Samaha, Elie 1955–

PERSONAL

Full name, Elie Kheir Samaha; born May 10, 1955, in Beirut, Lebanon (some sources cite Italy); immigrated to the United States, c. 1979 (some sources cite 1975 or 1981); naturalized U.S. citizen (some sources cite Italian citizen); married Tia Carerre (an actress), November 22, 1992 (some sources cite 1993; divorced February 2000).

Addresses:

Office—Gibraltar International, 9328 Civic Center Dr., Beverly Hills, CA 90210. Agent—Creative Artists Agency, 9830 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90212.

Career:

Producer. Gibraltar International, Beverly Hills, CA, partner; Dante Entertainment, cofounder; Franchise Pictures (production and cofinancing company), founder, partner, chairman, and chief executive officer, beginning c. 1997; Phoenician Pictures (production company), founder; Roxbury (nightclub), partner, beginning 1990; affiliated with Celebrity Cleaners, a chain of dry cleaning establishments in the Los Angeles area; also worked in importing and exporting. Worked as a bouncer at Studio 54, New York City. Military service: Some sources cite service in the Lebanese Christian Army.

Awards, Honors:

Prix un certain regard (with others), Cannes International Film Festival, 2000, for Things You Can Tell Just By Looking at Her.

CREDITS

Film Executive Producer:

Hollow Point (also known as Arsenal de pointe and Rysk Roulette), October Films, 1996.

American Perfekt, Nu Image Films, 1997.

Shadrach, Columbia, 1998.

This Is My Father (also known as L'histoire de mon pere), Sony Pictures Classics, 1998.

20 Dates, Fox Searchlight Pictures, 1998.

Tycus, New City Releasing, 1998.

Restraining Order (also known as Der Todfeind and Der Todfeind—Ein Mann raecht seine Frau), New City Releasing, 1999.

(Uncredited) Storm Catcher, New City Releasing, 1999.

The Art of War (also known as L'art de la guerre), Warner Bros., 2000.

Auggie Rose (also known as Beyond Suspicion), New City Releasing, 2000.

(Uncredited) Jill Rips (also known as The Bone Ripper, Jill the Ripper, The Leatherwoman, and Tied Up), New City Releasing, 2000.

Things You Can Tell Just By Looking at Her, Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer/United Artists, 2000.

Tracker, Desert Moon Entertainment, 2000.

The Whole Nine Yards (also known as Le nouveau voison), Warner Bros., 2000.

Woman Wanted, Ascot Video, 2000.

Plan B, Half Moon Entertainment, 2001.

Viva Las Nowhere (also known as Dead Simple), Viva Las Nowhere Productions, 2001.

Comic Book Villains, Lions Gate Films, 2002.

FeardotCom (also known as Fear.com, feardotcom, Fear Dot Com, and Parallax), Warner Bros., 2002.

Dead Fish, Mobius International, 2004.

Executive producer for studio system, Laws of Attraction, New Line Cinema, 2004.

A Sound of Thunder, Warner Bros., 2005.

The Wendell Baker Story, Wendell Distribution, 2005.

Chaos, 2006.

If I Had Known I Was a Genius, Gibraltar Entertainment, 2006.

I Could Never Be Your Woman, Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer, 2007.

Rescue Dawn, Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer, 2007.

Film Producer:

Snitch (also known as Monument Ave. and Noose), Lions Gate Films, 1998.

The Big Kahuna (also known as Hospitality Suite), Lions Gate Films, 1999.

The Boondock Saints (also known as Mission des dieux), Indican Pictures, 1999.

Entropy, Franchise Pictures, 1999.

The Third Miracle, Sony Pictures Classics, 1999.

Angel Eyes (also known as Heart of Town), Warner Bros., 2000.

Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000 (also known as Battlefield Earth), Warner Bros., 2000.

Get Carter, Warner Bros., 2000.

Mercy, New City Releasing, 2000.

The Pledge, Warner Bros., 2000.

