Brian Grazer is a modern-day Hollywood legend. A film producer and occasional screenwriter, whose projects have racked up more than three dozen Academy Awards, he is one of a just a handful of his producer-peers to be honored with his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Background
Grazer was born July 12, 1951 (one source says 1953) in Los Angeles, California, United States, to Arlene Becker Grazer and criminal defense attorney Thomas Grazer. He was raised in Sherman Oaks and Northridge, in Los Angeles's San Fernando Valley. Grazer's father was Catholic and his mother is Jewish, and he described himself in 2000 as "half-Jewish".
Education
Grazer won a scholarship to the University of Southern California (USC) as a psychology major. He graduated from USC's School of Cinema-Television in 1974. He then attended USC Law School for one year, but quit in 1975 to pursue a life in Hollywood.
Grazer began his career as a producer developing television projects. While executive-producing TV pilots at Paramount Pictures and an intern in Warner Brothers’ legal department in the early 1980s, he met current long-time friend and business partner Ron Howard.
He produced his first feature-film, Night Shift, in 1982, directed by Howard. Grazer and Howard teamed up again for Splash in 1984, which Grazer produced and co-wrote. Splash earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay of 1984. In 1986, Grazer and Howard co-founded Imagine Entertainment. Grazer's early film successes include Parenthood (1989) and Backdraft (1991).
In 2002, Grazer's 8 Mile was released. Grazer also produced the film adaptation of Peter Morgan's play Frost/Nixon (2008). Grazer produced Get on Up, a biopic of the legendary "Godfather of Soul" James Brown, and In the Heart of the Sea, directed by Ron Howard and starring Chris Hemsworth, about the American whaleship the Essex.
In 2015, Grazer published his book A Curious Mind: The Secret to a Bigger Life, in which he discusses conversations with interesting people, many of whom inspired his work.
"What set Grazer apart from everybody else was his crazy tenacity. People insulted him, ignored him, and rejected him, but he persisted. He could take a level of humiliation that other people couldn't."
Interests
surfing
Connections
Grazer has been married four times and divorced three times: to Theresa McKay (1972–79), Corki Corman (1982–92; they had two children; son Riley (born 1986) and daughter Sage (1988)), and novelist and screenwriter Gigi Levangie (1997–2007; they had two sons; Thomas (1999) and Patrick (2004)). In April 2014, Grazer became engaged to Veronica Smiley, chief marketing officer of SBE, a hotel management company. They married on February 20, 2016.
Producers Guild of America’s Daryl F. Zanuck Motion Picture Producer of the Year Award,
United States
Grazer won for Apollo 13 (1995) the Producers Guild of America’s Daryl F. Zanuck Motion Picture Producer of the Year Award, as well as an Oscar nomination for Best Picture of 1995.
Grazer won for Apollo 13 (1995) the Producers Guild of America’s Daryl F. Zanuck Motion Picture Producer of the Year Award, as well as an Oscar nomination for Best Picture of 1995.
Academy Award for Best Picture
In 2001, Grazer won an Academy Award for Best Picture for A Beautiful Mind.
In 2001, Grazer won an Academy Award for Best Picture for A Beautiful Mind.
Simon Wiesenthal Center Humanitarian Award
In 2010 Grazer won Simon Wiesenthal Center Humanitarian Award, together with Ron Howard.
In 2010 Grazer won Simon Wiesenthal Center Humanitarian Award, together with Ron Howard.
Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Animated Program
In 2008 Grazer won Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Animated Program for Curious George.
In 2008 Grazer won Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Animated Program for Curious George.
ShoWest Lifetime Achievement Award
In 2003 Grazer won ShoWest Lifetime Achievement Award.
In 2003 Grazer won ShoWest Lifetime Achievement Award.