This story originally appeared on Giggster and was produced and distributed in partnership with 麻豆原创 Studio.
14 of the most influential producers in film history
Film producers are some of the most creative, business-minded contributors to the film industry, working their magic behind the scenes to make sure we鈥檙e entertained.
Many of us have heard of Hollywood鈥檚 heavyweight directors鈥攖he Steven Spielbergs and Martin Scorseses of the world鈥攁nd of course, the actors in front of the camera take the lion鈥檚 share of the limelight. But there are innumerable film producers out there who rarely get their props鈥攖hough they are responsible for hiring the prop masters on set.
So what exactly do film producers do? Film producers are responsible for overseeing all phases of production, hiring the creative team (often including the director and other key leadership roles), and are usually the go-to person 2hen the cast and crew need assistance.
dug through film history and compiled a list of 14 of the most influential producers whose careers were mostly spent playing a hands-on role in film development (as opposed to financier types serving as executive producers) from pre- to postproduction. From Jordan Peele, whose directorial debut 鈥淕et Out鈥 (which he also produced) wove in themes of modern and historical racism, to Fran Walsh, who helped bring Middle-earth to the screen, the focus is on producers who were heavily involved in the creation of films, as well as those who became trailblazers for their cinematic ideologies and craftsmanship.
Jerry Bruckheimer
Jerry Bruckheimer is one of the most successful film producers of all time with a resume that boasts works such as the 鈥淧irates of the Caribbean鈥 and 鈥淏ad Boys鈥 series.
Bruckheimer for the advertising firm BBDO New York. He then left the advertising industry to pursue film production. His first critical and box office success came with 1980鈥檚 鈥淎merican Gigolo,鈥 starring Richard Gere. Shortly thereafter, Bruckheimer partnered with Don Simpson, and together they were the driving force behind some of the most definitive films of the 1980s and early 1990s, including 鈥淔lashdance,鈥 鈥淭op Gun,鈥 and the first two 鈥淏everly Hills Cop鈥 movies.
Following Simpson鈥檚 death in 1996, Bruckheimer continued on his own, producing such smash hits as 鈥淓nemy of the State鈥 and 鈥淏lack Hawk Down,鈥 and he forged a deep relationship with director Michael Bay, producing 鈥淭he Rock,鈥 鈥淎rmageddon,鈥 and 鈥淧earl Harbor.鈥 He recently produced the long-awaited Tom Cruise sequel, 鈥淭op Gun: Maverick.鈥
Roger Corman
With over 300 film production credits to his name, Roger Corman has created a wide range of films from period and sci-fi films to independent films. Corman鈥檚 early days in the cinema world involved working as a messenger at 20th Century Fox, from which he worked his way up to a story reader and screenwriter.
Corman is perhaps most well-known as the absolute Hollywood originator of what we now call the 鈥淏-movie.鈥 From 1954鈥檚 鈥淢onster from the Ocean Floor鈥 to 1978鈥檚 鈥淧iranha鈥 to the 鈥淪harktopus鈥 series of exploitation screamers, Corman has been behind some of the most esoteric and beloved cult classics of the 20th and 21st centuries.
He was also responsible for giving Martin Scorsese his big break with the 1972 drama 鈥淏oxcar Bertha鈥 starring future Oscar nominee Barbara Hershey.
Juan de Dios Larra铆n
Juan de Dios Larra铆n is one of the most influential Latin American producers. Along with his director brother, Pablo Larra铆n, the duo , in Los Angeles in 2017. Larra铆n was the production force behind 2021鈥檚 鈥淪pencer,鈥 a surreal of the late Princess Diana starring Kristen Stewart in an Oscar-nominated performance.
Larra铆n鈥檚 films are darlings of the festival circuit, among them Sebasti谩n Lelio鈥檚 鈥淕loria Bell鈥 starring Julianne Moore and John Turturro, as well as his brother Pablo鈥檚 鈥淓ma鈥 starring Gael Garc铆a Bernal. He also produced Lelio鈥檚 鈥淎 Fantastic Woman,鈥 the first Chilean film to score an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
Dino De Laurentiis
Dino De Laurentiis helped to shape how films were sold internationally. He was one of the first producers to hone in on foreign audiences and recognize the value of their contribution to box office receipts. De Laurentiis produced over 180 films during his career, including 鈥淟a Strada鈥 and 鈥淣ights of Cabiria鈥 for famed director Federico Fellini, both of which took the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.
