Ziskin, Laura 1950-

views updated

Ziskin, Laura 1950-

PERSONAL

Full name, Laura Ellen Ziskin; born March 3, 1950, in the San Fernando Valley, CA; daughter of Jay (a writer) and Mae Lee Ziskin; married Julian Barry (a writer; divorced); companion of Alvin Sargent (a writer); children: (first marriage) Julia Barry. Education: University of Southern California School of Cinema and Television, B.A., cinema, 1973.

Addresses:

Office—Laura Ziskin Productions, 10202 West Washington Blvd., Astaire Building, Suite 1310, Culver City, CA 90232. Agent—William Morris Agency, One William Morris Place, Beverly Hills, CA 90212.

Career:

Producer and executive. Worked as a writer for game shows, development executive, typist, personal assistant, and member of Jon Peters's production company; Fogwood Films, founder (with Sally Field), 1984; Fox 2000 Pictures, president and producer, 1994-99; Laura Ziskin Productions, Culver City, CA, founder, 1999, principal, 1999—.

Awards, Honors:

Saturn Award (with others), best single television presentation, Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, 2001, for Fail Safe; Emmy Award nomination (with others), outstanding made for television movie, 2002, for Dinner with Friends; Emmy Award nomination (with Michael B. Seligman), outstanding variety, music, or comedy special, 2002, for The 74th Annual Academy Awards; Crystal Award, Women in Film, 2002; Israel Film Fest Visionary Award, 2003; named one of the one hundred most powerful women in entertainment, Hollywood Reporter, 2004, 2005, and 2006; David O. Selznick Award for Lifetime Achievement in Motion Pictures, Golden Laurel awards, Producers Guild of America, 2005; Emmy Award nomination (with Seligman), outstanding special class program, 2007, for The 79th Annual Academy Awards; Tribute to the Human Spirit Award, Wellness Community, 2007.

CREDITS

Film Work:

Assistant: Mr. Peters, A Star Is Born (also known as Rainbow Road), Warner Bros., 1976.

Associate producer, Eyes of Laura Mars (also known as Eyes), Columbia, 1978.

Producer, Murphy's Romance, Columbia, 1985.

(With Robert Garland) Producer, No Way Out, Orion, 1987.

(With Ian Sander) Producer, D.O.A., Buena Vista, 1988.

(With Taylor Hackford and Ian Sander) Producer, Everybody's All-American (also known as When I Fall in Love), Warner Bros., 1988.

Producer, The Rescue, Buena Vista, 1988.

Executive producer, Pretty Woman (also known as $3000, Isha Yaffa, Miscoda no, Mujer bonita, Uma linda mulher, Um sonho de mulher, Une jolie femme, and Zgodna zena), Buena Vista, 1990.

Producer, The Doctor (also known as A doktor, Der Doktor—Ein gewoehnlicher Patient, El doctor, Katkera rohto, Lakaren—han som aelskade livet, Le docteur, and Un medico, un uomo), Buena Vista, 1991.

Producer, What about Bob? (also known as Co jest z Bobem?, Comment ca va Bob?, Entaes Bob?, Hur maar Bob, Isten nem ver Bobbal, Ma kore im Bob?, Nosso querido Bob, Que pasa con Bob?, Quoi de neuf Bob?, Tutte le manie di Bob, and Was ist mit Bob?), Buena Vista, 1991.

Producer, Hero (also known as Accidental Hero), Columbia, 1992.

Director, Oh, What a Day! 1914 (short film), 1994.

Producer, To Die For, Columbia, 1995.

Executive producer, As Good as It Gets (also known as Old Friends), Sony Pictures Entertainment/TriStar, 1997.

Producer, Spider-Man (also known as Spiderman, Spider-Man: The Motion Picture, El hombre arana, Homem-Aranha, Omul paianjen, Pokember, Spider-Man—Haemaehaekkimies, and Spindelmannen), Columbia, 2002.

Producer, Spider-Man 2 (also known as The Amazing Spider-Man, Spider-Man: No More, Spiderman 2, and Spider-Man 2 Lives), recut version known as Spider-Man 2.1, Columbia, 2004, IMAX version released as Spider-Man 2: The IMAX Experience.

Producer, Stealth, Columbia, 2005.

Producer, Spider-Man 3 (also known as 3), Columbia, 2007, IMAX version released as Spider-Man 3: The IMAX Experience.

Producer, Morgan's Summit, Warner Bros., 2009.

Producer, Me and My Monster, Sony Pictures Entertainment, c. 2009.

Worked on other projects.

Television Work; Series:

Executive producer, Tarzan (also known Tarzan and Jane and Young Tarzan Drama Project), The WB, 2003.

Television Work; Movies:

Producer, One Cooks, the Other Doesn't, CBS, 1983.

Executive producer, Fail Safe, CBS, 2000.

Executive producer, Dinner with Friends, HBO, 2001.

Worked on other projects.

Television Work; Specials:

Producer, How I Learned to Drive, HBO, 2001.

Executive producer, On the Red Carpet: Oscars 2002, ABC, 2002.

Executive producer, Road to the Oscars, ABC, 2007.

Television Work; Awards Presentations:

Executive producer and producer, The 74th Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 2002.

Executive producer and producer, The 79th Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 2007.

Television Executive Producer; Pilots:

Tarzan (also known Tarzan and Jane and Young Tarzan Drama Project), The WB, 2003.

The Spaces, The WB, c. 2003.

Three Moons over Milford, ABC Family Channel, 2005.

The Skin I'm In, Lifetime, c. 2008.

Executive producer of other pilots, including Halifax, ABC.

Television Appearances; Miniseries:

Herself, "Sex and Success," Hollywood Women (documentary), Carlton Television, 1993, Independent Television (England), 1994.

Herself, "Lightning in a Bottle," The Hollywood Machine (documentary), BBC Two, 2002.

Television Appearances; Specials:

Herself, What Is a Producer?, E! Entertainment Television, 2001.

Herself, Spidermania, 2002.

Herself, Women on Top: Hollywood and Power, American Movie Classics, 2003.

Television Appearances; Episodic:

Herself, "Behind the Ultimate Spin: The Making of Spider-Man," HBO First Look, HBO, 2002.

Herself, "Spider-Man," VH1 Goes Inside (also known as VH1 Goes Inside: Spider-Man), VH1, 2004.

Herself, "The Doctors," Space Top 10 Countdown, Space, 2007.

Herself, eTalk Daily (also known as eTalk and e-Talk Daily), CTV (Canada), 2007.

RECORDINGS

Videos:

Herself, Hero in Crisis (short), Columbia/TriStar Home Entertainment, 2004.

Herself, Making the Amazing (also known as Making the Amazing: The Making of "Spider-Man 2" and Making the Amazing: Spider-Man 2), Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, 2004.

Herself, True Believer: The Father of Super Heroes, 1821 Films/Emerging Filmed Entertainment, 2008.

WRITINGS

Teleplays; Stories for Films:

What about Bob? (also known as Co jest z Bobem?, Comment ca va Bob?, Entaes Bob?, Hur maar Bob, Isten nem ver Bobbal, Ma kore im Bob?, Nosso querido Bob, Que pasa con Bob?, Quoi de neuf Bob?, Tutte le manie di Bob, and Was ist mit Bob?), Buena Vista, 1991.

(With Alvin Sargent and David Webb Peoples) Hero (also known as Accidental Hero), Columbia, 1992.