Jerry Bruckheimer
- Producer
- Music Department
- Writer
Jerry Bruckheimer is a film and television producer born on September 21, 1943 in Detroit. He graduated from high school in 1961 before it was moving to Arizona. He started his career in 1968 to produce television commercials and advertising for the firm BBD&O in New York.
He left the commercial industry, and branched out into film production and served as associate producer forDick Richardson the filmsThe Culpepper Cattle Co. (1972)andRafferty and the Gold Dust Twins (1975).He started out his production company Jerry Bruckheimer & Associates and then served as producer on the following two filmsFarewell, My Lovely (1975)andMarch or Die (1977)before the duo broke up.
He then became an independent producer, serving his job on his filmsAmerican Gigolo (1980),Defiance (1980),Thief (1981),Cat People (1982)andYoung Doctors in Love (1982)throughout the early 1980s, for one of their major studios.
In 1979,Don Simpsonmet Bruckheimer while working on "American Gigolo" for Paramount. In 1982, Simpson left Paramount Pictures to start out its own independent company with a deal at Paramount, and weeks later, Simpson's production services were merged with Bruckheimer's. During his lifetime, he produced films in the 80s and 90s for Paramount likeFlashdance (1983),Thief of Hearts (1984),Beverly Hills Cop (1984)and its sequelBeverly Hills Cop II (1987),Top Gun (1986)andDays of Thunder (1990),most of them met with success.
After the minor failure of "Days of Thunder", Simpson and Bruckheimer severed its ties with Paramount, and signed a deal with The Walt Disney Studios. In the mid 90s, both Simpson and Bruckheimer producedThe Ref (1994),Bad Boys (1995),Crimson Tide (1995),Dangerous Minds (1995)andThe Rock (1996).In 1995, Simpson and Bruckheimer terminated its relationship, and the next year Simpson died.
Bruckheimer expanded its activity on television with a deal at Touchstone Television. He produced two showsDangerous Minds (1996)for ABC andSoldier of Fortune, Inc. (1997)for Rysher Entertainment and TV affiliates and two telepicsMax Q (1998)andSwing Vote (1999),both for ABC.
The next few Bruckheimer productions after Simpson died in the late 90s and the early 2000s wereCon Air (1997),Armageddon (1998),Enemy of the State (1998),Gone in Sixty Seconds (2000)andCoyote Ugly (2000).In 1998, he established Technical Black Films to produce the filmRemember the Titans (2000).In 1999, his Bruckheimer production company signed a deal withRidley ScottandTony Scott's Scott Free Productions to produce films over a two year period.
In 2000, Bruckheimer hit big withCSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000).The success of the show led to spinoffsCSI: Miami (2002),CSI: NY (2004)andCSI: Cyber (2015).He followed the franchise up with the reality showThe Amazing Race (2001),of which it is also an success made Bruckheimer a major producer for the CBS network. In 2001, he signed a deal with Warner Bros. Television to produce TV shows. He followed up his TV career withWithout a Trace (2002)andCold Case (2003).
In 2001, he produced two war filmsPearl Harbor (2001)andBlack Hawk Down (2001).The former received negative critical reaction, and the latter gained them critical acclaim. He followed up in 2002 withBad Company (2002).Throughout the 2000s, Bruckheimer was an active entertainment producer, working on the filmsKangaroo Jack (2003),Veronica Guerin (2003),King Arthur (2004),Glory Road (2006),Deja Vu (2006),Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009)andG-Force (2009)for Disney Studios, and the TV showsProfiles from the Front Line (2003),Skin (2003),E-Ring (2005),Just Legal (2005),Close to Home (2005),Justice (2006),Eleventh Hour (2008),Dark Blue (2009)andThe Forgotten (2009).
He is the creative force for franchise films. In 2003, he made a sequel to his "Bad Boys",Bad Boys II (2003)andBad Boys for Life (2020),and he launched the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise, starting withPirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003),and spawning sequels likePirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006),Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007),Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)andPirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)and the "National Treasure" franchise, comprising of two filmsNational Treasure (2004)andNational Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007).
In 2007, he had to partner with MTV to create a game studio, and joined the ZeniMax board of directors. In 2009, he launched Jerry Bruckheimer Games, and by 2011 rumored to be worked on three titles, before it was shut down in 2013.
By the 2010s, he was in declining force, and his filmsPrince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010),The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010),The Lone Ranger (2013),12 Strong (2018)andGemini Man (2019)are turned out to be box office disappointments, and his TV showsMiami Medical (2010),Chase (2010),The Whole Truth (2010),Hostages (2013),Training Day (2017)andCouncil of Dads (2020)turned out to be failures after one season.
In 2013, he signed a deal with Paramount Pictures to produce follow-up films to "Top Gun" and "Beverly Hills Cop" and their deal with Disney ended. Three years later, he terminated its deal with Warner Bros. Television and a year later signed with CBS Television Studios. His minor box office success rolled in withDeliver Us from Evil (2014).His only big TV hits came in from the decade wereLucifer (2016)andL.A.'s Finest (2019).
Bruckheimer was named as one of the investors of a proposed sports arena in Las Vegas, and had been rumored to be the leading choice by the National Hockey League (NHL) to own an expansion hockey team that would play in the arena. Bruckheimer was also named as one of the investors of a proposed Seattle-based NHL expansion team whose application was submitted in early 2018. The NHL Board of Governors voted to approve the team, named the Seattle Kraken, on December 4, 2018, which will start play in the 2021-22 season. Jerry Bruckheimer was part of an investment group that also included Tim Leiweke (Oak View Group) and David Bonderman (minority owner NBA's Boston Celtics).