In the latter part of his career, De Laurentiis produced such hits as 鈥淗annibal鈥 and 鈥淩ed Dragon鈥 (both based on Thomas Harris鈥 bestselling Hannibal Lecter novels), submarine drama 鈥淯-571,鈥 and the concluding chapter to Sam Raimi鈥檚 鈥淓vil Dead鈥 series, 鈥淎rmy of Darkness.鈥
Ava DuVernay
In 2018, Ava DuVernay became the with 鈥淎 Wrinkle in Time.鈥 The film was DuVernay鈥檚 adaptation of Madeleine L鈥橢ngle鈥檚 fantasy book. Even before this, she had already begun to leverage her directorial success into producing several passion projects, among them 鈥13th,鈥 a hard-hitting look at the prison industrial complex; 鈥淪elma,鈥 her dramatization of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.鈥檚 quest for equal voting rights; and 鈥淢iddle of Nowhere,鈥 a personal drama about one woman鈥檚 sacrifice for her incarcerated husband.
She most recently produced the Emmy-winning Netflix series 鈥淲hen They See Us,鈥 which focuses on the real-life case of five teens falsely accused in the Central Park Jogger case.
Megan Ellison
Megan Ellison founded Annapurna Pictures in 2011, named after one of the destinations she visited after leaving the University of Southern California, the Annapurna mountain range located in north-central Nepal. when she contacted writer and director Katherine Brooks about investing in her next film project.
Ellison has been the guiding force behind some of the most successful and critically acclaimed films of the last decade, and her resume includes collaborations with such notable directors as Paul Thomas Anderson (鈥淭he Master,鈥 鈥淧hantom Thread鈥), Kathryn Bigelow (鈥淶ero Dark Thirty鈥), Spike Jonze (鈥淗er鈥), David O. Russell (鈥淎merican Hustle,鈥 鈥淛oy鈥), and Richard Linklater (鈥淓verybody Wants Some!!鈥).
Max Fleischer
Born in Poland under the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Max Fleischer immigrated to the U.S. with his family at a young age. Although Fleischer didn鈥檛 finish high school, he attended various trade schools and art programs. Raised in New York City, Fleischer worked as a cartoonist and photographer for The Brooklyn Daily Eagle before his animation career took off.
Max Fleischer is considered to be a pioneering and innovative figure in film animation. Not only did he create iconic cartoon characters Betty Boop and Popeye, Fleischer created the , a device that allowed the hundreds of drawings necessary to make even just a single second of film to be actually 鈥渇ilmed鈥 rather than photographed individually and then composited together. In his lifetime, Fleischer produced over 500 animated shorts.
Gale Anne Hurd
Gale Anne Hurd as an executive assistant to film director and producer Roger Corman. Over her 40-year career, Hurd has produced numerous films which have generated Academy Awards attention. Hurd鈥檚 film resume includes James Cameron鈥檚 鈥淭he Abyss,鈥 鈥淭he Terminator,鈥 and 鈥淭erminator 2: Judgment Day鈥; Michael Bay鈥檚 鈥淎rmageddon鈥; and one of the first films in what is now the Marvel Cinematic Universe, 2008鈥檚 鈥淭he Incredible Hulk.鈥
In 2012, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In recent years, Hurd has segued easily into television, producing 鈥淭he Walking Dead鈥 and 鈥淔ear the Walking Dead.鈥
Thomas H. Ince
Thomas H. Ince was a producer during the American silent-film era. In 1913 alone, Ince , most of which were Westerns. In fact, Ince was known as the 鈥淔ather of the Western.鈥
Ince was born in Rhode Island to a family who was involved in show business. His passion for filmmaking led him to relocate to Pacific Palisades, where he , which he called 鈥淚nceville.鈥 In addition to his role as producer, Ince was also a prodigious writer, having written the scripts for more than 60 films and shorts.