The Caveman's Valentine (also known as The Sign of the Killer), MCA/Universal, 2001.

Driven (also known as Champs, Formula One, Into Thin Air, Ruutulippu, and A toute vitesse), Warner Bros., 2001.

Heist (also known as Le vol), Warner Bros., 2001.

3000 Miles to Graceland, Warner Bros., 2001.

Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever (also known as Ecks vs. Sever and X vs. Sever), Warner Bros., 2002.

City by the Sea (also known as The Suspect), Warner Bros., 2002.

Half Past Dead (also known as Halbtot—Half Past Dead), Sony Pictures Releasing/Screen Gems, 2002.

ZigZag, Silver Nitrate Films, 2002.

Green Dragon, Silver Nitrate Films, c. 2002.

Alex & Emma (also known as The Gambler and Loosely Based on a True Love Story), Warner Bros., 2003.

Avenging Angelo, Warner Bros., 2003.

The Foreigner (also known as Cudzoziemiec), TriStar/Screen Gems, 2003.

The In–Laws (also known as Ein Ungleiches Paar and Wild Wedding—Ein ungleiches Paar), Warner Bros., 2003.

Out of Reach (also known as Poza zasiegiem), Screen Gems, 2004.

Spartan, Warner Bros., 2004.

The Whole Ten Yards (also known as The Whole Nine Yards 2), Warner Bros., 2004.

Into the Sun (also known as Yakuza), Screen Gems, 2005.

One Last Dance, 2005.

The Flock, Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer, 2006.

Tristan + Isolde (also known as Tristan and Isolde and Tristan & Isolde), Twentieth Century–Fox, 2006.

Van Wilder 2: The Rise of Taj (also known as Van Wilder Deux: The Rise of Taj), Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer, 2006.

Crash Bandits, Bauer Martinez Studios, 2007.

Trainwreck: My Life as an Idiot, TruEntertainment/This Is That Productions, 2007.

Chlorine, Mercer Films, c. 2007.

Film Appearances:

Voice of the producer, 20 Dates, Fox Searchlight Pictures, 1998.

Television Executive Producer; Movies:

The Maker, HBO, 1997.

Natural Enemy, HBO, 1997.

On the Border (also known as Coyote Rain), 1998.

Free Money, Starz!, 1999.

Meet Prince Charming, Cinemax, 2000.

Desperate but Not Serious (also known as Reckless + Wild), HBO and HBO Signature, c. 2001.

Television Producer; Movies:

The Immortals (also known as The End), HBO, 1995.

Danger Zone, HBO, 1996.

The Last Days of Frankie the Fly (also known as Frankie the Fly), HBO, 1996.

The Peacekeeper (also known as Hellbent and Red Zone), HBO, 1997.

No Code of Conduct, USA Network, 1998.

Scar City (also known as S.C.A.R. and Scarred City), HBO, 1998.

Top of the World (also known as Cold Cash and Showdown), HBO, 1998.

The Break Up, Cinemax, 1999.

The Confession, Cinemax, 1999.

Five Aces, Cinemax, 1999.

If … Dog … Rabbit… (also known as One Last Score), Cinemax, 1999.

A Murder of Crows, Cinemax, 1999.

Sweepers, USA Network, 1999.

Animal Factory, Cinemax, 2000.

The White River Kid (also known as White River), Starz!, c. 2000.

RECORDINGS

Videos:

Himself, Battlefield Earth: Evolution & Creation (short), Warner Home Video, 2000.

Video Game Executive Producer:

Driven, BAM! Entertainment, 2001.

Ecks vs. Sever, BAM! Entertainment, 2001.

WRITINGS

Teleplays; Stories for Movies:

The Immortals (also known as The End), HBO, 1995.

OTHER SOURCES

Periodicals:

Los Angeles Business Journal, November 10, 2003.

Movieline, May, 2001, pp. 28–31, 106.

Variety, December 20, 1999, p. 5; June 9, 2003, p. 1.