Barry Levinson

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Levinson

Barry Levinson (born April 6, 1942) is an American screenwriter, Academy Award winning film director, actor, and producer of film and television. His most notable films include Diner, The Natural, Good Morning, Vietnam, Rain Man, and Bugsy.

Levinson was born in Baltimore, Maryland, the son of Violet "Vi" (née Krichinsky) and Irvin Levinson, who worked in the furniture and appliance business. His family was of Russian Jewish descent.

Career Levinson's first writing work was for variety shows such as The Marty Feldman Comedy Machine, The Lohman and Barkley Show, The Tim Conway Show, and The Carol Burnett Show. After some success as a screenwriter – notably the Mel Brooks comedies Silent Movie (1976) and High Anxiety (1977) (in which he played a bellboy) and the Oscar-nominated script (co-written by then-wife Valerie Curtin) ...And Justice for All (1979) – Levinson began his career as a director with Diner (1982), for which he had also written the script and which earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Screenplay.

Diner was the first of a series of films set in the Baltimore of Levinson's youth. The others were Tin Men (1987), a story of aluminum-siding salesmen in the 1960s starring Richard Dreyfuss and Danny DeVito; the immigrant family saga Avalon (which featured Elijah Wood in one of his earliest screen appearances), and Liberty Heights (1999).

His biggest hit, both critically and financially, was Rain Man (1988), with Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise. (Levinson appeared in a cameo as a doctor.) The film won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. It also won the Golden Bear at the 39th Berlin International Film Festival.[7]

Another of his notable films is the 1984 baseball drama The Natural starring Robert Redford, who would later direct Quiz Show and cast Levinson as television personality Dave Garroway. Levinson also directed Good Morning, Vietnam (1987) and Toys (1992), both with Robin Williams, and the critically acclaimed Bugsy (1991) with Warren Beatty.

He directed Dustin Hoffman again in Wag the Dog (1997), a political comedy co-starring Robert De Niro about a war staged in a film studio. (Levinson had been an uncredited co-writer on Hoffman's 1982 hit comedy Tootsie). The film won the Silver Bear – Special Jury Prize at the 48th Berlin International Film Festival.[8]

Levinson partnered with producer Mark Johnson to form the film production company Baltimore Pictures. The two parted ways in 1994. Levinson has been a producer or executive producer for such major productions as The Perfect Storm directed by Wolfgang Petersen (2000); Analyze That (2002), starring De Niro as a neurotic mob boss and Billy Crystal as his therapist, and Possession (2002), based on the best-selling novel by A. S. Byatt.

He has a television production company with Tom Fontana (The Levinson/Fontana Company) and served as executive producer for a number of series, including Homicide: Life on the Street (which ran on NBC from 1993 to 1999) and the HBO prison drama Oz. Levinson also played an uncredited main role as a judge in the short-lived TV series The Jury.

Levinson published his first novel, Sixty-Six (ISBN 0-7679-1533-X), in 2003. Like several of his films, it is semi-autobiographical and set in Baltimore in the 1960s. He directed two webisodes of the American Express ads "The Adventures of Seinfeld and Superman". In 2004, Levinson was the recipient of the Austin Film Festival's Distinguished Screenwriter Award. Levinson directed a documentary PoliWood about the 2008 Democratic and Republican National Conventions. The documentary, produced by Tim Daly, Robin Bronk and Robert E. Baruc, had its premiere at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival.

Levinson is in production on a film based on Whitey Bulger, the Boston crime boss.[9] The film Black Mass (script by Jim Sheridan, Jez Butterworth, and Russell Gewirtz) is based on the book by Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill, and is said to be the "true story of Billy Bulger, Whitey Bulger, FBI agent John Connelly and the FBI's witness protection program that was created by J. Edgar Hoover."[10]

In September 2013, Levinson was set to direct the film titled Rock the Kasbah, written by Mitch Glazer.[11] Bruce Willis, Shia LaBeouf, Bill Murray and Kate Hudson will star in the film.[12]

In 2010, Levinson received the Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement from the Writers Guild of America.

