Robert Weinstein (born October 18, 1954) is an American film producer. He is the founder and head of Dimension Films, former co-chairman of Miramax Films and The Weinstein Company (TWC), all of which he co-founded with his older brother, Harvey. He has focused on making action and horror films.[4]
Bob Weinstein | |
|---|---|
| Born | Robert Weinstein October 18, 1954 New York City, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1979–present |
| Spouse |
Anne Clayton
(m. 2000; div. 2012) |
| Children | 4 |
| Relatives | Harvey Weinstein (brother) |
| Notes | |
Early life
editWeinstein was born in Flushing, Queens, in New York City. He was raised in an Ashkenazi Jewish family.[5][6] His parents were Max Weinstein, a diamond cutter,[7] and Miriam (née Postel).[7][8] He grew up with his older brother, Harvey Weinstein, in a housing co-op named Electchester in New York City.[9] and attended John Bowne High School like his older brother.[10]
Career
editBob, his brother Harvey Weinstein, and Corky Burger independently produced rock concerts as Harvey & Corky Productions in Buffalo through most of the 1970s.[9][11] Both Weinstein brothers had grown up with a passion for movies, and they nurtured a desire to enter the film industry.
In the late 1970s, using profits from their concert promotion business, the brothers created a small independent film distribution company called Miramax Films, named after their parents Miriam and Max. The company's first releases were primarily music-oriented concert films, such as Paul McCartney's Rockshow. In the early 1980s, Miramax Films acquired the rights to two British films of benefit shows filmed for the human rights organization Amnesty International. Working closely with Martin Lewis, the producer of the original films, the Weinstein brothers edited the two films into one movie tailored for the American market. The resulting film, released as The Secret Policeman's Other Ball in May 1982, became Miramax's first hit. The movie raised considerable sums for Amnesty International and was credited by Amnesty with having helped to raise its profile in the United States.
The Weinsteins slowly built upon this success throughout the 1980s with arthouse films that achieved critical attention and modest commercial success. Harvey Weinstein and Miramax Films gained wider attention in 1988 with the release of Errol Morris' documentary The Thin Blue Line, which detailed the struggle of Randall Adams, a wrongfully convicted inmate sentenced to death row. The publicity that soon surrounded the case resulted in Adams' release and nationwide publicity for Miramax Films. The following year, their successful launch release of Steven Soderbergh's Sex, Lies, and Videotape propelled Miramax Films to become the most successful independent studio in America.[citation needed]
Miramax Films continued to grow its library of films and directors until, in 1993, Disney offered Harvey and Bob $80 million for ownership of Miramax Films. Agreeing to the deal that would cement their Hollywood clout and ensure that they would remain at the head of their company, Miramax Films followed the next year with their first blockbuster, Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction.
1996 brought Miramax Films' first Academy Award for Best Picture with the victory of The English Patient. This would start a string of critical successes that would include Good Will Hunting and Shakespeare in Love.
On March 29, 2005, it was announced that the Weinstein brothers would leave Miramax Films on September 30 and would form their own production company, The Weinstein Company (TWC).[12] Five years later, in 2010, Disney sold Miramax Films to the Qatari group Filmyard Holdings, who in turn sold it to another Qatari entity, the beIN Media Group, in 2016.[citation needed]
On December 4, 2017, Bob Weinstein filed a trademark application for Watch This Entertainment.[13] Almost two years later, Weinstein announced his new production company to the world, with a focus on "family films, comedies and upscale adult thrillers", and a first project of an animated feature titled Endangered, with Téa Leoni serving as co-producer and voicing a lead character.[14]
Personal life
editWeinstein has been married and divorced twice. He married Anne Clayton, a former book editor, in 2000. They lived in a large apartment in The Beresford at 7 West 81st Street on the Upper West Side. Clayton filed for divorce in April 2012, and sought a protective order because she feared "bodily harm".[4] Weinstein issued a statement from Washington-based interventionist Don Sloane, denying that Weinstein was a danger to his wife, and alleging that she was reacting to a family intervention conducted to address her alcoholism.[4] Her lawyers denied that she suffered from any addiction and said that Sloane was her husband's "paid agent" and that the two had never met.[4]
Sexual misconduct allegations
editIn October 2017, Weinstein was accused of sexual harassment by Amanda Segel, who had worked as a showrunner on the Weinstein Company-produced Spike TV miniseries The Mist. Segel alleged that Weinstein had made several unwanted sexual overtures to her beginning June 2016 and continuing for three months.[15][16] Weinstein's attorney Bert Fields issued a statement denying the allegations.[17]
Segel's allegation came in the context of the much more high profile sexual abuse cases against Weinstein's brother, Harvey. In October 2017, Bob spoke about the allegations of sex crimes against his brother, saying he was "sick and disgusted" by Harvey's actions. Bob denied any foreknowledge of his brother's crimes before the allegations became public, but acknowledged that Harvey had a history of extramarital affairs and verbal abuse towards family members, and claimed that he himself was subjected to Harvey's verbal and physical abuse. Bob further said he had rarely spoken to his brother in the previous five years because he "could not take his cheating, his lying and also his attitude toward everyone".[18]
Selected filmography
editExecutive producer
editProducer
edit- Playing for Keeps (1986)
- Restoration (1995), co-producer
- Mimic (1997)
- Reindeer Games (2000)
- Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003), co-producer (uncredited)
- Bad Santa (2003)
Director
edit- Playing for Keeps (1986)
Writer
edit- The Burning (1981)
- Playing for Keeps (1986)
Broadway credits
editNote: In all productions Weinstein has functioned as a co-producer with other producers.
