Robert Kenneth Shaye (born March 4, 1939) is an American businessman, film producer, actor, director, and writer. Shaye is the founder of New Line Cinema, a film production studio that was most successful for distributing The Lord of the Rings film series, based on the classic fantasy novel of the same name by English author J. R. R. Tolkien and directed by New Zealand filmmaker Peter Jackson. He stepped down from New Line in 2008 after the studio was restructured as a unit of Warner Bros. Pictures.[2]
Robert Shaye | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Robert Kenneth Shaye March 4, 1939 |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan Columbia Law School |
| Occupation(s) | Film producer, film director, writer, actor |
| Years active | 1963–present |
| Known for | Founder of New Line Cinema |
| Notable work | The Lord of the Rings |
| Spouse |
Eva G. Lindstern (m. 1970) |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Lin Shaye (sister) |
Biography
editEarly life
editShaye was born to a Jewish[3][4] family in Detroit, Michigan, the son of Dorothy and Max Mendle Shaye, a supermarket owner and artist.[1] His mother was an immigrant from Russia.[3] He is the brother of actress Lin Shaye.[3]
Shaye graduated from Detroit's Mumford High School. He earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Michigan and a J.D. degree from Columbia Law School. He also graduated from the University of Stockholm as a Fulbright scholar. Shaye is a member of the New York State Bar Association, and he has served on the board of trustees for the Neurosciences Institute, the Legal Aid Society, the American Film Institute, and the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation.[2]
New Line Cinema
editIn 1967, Shaye formed New Line Cinema. The company started with a package of feature films and shorts rented to colleges. From there, New Line expanded to re-releases such as Reefer Madness and first-run domestic distribution of foreign films such as Get Out Your Handkerchiefs. In the 1980s, New Line released blockbuster films such as A Nightmare on Elm Street and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. In 1994, New Line was acquired by the Turner Broadcasting System for $500 million, with Shaye earning more than $100 million.[5][6] In 1996, Turner Broadcasting System became part of Time Warner, a merger between Time Inc. and Warner Communications.
In 1998, when New Zealand director Peter Jackson brought his 36-minute pitch reel for a big screen adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy classic The Lord of the Rings to New Line, hoping to turn the three volumes into two films, Shaye suggested that Jackson should make three films instead. Shaye subsequently greenlit a simultaneous production for all three installments.[2] At the box office, the three films are among New Line's highest-grossing and most popular films, earning a combined total of nearly $3 billion worldwide. They were nominated for a total of thirty Academy Awards, winning seventeen, including eleven for The Return of the King at the 76th Academy Awards ceremony.
Investing career
editIndependently and through his family office Lemoko Management Company[7] he is an active investor in companies like Brat TV.[8]
Unique Features
editIn February 2008, Shaye and New Line co-chairman Michael Lynne were dismissed from the company as part of a significant restructuring ordered by then-Time Warner CEO Jeffrey Bewkes.[2] That June, Shaye and Lynne formed a new independent film company called Unique Features. The company's recent projects include The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (Sony/Constantin), the TV series Shadowhunters (Freeform Television), When the Bough Breaks (Screen Gems), and Ambition, directed by Shaye.[9]
Filmography
editHe was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.
Film
edit- As an actor
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | A Nightmare on Elm Street | Newsreader / KRGR Radio Announcer | Voice role Uncredited
|
| 1985 | A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge | Bartender | Uncredited
|
| 1986 | Quiet Cool | Franklin | |
| 1987 | The Hidden | Man in Silver Mercedes Picking Up a Gorgeous Girl | Uncredited
|
| 1988 | A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master | Lecturer | |
| 1991 | Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare | Ticket Seller | |
| 1993 | Loaded Weapon 1 | Interrogation Room Person | Uncredited
|
| Man's Best Friend | Mobile Mechanic | ||
| 1994 | Wes Craven's New Nightmare | Himself | |
| 2001 | Festival in Cannes | Bert Shuster | |
| 2003 | Freddy vs. Jason | Principal Shaye | |
| 2004 | Cellular | Detective Looking Guy |
- As director
| Year | Film | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1963 | Image | Short film |
| 1965 | On Fighting Witches | Short film |
| 1973 | The Best of the New York Erotic Film Festival | |
| 1990 | Book of Love | |
| 2007 | The Last Mimzy | |
| 2019 | Ambition |
- As writer
| Year | Film |
|---|---|
| 1977 | Stunts |
| 1982 | Alone in the Dark |
- As cinematographer
| Year | Film | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | On Fighting Witches | Short film |
- Second unit director or assistant director
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | A Nightmare on Elm Street | Director: melting staircase sequence | Uncredited
|
- Thanks
| Year | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Spawn | Thanks |
| Boogie Nights | Special thanks | |
| 1998 | Dark City | Thanks |
| 1999 | Magnolia | Special thanks |
| 2006 | Kill Your Darlings | Thanks |
| 2007 | Run Fatboy Run | |
| 2008 | The Women | Special appreciation |
| 2019 | Girl Blood Sport | Special thanks |
| Motherless Brooklyn | The director wishes to thank |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Credit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | The Freddy Krueger Special | Television special | |
| 1988−90 | Freddy's Nightmares | Executive producer | |
| 2016−19 | Shadowhunters | Executive producer |
- As an actor
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Freddy's Nightmares | The Minister |
- Production manager
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | SpongeBob SquarePants | Executive in charge of production |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Robert Shaye Biography". Filmreference.com.
- ^ a b c d DiGiacomo, Frank (February 4, 2009). "The Lost Tycoons". Vanity Fair.
- ^ a b c Sheridan, Patricia (June 1, 2015). "Patricia Sheridan's Breakfast With ... Lin Shaye". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- ^ "Celebrity Jews". J. J. The Jewish News of Northern California. March 23, 2007.
"Last Mimzy" is from a sci-fi story that was a childhood favorite of director Robert Shaye. The screenplay is by seasoned Jewish writers Toby Emmerich and Bruce Joel Rubin (who won an Oscar for his script for "Ghost'). Shaye told the Detroit Jewish News that he met Emmerich when they were kids attending a Conservative synagogue in suburban Detroit
- ^ "New Line to Join Ted Turner Empire Today : Film: With more money, the company is likely to add a few big movies to its annual production schedule". Los Angeles Times. January 28, 1994. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
- ^ "Robert Shaye". Daily Variety (61st anniversary ed.). January 12, 1995. p. 28.
- ^ "LEMOKO MANAGEMENT COMPANY, INC. In West Hollywood, CA | Company Info".
- ^ "Bob Shaye Joins Brat TV as Strategic Investor". Variety. September 22, 2021. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
- ^ Busch, Anita (March 16, 2016). "Robert Shaye And Michael Lynne Pair For New Film 'Gifted'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
External links
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