Jerry Bruckheimer is an American film and television producer. He has been active in the film and television industry since the early 1970s. He is best known for producing action films and television series, such as the “Beverly Hills Cop” franchise, “Top Gun”, “Flashdance”, “The Rock”, “Armageddon”, “Enemy of the State” and “Pirates of the Caribbean” films. He has also produced several television series, including “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”, “Without a Trace” and “The Amazing Race”. Bruckheimer has been nominated for and won several awards, including four Academy Awards and nine Emmy Awards. As of 2015, Bruckheimer’s films have grossed over $13 billion worldwide, making him one of the most successful film producers of all time.
Jerry Bruckheimer was born on September 21, 1945 in Detroit, Michigan, to a Jewish family. His parents, Meyer and Sylvia Bruckheimer, were both immigrants from Russia. He has two sisters, Judy and Ronnie. Bruckheimer was raised in Southfield, Michigan, and graduated from Southfield High School in 1963. He then attended Michigan State University, where he studied broadcast journalism. After graduation, he began his career as a journalist with WJBK-TV in Detroit.
In 1971, Bruckheimer moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in film. He started out working as an assistant to director Robert Altman on the film “M*A*S*H”. He then began working as a producer on films such as “The Culpepper Cattle Company” (1972), “The Long Goodbye” (1973) and “The Sugarland Express” (1974). In 1975, he produced his first major hit film, “The Sting”, which won seven Academy Awards.
Bruckheimer’s next major success came with the release of “Beverly Hills Cop” (1984), which grossed over $300 million worldwide. He followed this up with a string of successful films, including “Top Gun” (1986), “Flashdance” (1983), “The Rock” (1996) and “Armageddon” (1998). In 2000, Bruckheimer co-founded the production company Jerry Bruckheimer Films with Don Simpson. The company’s first release was the action film “Gone in 60 Seconds” (2000), which was a box office success.
In 2003, Bruckheimer produced the blockbuster film “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl”, which grossed over $650 million worldwide. He followed this up with two more successful sequels, “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” (2006) and “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” (2007).
Bruckheimer has also had great success producing television series. His first major hit was “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”, which debuted in 2000 and ran for 15 seasons. He has also produced such popular series as “Without a Trace” (2002-2009), “The Amazing Race” (2001-present) and “Cold Case” (2003-2010).
As of 2015, Jerry Bruckheimer’s films have grossed over $13 billion worldwide, making him one of the most successful film producers of all time. His net worth is estimated to be $1.4 billion.
General Info
Full Name
Jerry Bruckheimer
Net Worth
$900 million
Date Of Birth
September 21, 1943
Height
1.73 m
Profession
Television producer, Film producer
Education
University of Arizona, Mumford High School
Nationality
American
Family
Spouse
Linda Bruckheimer
Children
Alexandra Bruckheimer
Accomplishments
Awards
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program, PGA Producer of the Year Award in Non-Fiction Television, PGA David O. Selznick Achievement Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures, Norman Lear Achievement Award in Television, PGA Producer of the Year Award in Live Entertainment And Com...
Nominations
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series, Producers Guild of America Award - Norman Felton Producer of the Year Award in Episodic Television - Drama, Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, PGA Television Producer of the Year Award - Competition Television
Movies
Top Gun, The Lone Ranger, Armageddon, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Beverly Hills Cop, Pearl Harbor, The Rock, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Con Air, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Flashdance, Black Hawk...
TV Shows
Without a Trace, Justice, Just Legal, Modern Men, Fearless, Soldier of Fortune, Inc., E-Ring, Profiles from the Front Line, Swing Vote
Co-produced films with Don Simpson up to his death in 1996 (The last film Bruckheimer and Simpson collaborated on, The Rock (1996), is dedicated to Simpson).
[on the disappointing public response to The Lone Ranger (2013)] It reminds me of a critic who called Flashdance (1983) a "toxic dump". I think "The Lone Ranger" is going to be looked back on as a brave, wonderful film.
2
I don't consider what I do work - when comparing it to the way my father made his living. He was on his feet all day long.
3
I think my success stems from one fear ... fear of failure.
4
I was always looking to be entertained. We lead such full lives and a lot of us don't lead very pleasant lives and don't like what we do... My dad worked his whole life as a salesman and that wasn't what he really wanted to do. He looked forward to two weeks vacation every year and he used to say to me, 'Whatever you do, make sure you do something you really like so you don't just have your vacation to look forward to.' And I love movies.
5
Top Gun (1986) is no different from Pirates of the Caribbean - in fact, they're very similar because both movies were working in genres that were dead. Fighter pilot movies had all failed and pirate movies had been dead for a long time. We approached them from a different angle.
6
I think that there's a certain synchronicity, so far, with what I like and with what the audiences like. But I don't make the movies for them. I make them because I wanna go see them myself.
7
Every time I make a movie I think that it's going to be my last one, I think that no one is going to show up. I always have this sense that they're all going to fail. I am scared to death.
8
If I made films for the critics, or for someone else, I'd probably be living in some small Hollywood studio apartment.
9
We are in the transportation business. We transport audiences from one place to another.
Facts
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Fact
1
Lives in Los Angeles and Malibu, California.
2
In 2007 Forbes reported his earnings to be $120 million for the year 2006, largely due to his lucrative syndication and production deals.
3
2007 - Ranked #14 on EW's The 50 Smartest People in Hollywood.
4
Has a stepdaughter.
5
Father was a salesman.
6
Owns a 1500-acre farm in Kentucky and also another in Ojai, south of Santa Barbara.
7
Has a Gulfstream IV jet.
8
Ranked #10 on Premiere's 2006 "Power 50" list. Had also ranked #10 on the 2005 list.
9
Had a power ranking of 42 and was the 10th ranked money earner on the 2006 Forbes Celebrity 100 list, with 2005-2006 earnings of $84 million. The earnings were mostly due to syndication residuals from the three "C.S.I." shows.