- The Real Thing (2000 revival) – play – produced by Miramax Films – Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play, Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Play
- The Producers (2001) – musical – Tony Award for Best Musical, Drama Desk Award for Outstanding New Musical
- Sweet Smell of Success (2002) – musical – Tony Nomination for Best Musical, Drama Desk Nomination for Outstanding New Musical
- La bohème (2003 revival) – opera – Tony Nomination for Best Revival of a Musical, Drama Desk Nomination for Outstanding Revival of a Musical
- All Shook Up (2005) – musical – produced by Bob Weinstein & Miramax Films
- The Color Purple (2005) – musical
Accolades
edit| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Britannia Awards | Excellence in Film | Won | [19] | |
| 1997 | Gotham Awards | Career Tribute Awards | Won | [20][21][22] | |
| 1998 | GLAAD Media Award | Excellence in Media Award | Won | [23] | |
| 2001 | British Independent Film Awards | Special Jury Prize | Won | [24] | |
| 2002 | British Film Institute | British Film Institute Fellowship | Won | [25] | |
| Hugo Award | Best Dramatic Presentation | The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring | Won | [26] | |
| 2002 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Non-Fiction Program (Reality) | Project Greenlight | Nominated | [27] |
| 2003 | Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films | Special Jury Prize | Won | ||
| DVD Exclusive Awards | Producer Award | Won | |||
| 2004 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality Program | Project Greenlight | Nominated | [28] |
| 2005 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality Program | Nominated | [29] | |
| Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program | Project Runway | Nominated | |||
| 2006 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program | Nominated | [30] | |
| 2006 | News and Documentary Emmy Awards | Outstanding Historical Programming - Long Form | Paper Clips (film) | Nominated | |
| 2007 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program | Project Runway | Nominated | [31] |
| 2008 | Christopher Award | Feature Films | The Great Debaters | Won | [32] |
| 2009 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program | Project Runway | Nominated | [33] |
| 2010 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program | Nominated | [34] | |
| 2011 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program | Nominated | [35] | |
| 2012 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program | Nominated | [36] | |
| 2013 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program | Nominated | [37] | |
| African-American Film Critics Association | Cinema Vanguard Award | Won | [38] | ||
| PGA Awards | Milestone Award | Won | [39] | ||
| Bronze Wrangler | Theatrical Motion Picture | Django Unchained | Won | [40] | |
| 2014 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program | Project Runway | Nominated | [41] |
| 2015 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program | Nominated | [42] | |
| Capri Hollywood International Film Festival | Capri Producer Award | The Hateful Eight | Won | ||
| Christopher Award | Feature Films | St. Vincent | Won | [32] | |
| 2016 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program | Project Runway | Nominated | [43] |
| 2017 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program | Nominated | [44] |
References
edit- ^ "Bob Weinstein profile". cityfile.com. Archived from the original on April 29, 2011.
- ^ "Bob Weinstein Biography". fandango.com. Archived from the original on May 7, 2016.
- ^ Weniger, Kay (2001). Das große Personenlexikon des Films. Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf. ISBN 3-89602-340-3.
- ^ a b c d Ross, Barbara (April 6, 2012). "Film producer Robert Weinstein's wife files for divorce, seeks order of protection". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on August 8, 2020. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
- ^ Lurie, Rod. "Harvey Weinstein Gets My Criticism of "The Reader" Wrong" Archived February 19, 2012, at the Wayback Machine The Wrap. February 21, 2009
- ^ Renee, Ghert-Zand (March 6, 2012). "Weinstein Awarded French Legion of Honor" Archived December 4, 2014, at the Wayback Machine. The Jewish Daily Forward.
