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Jerry Bruckheimer is an American film and television producer, who has achieved great success through television series like “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” and film series like “Pirates of the Caribbean.” Here are 47 facts about the producer.
- Born as Jerome Leon Bruckheimer on 21 September 1943 in Detroit, Michigan. His parents were German Jewish immigrants.
- He completed his graduation from Mumford High School in 1960 and moved to Arizona for college.
- He majored in Psychology from the University of Arizona with Algebra minor.
- During his early days, he was an avid stamp collector and was also an active member of Stamp Collecting Club.
- He started his career with television commercials in Detroit and New York.
- Since 1997, he switched over to television dramas and created many police dramas among which “Crime Scene Investigation” (CSI) has been very successful.
- In 2008, CBS announced the broadcasting of new series titled “Eleventh How” produced by Bruckheimer. It follows the scientific and medical investigations by a government agent and a professor.
- He is also the producer of successfully running reality show “The Amazing Race.”
- He holds a unique record in Television; three of his TV series were ranked among the top 10 at one point.
- In between all his success, his most notable flop was “Skin” in 2003, which was cancelled only after 3 episodes.
- Another series titled “Chase” by Bruckheimer was in the pipeline but was cancelled in 2011. It was about a team, which made sure no criminals evade justice.
- He started producing films from 1970 with director Dick Richards. They worked together on “The Culpepper Cattle Company,” “Farewell,” “My Lovely” and “March or Die.”
- He was noticed in the film industry when he started working with director Paul Schrader on 2 films “American Gigolo” and “Cat People.”
- His first big hit was 1983’s “Flash Dance” which he co-produced with Don-Simpson for Paramount Pictures. The film garnered $95 million for a R rated movie.
- His first met Simpson at Warner Brothers at the screening of “The Harder They Come” in 1973.
- During his time with Simpson, Bruckheimer was known as “Mr. Outside” for his experience with film making while Simpson was known as “Mr. Inside” for his industry contacts.
- “The Rock” became his last collaboration with Simpson due to the latter’s death in 1996.
- His first collaboration with English director Tony Scott was “Top Gun” in which was a huge success. He later made 5 more films with Scott.
- He was also nicknamed as “Mr. Blockbuster” for maintaining the track record of commercially successful movies. Combined his movies have grossed over $13 billion.
- He was ranked at #39 in the “Forbes Celebrity 100” list in 2007.
- He was also reported to be 10th highest money earner in 2006 with over $120 million annually.
- He was honored by Variety Magazine as the first producer ever to have two top grossing films in a single weekend; “Bad Boys II” and “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.”
- After this success, Walt Disney revealed the trilogy in “Pirates of Caribbean” series, releasing the second on 7 July 2006. It amassed $1,066,179,725 at box office worldwide.
- He was also named as the most powerful person in Hollywood in 2003 by Entertainment Weekly.
- He was ranked at #10 in the “Power 50” list by Premiere in 2006.
- He was honored with “ShoWest Producer of the Year Award” in 1998.
- In 2000, he was honored with David O. Selznick Award for his Lifetime Achievement by Producers Guild.
- Out of the 41 Academy Award nominations, his projects won 6 awards, along with 5 Grammy Awards out of 8 nominations, and 4 Golden Globe Awards of a total of 23 nominations.
- One of his projects also won “The Best Picture of the Decade Award.”
- He was inducted into Hollywood Walk of Fame and received a star placed near El Captain Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard on June 24, 2013.
- He considers “The GodFather,” “The French Connection,” “Good Will Hunting” and “The 400 Blows” as his favorite movies.
- When asked about why he makes films, he replied “If I made films for the critics of for someone else, I would probably be living in some small Hollywood Studio apartment.”
- His production company Jerry Bruckheimer Films is located in Santa Monica, California.
- His first wife was Bonnie Bruckheimer, a producer, known for “Hocus Pocus” (1993), and “Beaches” (1988).
- He voiced his support in fight against multiple sclerosis by working with The Nancy Davis Foundation.
- He also established Jerry Bruckheimer Foundation to fight various causes. However the last known donation by this foundation was in 1995 for $9.350 to Van Nuys Prep School.
- Bruckheimer donated $5000 to fundraising committee for the John McCain’s presidential election campaign.
- In 2012, he had donated around $25,000 to Mitt Romney Victory Fund.
- He was named as one of the investors for a newly proposed sports arena in Las Vegas.
- Rumor has it that Bruckheimer is set to own a hockey team that would play in the new arena in Las Vegas.
- He is married to Linda Bruckheimer, who is a writer, producer and editor for Mirabella. She is now preservation activist who helps in restoration and preservation of historic buildings.
- The couple met for the first time in Los Angeles and now they live together. Bruckheimer has a step daughter Alexandra.
- In 2007, he joined the board of directors of ZeniMax Media and was seen at various video game launches such as “Fallout 3,” “Fallout: New Vegas,” “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim” for Bethesda Softworks.
- He established Jerry Bruckheimer games in 2009 which is headed by Jim Veevaert as President of production and Jay Cohen as President of development.
- It was rumored that his gaming company was working on three titles in 2011, however the company was closed in 2013.
- In November 2007, he held a display of photos of the ship Cutty Sark to raise funds for its conservation project.
