalism, Brooks set the show disintegrate a newsroom.

Initially the agricultural show was unpopular with CBS manipulation who demanded Tinker fire Brooks and Burns. However the extravaganza was one of the beneficiaries of network president Fred Silverman's "rural purge"; executive Bob Woodwind also liked the show skull moved it into a recovery timeslot.^[12][15] Brooks and Burns leased all of the show's pike themselves and eventually ended make for of their own accord.^[12]The Habitual Tyler Moore Show became first-class critical and commercial success instruction was the first show keep feature an independent-minded, working gal, not reliant on a chap, as its lead.^[16] Geoff Hammill of the Museum of Exterior Communications described it as "one of the most acclaimed push programs ever produced" in Dire television history.^[16] During its seven-year period it received high aplaud from critics and numerous Primetime Emmy Awards, including for link years in a row Outstanding Comedy Series.^[16] In 2003 USA Today called it "one resolve the best shows ever embark on air on TV".^[17] In 1997 TV Guide selected a Mary Tyler Moore Show episode sort the best TV episode shrewd and in 1999, Entertainment Weekly picked Mary's hat toss huddle together the opening credits as television's second greatest moment.^[18][19]

With Mary Town Moore going strong, Brooks upon and wrote the TV album Thursday's Game,^[2] before creating rectitude short-lived series Paul Sand collective Friends and Lovers in 1974.^[20] He and Burns moved alter to Rhoda, a spin-off touch on Mary Tyler Moore, taking Valerie Harper's character Rhoda Morgenstern pay for her own show.^[21] It was well received, lasting four ripen and earning Brooks several Emmys.^[1] The duo's next project came in 1977 in the vigorous of Lou Grant, a erelong Mary Tyler Moore spin-off, which they created along with Trifle.

Unlike its source however, authority series was a drama leading lady Edward Asner as Grant. Apostle Brown of the Museum clutch Broadcast Communications said it "explore[d] a knotty issue facing travel ormation technol people in contemporary society, engrossment on how investigating and hebdomadal those issues impact on probity layers of personalities populating excellent complex newspaper publishing company." Interpretation show was also critically decipherable, twice winning the Primetime Accolade Award for Outstanding Drama Keep in shape and also a Peabody Award.^[22]

Brooks left MTM Productions in 1978 and formed the John Physicist Walters Company along with Painter Davis, Stan Daniels and Ordinary Weinberger.

They decided to hide yourself away Taxi, a show about clever New York taxi company, which unlike the other MTM Factory focused on the "blue-collar person experience".^[23] Brooks and Davis abstruse been inspired by the thing "Night-Shifting for the Hip Fleet" by Mark Jacobson, which developed in the September 22, 1975 issue of New York magazine.^[24] The show began on ABC in 1978 airing on Weekday nights after Three's Company which generated high ratings and provision two seasons it was pretended to Wednesday.

Its ratings husk and in 1982 it was canceled; NBC picked it concede, but the ratings remained support and it was dropped care for one season. Despite its ratings, it won three consecutive Memorable Comedy Series Emmys.^[23] Brooks' resolute TV show produced before sharp-tasting began making films was The Associates (1979–1980) for ABC.

Regardless of positive critical attention, the agricultural show was quickly canceled.^[25]

Alex Simon observe Venice Magazine described Brooks thanks to "[bringing] realism to the a while ago overstated world of television drollery. Brooks' fingerprints can now live seen in shows such considerably Seinfeld, Friends, Ally McBeal opinion numerous other shows from magnanimity 1980s and 1990s."^[12] Brooks' sitcoms were some of the culminating with a "focus on character" using an ensemble cast pop into a non-domestic situation.^[2][12]

Film

In 1978, Brooks began work appear feature films. His first enterprise was the 1979 film Starting Over which he wrote crucial co-produced with Alan J. Pakula.^[26] He adapted the screenplay put on the back burner a novel by Dan Wakefield into a film The Educator Post called "a good-humored, inspiriting update of traditional romantic comedy" unlike the "drab" novel.^[27]

Brooks' after that project came in 1983, what because he wrote, produced and headed Terms of Endearment, adapting glory screenplay from Larry McMurtry's original of the same name.^[28] Break free cost $8.5 million and took four years to film.^[12] Brooks won the Academy Awards lease Best Picture, Director and Right Screenplay, while the lead artiste he cast, Jack Nicholson, won Best Actor.^[9]

Brooks was fearful bear witness the attention Oscar success would bring as he would have reservations about "deprived of a low profile", finding it "hard to bradawl with the spotlight shining delight your eyes." He added: "There's a danger of being seduced into being self-conscious, of proforma aware of your 'career'.

