JAMES L. BROOKS

'James L. Brooks' (born May 9, 1940) is a three-time Academy Award, nineteen-time Emmy and Golden Globe-winning American producer, writer, and film director.
He is best known for producing American television programs such as ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'', ''The Simpsons'' (in which he created miscellaneous characters, including the Bouvier family), ''Rhoda'' and ''Taxi''. His best-known film is ''Terms of Endearment'', for which he received three Academy Awards in 1984.

Contents

Biography

Trivia

Noted filmography

References

External links

Biography

Brooks was raised in a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York. Brooks began his television career as a writer for CBS News from 1964 to 1966. After working for the ABC television series ''Room 222'' as executive story editor, Brooks was hired along with writing partner Allan Burns by television executive Grant Tinker to create a show that would later become ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show''.
''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' became a critical and commercial success and spawned other television shows created by Brooks and Burns such as ''Rhoda'', ''Paul Sand in Friends and Lovers'', ''Taxi'', ''The Associates'', and ''Lou Grant''.
In 1978, Brooks began work on feature motion films. His first project was being writer and co-producer on the film ''Starting Over'' and later wrote, produced and directed ''Terms of Endearment'' in 1983.
Brooks later started his own film and television production company, Gracie Films, in 1984. Gracie Films would produce the television series ''The Tracey Ullman Show'' and its spin-off, ''The Simpsons'' as well as the animated series ''The Critic''. Gracie Films' notable film productions were ''Jerry Maguire'', ''As Good as It Gets'', ''Big'', ''Bottle Rocket'' and ''Broadcast News''.
Brooks had a cameo in ''The Simpsons'' episode "A Star Is Born-Again". He also played a semi-fictional version of himself in friend Albert Brooks's comedy ''Modern Romance'' as an opinionated film director.

Trivia

★ Brooks often sat in the studio audience of shows that he produced in the 1970s. Viewers can usually tell whether Brooks was in the audience by his distinctive loud guffaw. He would also make occasional cameo appearances.

★ On ''The Simpsons'' annual ''Treehouse of Horror'' Halloween episodes, Brooks is credited as "James Hell Brooks", "Chains Hell Brooks", "Maims Hell Brooks", "Veins Hell Brooks", "James 'Just One Hug' Brooks" "James 'Dangerous Though Cuddly' Brooks", and "James 'Bemused But Bloodthirsty' Brooks".

★ He has donated over $175,000 to Democratic Party candidates.[1]

★ In ''The Simpsons'' episode "Kill Gil", his May 9th birthday is listed on the day calendar.

★ In one episode of ''The Simpsons'', Bart and his friends are watching a porno graphical titled "Broadcast Nudes", an allusion to Brooks's film ''Broadcast News''.

★ Brooks mentored Cameron Crowe and was the executive producer of Crowe's directorial debut ''Say Anything...''. Crowe recalled later in an interview of the film's anniversary that he approached Brooks and told him about these ideas he had. Upon hearing this, Brooks encouraged Crowe to keep writing.

★ Brooks also mentored Owen Wilson and Wes Anderson after they brought ''Bottle Rocket'' to his attention. Owen believes they wouldn't have gotten the film made if it wasn't for Brooks' help.

★ In 2007, Brooks appeared -- along with star Hollywood screenwriters Nora Ephron, Carrie Fisher, and others -- in ''Dreams on Spec'', a documentary about the filmmaking.

★ Brooks is one of the few people thanked during the end credits for the film ''.

★ Although born in Brooklyn, New York, Brooks was raised in New Jersey in the city of North Bergen.

Noted filmography

★ ''My Three Sons'' (1960)

★ ''The Andy Griffith Show'' (1960)

★ ''My Mother The Car'' (1965) (writer)

★ ''Mary Tyler Moore'' (1970) (producer)

★ ''Rhoda'' (1974) (producer

★ ''Taxi'' (1978) (producer)

★ ''Terms of Endearment'' (1983) (director)

★ ''The Tracey Ullman Show'' (1987) (producer)

★ ''Broadcast News'' (1987) (director)

★ ''Big'' (1988) (producer)

★ ''Say Anything...'' (1989) (producer)

★ ''The Simpsons'' (1989) (executive producer)

★ "I'll Do Anything" (1994) (director)

★ ''The Critic'' (1994) (executive producer)

★ ''Bottle Rocket'' (1996) (producer)

★ ''Jerry Maguire'' (1996) (producer)

★ ''As Good as It Gets'' (1997) (director)

★ ''Spanglish'' (2004) (director)

★ ''The Simpsons Movie'' (2007) (producer) (screenplay)

References

★ BROOKS, JAMES L. entry

★ James L Brooks Biography

External links

★

★ Gracie Films Website