- ^ a b Gates, Anita (November 3, 2016). "Miriam Weinstein, Mother and Backbone of Original Miramax, Dies at 90". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on November 7, 2016. Retrieved November 4, 2016.
- ^ Weinstein, Bob (February 7, 2011). "All Thanks to Max". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on December 5, 2014. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
- ^ a b Biskind, Peter (2004). Down and Dirty Pictures: Miramax, Sundance and the Rise of Independent Film. Simon & Schuster. pp. 463–464. ISBN 0-684-86259-X.
- ^ Johnson, Scott (February 28, 2018). "Young Harvey Weinstein Signed a High School Yearbook From "New York State Prison"". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 20, 2021. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
- ^ Mason, Ian Garrick (October 11, 2004). "When Harvey met Mickey". New Statesman. Archived from the original on February 16, 2012. Retrieved January 11, 2007.
- ^ Indiewire; Indiewire (March 30, 2005). "Weinstein's Leaving Miramax, Will Form New Company; Brothers Taking Dimension Label, Leaving All Fil". Archived from the original on October 13, 2017. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
- ^ "WATCH THIS ENTERTAINMENT - Trademark Details". JUSTIA Trademarks. Justia. Archived from the original on August 5, 2020. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
- ^ Sperling, Nicole (October 12, 2019). "Bob Weinstein, Brother of Disgraced Mogul, Starts New Production Company". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 20, 2020. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
- ^ Littleton, Cynthia (October 17, 2017). "Bob Weinstein Accused of Sexual Harassment by TV Showrunner". Variety. Archived from the original on May 19, 2022. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
- ^ Hipes, Patrick (October 17, 2017). "Bob Weinstein Denies Sexual Harassment Claims From 'The Mist' Showrunner". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 19, 2022. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
- ^ Sandberg, Bryn (October 17, 2017). "Bob Weinstein Accused of Sexual Harassment by TV Producer". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 19, 2022. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
- ^ Belloni, Matthew; Kilday, Gregg (October 14, 2017). "Bob Weinstein Gets Emotional on "Depraved" Harvey, Saving the Company and His "Waking Nightmare" (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 20, 2021. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
- ^ "Britannia Award Honorees". British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). May 22, 2014. Archived from the original on December 23, 2017. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
- ^ Roman, Monica (April 3, 1997). "Weinsteins to receive IFP honor". Variety. Archived from the original on October 5, 2018. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
- ^ "1997 Winners and nominees". Gotham Independent Film Awards. Archived from the original on March 25, 2016. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
- ^ "Gotham Awards Recipients (1991-Present) (as of June 17, 2011)" (PDF). Gotham Independent Film Awards. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
- ^ "GLAAD sets special nods". February 11, 1998. Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
- ^ "Winners Nominations · BIFA · British Independent Film Awards". October 24, 2001. Archived from the original on January 29, 2023. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
- ^ Hall, Sarah (October 21, 2002). "Showbiz glitz at cinema's 50th anniversary". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on September 9, 2014. Retrieved May 16, 2011.
- ^ "2002 Hugo Awards". July 26, 2007. Archived from the original on February 8, 2023. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
- ^ "Outstanding Reality Program Nominees / Winners 2002". Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
- ^ "Outstanding Reality Program Nominees / Winners 2004". Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
- ^ "Outstanding Reality Program Nominees / Winners 2005". Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
- ^ "Outstanding Reality Program Nominees / Winners 2007". Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
- ^ "Outstanding Reality Program Nominees / Winners 2007". Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
- ^ a b "Bob Weinstein awards". Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
- ^ "Outstanding Reality Program Nominees / Winners 2009". Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
- ^ "Outstanding Reality Program Nominees / Winners 2010". Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
- ^ "Outstanding Reality Program Nominees / Winners 2011". Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
- ^ "Outstanding Reality Program Nominees / Winners 2012". Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
- ^ "Outstanding Reality Program Nominees / Winners 2013". Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
- ^ Lodge, Guy (December 13, 2013). "2013 AFRICAN-AMERICAN FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION WINNERS". hitfix.com. HitFix. Archived from the original on February 20, 2014. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
- ^ "Harvey and Bob Weinstein to Receive PGA's Milestone Award". July 23, 2012. Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
- ^ "National Cowboy Museum Announces 52nd Anniversary Western Heritage Award Winners". Archived from the original on July 14, 2023. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
- ^ "Outstanding Reality Program Nominees / Winners 2014". Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
- ^ "Outstanding Reality Program Nominees / Winners 2015". Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
- ^ "Outstanding Reality Program Nominees / Winners 2016". Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
- ^ "Outstanding Reality Program Nominees / Winners 2017". Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2022.