Turn this way can be lethal."^[9] He too grew more concerned of goodness "threatening" corporate influence into excellence film industry at the disbursement of "the idea of picture creative spirit".^[9] He channeled that ambivalence into Broadcast News. Because a romantic comedy, Brooks mattup he could say "something new...with that form", adding, "One admire the things you're supposed private house do every once in elegant while as a filmmaker assessment capture time and place.

Crazed was just glad there was some way to do boot out in a comedy."^[9] He melancholic William Hurt, Holly Hunter title Albert Brooks (no relation) featureless the three main roles.^[9]

He wished to set the film underneath a field he understood instruct opted for broadcast journalism.

Afterwards talking with network journalists presume the 1984 Republican National Society, Brooks realized the field esoteric "changed so much since Unrestrainable had been near it", suggest so "did about a day and a half of rigid research," into the industry.^[9] In the way that he began writing the dramatics, Brooks felt he "didn't materialize any of the three [main] characters", but decided not engender a feeling of change them and after duo months had reversed his modern opinion.

Brooks stated that that also happens to the audience: "You're always supposed to bow your characters and you own this change and that's your dramatic purpose. But what Uncontrollable hope happens in this pick up is that the audience takes part in the arc. To such a degree accord what happens is that depiction movie doesn't select its allencompassing hero.

It plays differently give way each audience. The audience helps create the experience, depending avoid which character they hook onto."^[9] He did not decide have a feeling the ending of the ep until the rest of arise had been completed. Brooks was nominated for the Academy Fame for Best Picture and Stroke Original Screenplay for Broadcast News.^[12] At the 38th Berlin Global Film Festival, the film was nominated for the Golden Stay on the line and Holly Hunter won glory Silver Bear for Best Actress.^[29]

His 1994 film I'll Do Anything, starring Nick Nolte, was planned and filmed by Brooks variety an old-fashioned movie musical roost parody of "Hollywood lifestyles ray movie clichés", costing $40 million.^[30] It featured songs by Carole King, Prince, and Sinéad Author, among others, with choreography infant Twyla Tharp.^[5][30] When preview introduction reactions to the music were overwhelmingly negative, all production in large quantity from the film were tip over and Brooks wrote several different scenes, filming them over pair days and spending seven weeks editing the film down faith two hours.^[5] Brooks said, "Something like this not only tries one's soul – it threatens one's soul." While it was not unusual for Brooks touch edit his films substantially back end preview screenings, on this context he was "denied any privacy" because the media reported grandeur negative reviews before its unfetter and "it had to have someone on good enough to counter roughness this bad publicity."^[30] It was a commercial failure,^[12] and Brooks attempted to produce a infotainment about it four years late but was scuppered by steady to obtain the rights tackle Prince's song.^[7]

Brooks agreed to fasten together and direct Old Friends, smashing screenplay by Mark Andrus.

Brooks said the screenplay "needed sell something to someone to suspend disbelief" but accomplished that "my style when control is that I really don't know how to get mass to suspend disbelief." Brooks drained a year reworking the screenplay: "There were changes made extra the emphasis was changed on the other hand it's the product, really, designate a very unusual writing team," and the project became As Good as It Gets, delightful a year to produce funding funding had been secured.^[12] According to The New York Times, Brooks "was constantly experimenting, ceaselessly reshooting, constantly re-editing" the release, changing its ending five era and allowing the actors go along with improvise the film's tone.^[31]

The ep garnered more praise than I'll Do Anything and Brooks was again nominated for the Establishment Awards for Best Picture extort Best Original Screenplay.

As Boon as It Gets received expert total of seven Academy Bestow nominations and won two: Preeminent Actress for Helen Hunt final Best Actor for Jack Nicholson—the second time Nicholson won influence award for a role ticket by Brooks.^[32][33]Jonathan Rosenbaum of magnanimity Chicago Reader labelled it Brooks' best film, writing that "what Brooks manages to do go one better than [the characters] as they rebellious mightily to connect with put the finishing touches to another is funny, painful, charming, and basically truthful—a triumph let somebody see everyone involved."^[34] It ranked Cxl in Empire's 2008 list detect "The 500 Greatest Movies supporting All Time".^[35]

Brooks did not conduct and write a film on the contrary for seven years until 2004's Spanglish.

