Leslie Harter Zemeckis (m. 2001), Mary Ellen Trainor (m. 1980–2000)
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[Citation] Likes to cite/imitate famous movies/commercial spots
Fact
Announced through his company ImageMovers that he will direct a film adaptation of the popular horror/fantasy comic book "Route 666". The comic, published by CrossGen Comics, centers on a young woman who is besieged by demons and other strange creatures during the Cold War. [August 2002]
Robert Zemeckis is an American director, producer, and screenwriter who is known for his work in the science fiction, comedy, and drama genres. He is perhaps best known for his work on the Back to the Future trilogy, Forrest Gump, and Cast Away.
Born on May 14, 1952 in Chicago, Illinois, Zemeckis was raised in a Catholic household. His father, Robert Louis Zemeckis, was a Lithuanian-American truck driver, while his mother, Rose Marie (née Matzkevich), was of Polish descent. He has two older sisters, Donna and Nancy.
Zemeckis attended a Catholic grade school and then high school. He later enrolled at the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts. It was here that he met Bob Gale, with whom he would later collaborate on several films, including the Back to the Future trilogy.
After graduating from USC in 1974, Zemeckis began working as a writer and director for various television shows, including The Twilight Zone and Amazing Stories. He made his feature film debut in 1978 with I Wanna Hold Your Hand, a comedy about Beatlemania.
In 1985, Zemeckis directed Back to the Future, which became one of the most successful films of all time. He would go on to direct its two sequels, as well as such other popular films as Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), Forrest Gump (1994), Contact (1997), and Cast Away (2000).
Zemeckis has been married twice. His first marriage, to Mary Ellen Trainor, ended in divorce. He has three children with his second wife, Leslie Harter Zemeckis: Alexander, Ben, and Zoe.
With a career spanning over four decades, Zemeckis has won numerous awards, including an Academy Award for Best Director for Forrest Gump. His net worth is estimated to be $100 million.
General Info
Full Name
Robert Zemeckis
Net Worth
$50 million
Date Of Birth
May 14, 1952
Height
1.83 m
Profession
Screenwriter, Television producer, Film producer, Film director, Pilot, Actor, Television Director
Education
Fenger Academy High School, University of Southern California, Northern Illinois University
Nationality
American
Family
Spouse
Leslie Harter Zemeckis (m. 2001), Mary Ellen Trainor (m. 1980–2000)
Children
Alexander Zemeckis, Zane Zemeckis, Rhys Zemeckis
Parents
Rose Zemeckis, Alphonse Zemeckis
Accomplishments
Awards
Academy Award for Best Director, Saturn Award, Golden Globe Award for Best Director - Motion Picture, Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Feature Film, Saturn Award for Best Director, National Board of Review Award for Best Film, ...
Nominations
Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, BAFTA Award for Best Film, César Award for Best Foreign Film, BAFTA Award for Best Direction, BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay, Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay, Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game/Audience Participa...
Movies
Beowulf, Back to the Future, The Walk, Forrest Gump, Allied, Back to the Future Part II, The Polar Express, Cast Away, Flight, Back to the Future Part III, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, A Christmas Carol, Contact, Death Becomes Her, Romancing the Stone, What Lies Beneath, Used Cars, Mars Needs Moms, I Wa...
[officer names] Frequently has police officers named Foley and/or Reese in his movies. See _Back To The Future II (1989)_ and The Walk (2015) as examples.
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Uses 90-degree angle shots, looking straight up at subjects from below the floor level.
[Celebrities] Frequently includes actual celebrities as characters, generally through the use of archival footage or look-alikes (Forrest Gump (1994)).
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[Citation] Likes to cite/imitate famous movies/commercial spots
I guess you can say, I have been remaking my student films forever.
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From where I sit, I see the digital cinema creating sloppiness on the part of filmmakers because they know if they really get in trouble they can fix it later. So they don't pay that much attention, and of course it costs a lot of money.
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It's the most unrealistic thing you can do to shoot a close-up, and it's the most unrealistic place you can be as a performer. And yet, actors grouse about having to do visual effect shots. But they love close-ups.
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No matter how many obstacles that are thrown in our path, there are ways to accept them and to live through them. Understand life's mysteries, - as mysteries to be lived.
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I was raised a Catholic on the South Side of Chicago, and I felt I had to undo a lot of serious damage. But as I was getting older, I began coming off my absolutely young, arrogant, agnostic beliefs. I was thinking more about coming to terms with human spirituality.
Facts
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Fact
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Named Bonnie and Clyde (1967) as his favorite film in an AFI poll.
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He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6925 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on November 5, 2004.
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Though many of his movies are rife with CGI effects, his personal favorite 'special effect' is the good old-fashioned closeup due to its uniqueness to filmmaking.
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He and his writing partner Bob Gale considered Wendie Jo Sperber a good luck charm and often cast her in their movies.
Has directed three actors in Oscar-nominated performances: Tom Hanks (twice), Gary Sinise and Denzel Washington. Hanks won for his first nominated performance in a Zemeckis feature, Forrest Gump (1994).
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Resides in Santa Barbara, California with his second wife, Leslie Zemeckis, and their two children (2010).
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Has an affinity for Italy. His mother was of Italian descent, he and his second wife Leslie Zemeckis were married in Italy, and they have a vacation home (a villa) in Tuscany, Italy.
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He is rated an Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) private pilot.
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Has in his archives a letter of rejection from every studio rejecting Back to the Future (1985), because they thought it was too soft for the type of teen movie at the time, except for Disney who thought it was too racy.
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Ranked #18 on EW's The 50 Smartest People in Hollywood (2007).
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Spent one year developing Cocoon (1985), but was fired by 20th Century Fox when he screened the final cut of Romancing the Stone (1984) for studio executives, who thought it was a disaster and destined to become Zemeckis' third straight box office failure.
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Interviewed in "Directors Close Up: Interviews with Directors Nominated for Best Film by the Directors Guild of America," ed. by Jeremy Kagan, Scarecrow Press (2006).
Announced through his company ImageMovers that he will direct a film adaptation of the popular horror/fantasy comic book "Route 666". The comic, published by CrossGen Comics, centers on a young woman who is besieged by demons and other strange creatures during the Cold War. [August 2002]