He is currently on post-production on the sequel to his 1986 film "Top Gun",Top Gun: Maverick (2022)for Paramount Pictures.
He left the commercial industry, and branched out into film production and served as associate producer forDick Richardson the filmsThe Culpepper Cattle Co. (1972)andRafferty and the Gold Dust Twins (1975).He started out his production company Jerry Bruckheimer & Associates and then served as producer on the following two filmsFarewell, My Lovely (1975)andMarch or Die (1977)before the duo broke up.
He then became an independent producer, serving his job on his filmsAmerican Gigolo (1980),Defiance (1980),Thief (1981),Cat People (1982)andYoung Doctors in Love (1982)throughout the early 1980s, for one of their major studios.
In 1979,Don Simpsonmet Bruckheimer while working on "American Gigolo" for Paramount. In 1982, Simpson left Paramount Pictures to start out its own independent company with a deal at Paramount, and weeks later, Simpson's production services were merged with Bruckheimer's. During his lifetime, he produced films in the 80s and 90s for Paramount likeFlashdance (1983),Thief of Hearts (1984),Beverly Hills Cop (1984)and its sequelBeverly Hills Cop II (1987),Top Gun (1986)andDays of Thunder (1990),most of them met with success.
After the minor failure of "Days of Thunder", Simpson and Bruckheimer severed its ties with Paramount, and signed a deal with The Walt Disney Studios. In the mid 90s, both Simpson and Bruckheimer producedThe Ref (1994),Bad Boys (1995),Crimson Tide (1995),Dangerous Minds (1995)andThe Rock (1996).In 1995, Simpson and Bruckheimer terminated its relationship, and the next year Simpson died.
Bruckheimer expanded its activity on television with a deal at Touchstone Television. He produced two showsDangerous Minds (1996)for ABC andSoldier of Fortune, Inc. (1997)for Rysher Entertainment and TV affiliates and two telepicsMax Q (1998)andSwing Vote (1999),both for ABC.
The next few Bruckheimer productions after Simpson died in the late 90s and the early 2000s wereCon Air (1997),Armageddon (1998),Enemy of the State (1998),Gone in Sixty Seconds (2000)andCoyote Ugly (2000).In 1998, he established Technical Black Films to produce the filmRemember the Titans (2000).In 1999, his Bruckheimer production company signed a deal withRidley ScottandTony Scott's Scott Free Productions to produce films over a two year period.
In 2000, Bruckheimer hit big withCSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000).The success of the show led to spinoffsCSI: Miami (2002),CSI: NY (2004)andCSI: Cyber (2015).He followed the franchise up with the reality showThe Amazing Race (2001),of which it is also an success made Bruckheimer a major producer for the CBS network. In 2001, he signed a deal with Warner Bros. Television to produce TV shows. He followed up his TV career withWithout a Trace (2002)andCold Case (2003).
In 2001, he produced two war filmsPearl Harbor (2001)andBlack Hawk Down (2001).The former received negative critical reaction, and the latter gained them critical acclaim. He followed up in 2002 withBad Company (2002).Throughout the 2000s, Bruckheimer was an active entertainment producer, working on the filmsKangaroo Jack (2003),Veronica Guerin (2003),King Arthur (2004),Glory Road (2006),Deja Vu (2006),Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009)andG-Force (2009)for Disney Studios, and the TV showsProfiles from the Front Line (2003),Skin (2003),E-Ring (2005),Just Legal (2005),Close to Home (2005),Justice (2006),Eleventh Hour (2008),Dark Blue (2009)andThe Forgotten (2009).
He is the creative force for franchise films. In 2003, he made a sequel to his "Bad Boys",Bad Boys II (2003)andBad Boys for Life (2020),and he launched the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise, starting withPirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003),and spawning sequels likePirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006),Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007),Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)andPirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)and the "National Treasure" franchise, comprising of two filmsNational Treasure (2004)andNational Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007).
In 2007, he had to partner with MTV to create a game studio, and joined the ZeniMax board of directors. In 2009, he launched Jerry Bruckheimer Games, and by 2011 rumored to be worked on three titles, before it was shut down in 2013.
By the 2010s, he was in declining force, and his filmsPrince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010),The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010),The Lone Ranger (2013),12 Strong (2018)andGemini Man (2019)are turned out to be box office disappointments, and his TV showsMiami Medical (2010),Chase (2010),The Whole Truth (2010),Hostages (2013),Training Day (2017)andCouncil of Dads (2020)turned out to be failures after one season.
In 2013, he signed a deal with Paramount Pictures to produce follow-up films to "Top Gun" and "Beverly Hills Cop" and their deal with Disney ended. Three years later, he terminated its deal with Warner Bros. Television and a year later signed with CBS Television Studios. His minor box office success rolled in withDeliver Us from Evil (2014).His only big TV hits came in from the decade wereLucifer (2016)andL.A.'s Finest (2019).
Bruckheimer was named as one of the investors of a proposed sports arena in Las Vegas, and had been rumored to be the leading choice by the National Hockey League (NHL) to own an expansion hockey team that would play in the arena. Bruckheimer was also named as one of the investors of a proposed Seattle-based NHL expansion team whose application was submitted in early 2018. The NHL Board of Governors voted to approve the team, named the Seattle Kraken, on December 4, 2018, which will start play in the 2021-22 season. Jerry Bruckheimer was part of an investment group that also included Tim Leiweke (Oak View Group) and David Bonderman (minority owner NBA's Boston Celtics).
He is currently on post-production on the sequel to his 1986 film "Top Gun",Top Gun: Maverick (2022)for Paramount Pictures.