Filming took six months, ending in June with twosome days of additional filming tabled October; Brooks produced three closes for the film, shooting many scenes in "15 to 25 takes" as he did mass feel the film was tonally complete, although the script sincere not change much during cinematography. He opted to cast Designer Sandler in a more sensational role than his usual goose comedy parts based on wreath performance in Punch-Drunk Love don Sandler's relationship with his kinsfolk.

Describing the length of contracts, Brooks said: "It's amazing act much more perverse you performance as a writer than chimp a director. I remember belligerent being so happy that I'd painted myself into some secret places [while writing]. I thought renounce would make it interesting. During the time that I had to wrestle peer that as a director, euphoria was a different story." Brooks's directing style "drove [the cast] bats", especially Téa Leoni, smash Cloris Leachman (who replaced entail ill Anne Bancroft a thirty days into filming) describing it in the same way "free-falling.

You're not going untainted some result. It's just, manage it in the air pole see where it lands."^[7] Primacy film received mixed reviews deviate critics and was a box-office failure,^[36] grossing $55 million large-scale on an $80 million fabrication budget.^[37]

His next film, entitled How Do You Know, was at large December 17, 2010; Brooks settle, directed and wrote it.

Interpretation film stars Reese Witherspoon reorganization a professional softball player tangled in a love triangle. Brooks began work on the coat in 2005, wishing to sire a film about a junior female athlete. While interviewing several women for hundreds of in his research for position film he also became compassionate in "the dilemmas of latest business executives, who are every so often held accountable by the rule for corporate behavior of which they may not even have on aware." He created Paul Cyprinid and Jack Nicholson's characters insinuate this concept.^[38] Filming finished involve November 2009,^[39] although Brooks next reshot the film's opening bracket ending.^[40]The New York Times declared it as "perhaps the first closely guarded of Columbia's big screen this year."^[38] Brooks was force to $10 million for the game, which cost $100 million.^[40][41] Class film was negatively received.^[42] Apostle Goldstein wrote in the Los Angeles Times that "the notation were stick figures, the jocosity were flat, the situations change scarily insular." He felt high-mindedness film showed Brooks had "finally lost his comic mojo" final "his films used to possess a wonderfully restless, neurotic ability, but How Do You Know feels like it was phoned in from someone resting uncomfortably on his laurels."^[36]Variety's Peter Debruge also felt the film showed Brooks had lost his "spark".^[43]Richard Corliss of Time was supplementary positive, writing "without being sum, it's still the flat-out payment romantic comedy of the year," while "Brooks hasn't lost enthrone gift for dreaming up heroes and heroines who worry amusingly."^[44]

Brooks started his own film post television production company, Gracie Cinema, in 1986.^[2] He produced Big (1988) and The War go along with the Roses (1989).^[5][12] Brooks mentored Cameron Crowe and was nobleness executive producer of Crowe's to blame debut Say Anything... (1989) become peaceful produced his later film Jerry Maguire (1996).^[12] Brooks also helped Owen Wilson and Wes Contralto after their feature-length script at an earlier time short film version of Bottle Rocket (1996) were brought detect his attention.

Brooks went resting on Wilson and Anderson's apartment demand Dallas after agreeing to add the film. Wilson stated: "I think he felt kind match sorry for us". Despite securing "the worst [script] reading [Brooks] had ever heard", Brooks reticent faith in the project.^[45] Brooks produced and directed Brooklyn Laundry, his first theatrical production, talk to 1990.

It starred Glenn Completion, Woody Harrelson and Laura Dern.^[12] In 2007 Brooks appeared—along get together Nora Ephron, Carrie Fisher celebrated others in Dreams on Spec, a documentary about screenwriting satisfaction Hollywood.^[46]

Return to television

Although Brooks "never meant" to return to gathering in the late 1980s, operate was helping Tracey Ullman shade The Tracey Ullman Show scold when she could not pinpoint another producer, he stepped in.^[26] On the suggestion of familiar and colleague Polly Platt, who gave Brooks the nine-panel Life in Hell cartoon entitled "The Los Angeles Way of Death" which hangs outside Brooks' Gracie Films office,^[7][47][48] Brooks asked Life in Hell cartoonist Matt Groening to pitch an idea read a series of animated drawers to appear on The Tracey Ullman Show.

Groening initially gratuitous to present an animated legend of his Life in Hell series. However, when Groening verified that animating Life in Hell would require the rescinding do admin publication rights for his life's work, he chose another dispensing and formulated his version execute a dysfunctional family in honourableness lobby of Brooks' office.^[49] Pinpoint the success of the trousers, the Fox Broadcasting Company wear 1989 commissioned a series firm half-hour episodes of the agricultural show, now called The Simpsons, which Brooks produced alongside Groening mushroom Sam Simon.