Kathleen Kennedy
Kathleen Kennedy鈥檚 production debut was Steven Spielberg鈥檚 classic 鈥淓.T. the Extra-Terrestrial鈥 in 1982, and the two鈥攁long with producer (and Kennedy鈥檚 husband) Frank Marshall鈥攚ent on to make many defining movies of the 1980s and 1990s, among them the 鈥淏ack to the Future鈥 trilogy, 鈥淭he Goonies,鈥 the 鈥淛urassic Park鈥 trilogy, and 鈥淲ho Framed Roger Rabbit.鈥
Since being named president of Lucasfilm in 2012, following Disney鈥檚 $4 billion purchase of the company, Kennedy has been a hands-on producer of every 鈥淪tar Wars鈥 universe film and TV series released, as well as the upcoming fifth installment in the 鈥淚ndiana Jones鈥 film series. Kennedy has been involved with the creation of more than 60 films, which collectively have grossed over $12 billion worldwide.
S么jir么 Motoki
Japanese film producer and director S么jir么 Motoki is perhaps most known for his work on 1954鈥檚 鈥淪even Samurai,鈥 directed by Akira Kurosawa, with whom he often worked. At the time, 鈥淪even Samurai鈥 was the , costing 125 million yen ($350,000). It has since served as the archetype for many American Westerns, most notably 鈥淭he Magnificent Seven.鈥 Motoki also produced Kurosawa鈥檚 鈥淭hrone of Blood鈥 and 鈥淚kiru.鈥
Little is known of Motoki鈥檚 early history, but he was a driving force in Japanese cinema for more than 30 years.
Jordan Peele
Before getting into producing and directing films, Jordan Peele was most known for the Comedy Central sketch series 鈥淜ey & Peele,鈥 which he co-created with partner Keegan-Michael Key. The show went on to win two Emmys and a Peabody Award. Peele soon leveraged his small screen success into a breakout feature film. 2017鈥檚 鈥淕et Out鈥 earned Peele the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, making him the in this category.
In 2018, Peele produced Spike Lee鈥檚 Oscar-winning 鈥淏lacKkKlansman,鈥 and in 2019, he released his second directorial effort, 鈥淯s,鈥 about a family that goes on vacation and their experience with mysterious doppelg盲ngers. Peele has since successfully produced TV hits 鈥淟ovecraft Country鈥 and 鈥淭he Last O.G.,鈥 and is set to have his third self-produced and directed film, 鈥淣ope,鈥 released in summer 2022.
David O. Selznick
David O. Selznick is best known for his work on the classic film 鈥淕one With the Wind,鈥 which became a major Hollywood success and made him one of the most famed producers at just 37 years old.
, Selznick was already familiar with the world of cinema as his father, Lewis Selznick, was already a successful film producer. As a young man, David worked for his father, with a vision to continue the family filmmaking legacy. David moved to Hollywood where he worked for MGM as a story editor and then as an associate producer, working his way up the ranks.
Following the rampant success of 鈥淕one with the Wind,鈥 Selznick produced a string of films now considered classics, including Carol Reed鈥檚 鈥淭he Third Man鈥 and Alfred Hitchcock鈥檚 鈥淩ebecca鈥 and 鈥淪pellbound.鈥
Fran Walsh
New Zealand native Fran Walsh got her start in the film industry in the early 1980s writing material for producer Graham McLean. McLean was impressed with Walsh鈥檚 punch-up work on a colleague鈥檚 film and asked her to write scripts for his TV show, 鈥淲orzel Gummidge Down Under.鈥
Walsh met director Peter Jackson while he was in the final stages of his low-budget film, 鈥淏ad Taste,鈥 and has been collaborating with Jackson ever since. (The couple married in 1987.) The duo earned an Oscar nod for scripting 1994鈥檚 鈥淗eavenly Creatures,鈥 and took home multiple Oscars for their work on 鈥淭he Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,鈥 including Best Picture. Walsh also produced the 鈥淗obbit鈥 trilogy in the 2010s and wrote and produced Jackson鈥檚 2005 remake of 鈥淜ing Kong.鈥