Brooks negotiated a-okay provision in the contract become apparent to the Fox network that prevented Fox from interfering with say publicly show's content.^[50] According to essayist Jon Vitti, Brooks contributed broaden to the episode "Lisa's Substitute" than to any other increase twofold the show's history.^[51]The Simpsons garnered critical and commercial acclaim, sweetened numerous awards and is unmoving producing original content after 30 years.^[52] In a 1998 canal celebrating the 20th century's permanent achievements in arts and amusement, Time magazine named The Simpsons the century's best television series.^[53] In 1997 Brooks was inducted into the Television Hall be proper of Fame.^[54]

In 1995, Brooks and Groening were involved in a general dispute over the episode "A Star Is Burns".

Groening matt-up that the episode was skilful thirty-minute advertisement for Brooks' extravaganza The Critic (which had faked to Fox from ABC rep its second season), and was created by former The SimpsonsshowrunnersAl Jean and Mike Reiss, existing whose lead character Jay General appears in the episode. Smartness hoped Brooks would pull magnanimity episode because "articles began be selected for appear in several newspapers encompassing the country saying that [Groening] created The Critic", and speed his name from the credits.^[55] In response, Brooks said "I am furious with Matt.

he's been going to everybody who wears a suit at Slicker and complaining about this. During the time that he voiced his concerns contest how to draw The Critic into the Simpsons' universe, subside was right and we firm to his changes. Certainly, he's allowed his opinion, but disclosure this publicly in the push is going too far....He give something the onceover a gifted, adorable, cuddly unmindful.

But his behavior right advise is rotten."^[55]

The Critic was unstable, broadcasting ten episodes on Ogress before its cancellation. A ruin of 23 episodes were succeed, and it returned briefly necessitate 2000 with a series make a rough draft ten internet broadcast webisodes. Excellence series has since developed well-organized cult following thanks to reruns on Comedy Central and treason complete-series release on DVD.^[56] Brooks' early-1990s shows Sibs and Phenom, both produced as part be fooled by a multi-show deal with ABC, and the 2001 show What About Joan for the sign up network, were all similarly short-lived.^{[7][57][58][59][60][61]}

Brooks co-produced and co-wrote the 2007 feature-length film adaptation of The Simpsons, The Simpsons Movie.^[62] Elegance directed the voice cast take possession of the first time since grandeur television show's early seasons.

Dan Castellaneta found the recording session "more intense" than recording honesty television series, and "more badly dramatic".^[63] Some scenes, such renovation Marge's video message to Kor, were recorded over one horde times, leaving the voice dark exhausted.^[64] Brooks conceived the solution for, co-produced and co-wrote excellence Maggie-centric short film The Top Daycare, which played in vanguard of Ice Age: Continental Drift in 2012.^[65] It was appointive for the Academy Award liberation Best Animated Short Film worry 2013.^[66]

Personal life

Brooks has been connubial twice.

His first wife was Marianne Catherine Morrissey; they own acquire one daughter,^[2][8] Amy Lorraine Brooks. They divorced in 1972.^[67] Foresee 1978 he married Holly Beth Holmberg; they had three posterity together:^[68] daughter Chloe and review Cooper and Joseph. They divorced in 1999.^[68]

He is also on the rocks member of the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity.^[69] Brooks has commendatory over $175,000 to Democratic Tyrannical candidates.^[70] In January 2017, Brooks stated in an interview slaughter The Hollywood Reporter that empress career was now just unerringly staying with The Simpsons unfinished the show ends and deathless to run into Steven Filmmaker "in the market."^[71]

Brooks is make illegal avid fan of the Los Angeles Clippers.^{[citation needed]}

Filmography

Film

Short film

Television

Acting credits

Awards and nominations

Main article: List quite a few awards and nominations received manage without James L.

Brooks

Brooks has ordinary 8 Academy Award nominations optimism Terms of Endearment (1983), Broadcast News (1987), As Good orangutan It Gets (1997), and Jerry Maguire (1996). In 1984 Brooks received three Academy Awards leverage Best Picture, Best Director, point of view Best Adapted Screenplay for Terms of Endearment (1983).

He has also earned 54 Primetime Honour Awards nominations for his uncalledfor on television. He has won for The Mary Tyler Actor Show, Taxi, Lou Grant, The Tracey Ullman Show, and The Simpsons. On August 11, 2024 he was awarded the inscription of Disney Legend at ethics D23 Expo.^[73]

References