Filmography[edit] The Tim Conway Show (1970) (Toy) The Marty Feldman Comedy Machine (1971) (TV) The Carol Burnett Show (1973–1976) (TV) Street Girls (with Michael Miller) (1975) (TV) Hot l Baltimore (1975) (TV) The Rich Little Show (1976) (TV) Silent Movie (with Mel Brooks, Ron Clark and Rudy De Luca) (1976) High Anxiety (with Mel Brooks, Ron Clark and Rudy De Luca) (1977) ...And Justice For All (with Valerie Curtin) (1979) (1 Oscar Nomination) Inside Moves (with Valerie Curtin) (1980) Best Friends (with Valerie Curtin) (1982) Diner (1982) (Writer/Director) (1 Oscar Nomination) Unfaithfully Yours (with Valerie Curtin and Robert Klane) (1984) The Natural (1984) (Director) (4 Oscar Nominations) Young Sherlock Holmes (1985) (Director) (1 Oscar Nomination) Tin Men (1987) (Writer/Director) Good Morning, Vietnam (1987) (Director) (1 Oscar Nomination) Rain Man (1988) (Director) (8 Oscar Nominations, 4 Wins) Avalon (1990) (Writer/Director) (4 Oscar Nominations) Bugsy (1991) (Director) (10 Oscar Nominations, 2 Wins) Toys (with Valerie Curtin) (1992) (Co-Writer/Director) (2 Oscar Nominations) Jimmy Hollywood (1994) (Writer/Director) Disclosure (1994) (Director) Homicide: Life on the Streets (1996) (TV) (Developed By) Sleepers (1996) (Writer/Director) (1 Oscar Nomination) Wag The Dog (1997) (Director) (2 Oscar Nominations) Oz (1997–2003) (TV) (Executive Producer) Sphere (1998) (Director) Liberty Heights (1999) (Writer/Director) An Everlasting Piece (2000) (Director) Bandits (2001) (Director) The Jury (2004) (TV) (Creator) Envy (2004) (Director) Man of the Year (2006) (Writer/Director) What Just Happened (2008) (Director) PoliWood (2009) (Director) (TV) (Documentary) The Band that Wouldn't Die (2009) (TV) (Documentary) You Don't Know Jack (2010) (Director) (TV) The Bay (2012) (Director) Copper (2012) (Executive Producer) Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight (2013) (Actor) Rock the Kasbah (2014) (Director) References[edit] Jump up ^ Erickson, Hal. "Barry Levinson". Rovi / All Movie Guide via The New York Times. Retrieved May 30, 2013. Jump up ^ New York Times Jump up ^ Barnes, Brooks (December 14, 2009). "Al Pacino, Barry Levinson and Buck Henry Team Up on a Roth Tale". New York Times. Jump up ^ Filmreference.com Jump up ^ Pqasb.pqarchiver.com Jump up ^ Pqasb.pqarchiver.com Jump up ^ "Berlinale: 1989 Prize Winners". berlinale.de. Retrieved 2011-03-13. Jump up ^ "Berlinale: 1998 Prize Winners". berlinale.de. Retrieved 2012-01-23. Jump up ^ Rottenberg, Josh (February 22, 2013). "Hollywood Insider: What's Going on Behind the Scenes: Boston's Bulger is Now Hollywood's It Gangster". Entertainment Weekly (New York: Time Inc.): 27. Jump up ^ Cappadona, Bryanna (June 20, 2013). "Who Should Play Whitey Bulger in Black Mass?". Boston. Retrieved September 1, 2013. Jump up ^ Fleming Jr, Mike (3 September 2013). "QED Sets Bill Murray For Barry Levinson-Directed ‘Rock The Kasbah’". deadline.com. Retrieved 6 February 2014. Jump up ^ McClintock, Pamela (30 January 2014). "Kate Hudson, Bruce Willis, Shia LaBeouf Join "Rock the Kasbah"". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved 6 February 2014.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Levinson

Barry Levinson (born April 6, 1942) is an American screenwriter, film director, actor, and producer of film and television. His most notable films include The Natural, Good Morning Vietnam, Rain Man, Bugsy, and Bandits.

Early life

Levinson was born in Baltimore, Maryland, the son of Violet "Vi" (née Krichinsky) and Irvin Levinson, who worked in the furniture and appliance business. His family was of Russian Jewish descent. After growing up in Baltimore and graduating from Forest Park Senior High School, Levinson attended Baltimore City Community College, and American University in Washington, D.C. at the American University School of Communication, before moving to Los Angeles to work as an actor and writer. Levinson at one time shared an apartment with would-be drug smuggler (and basis for the movie Blow) George Jung.

Career

Levinson's first writing work was for variety shows such as The Marty Feldman Comedy Machine, The Lohman and Barkley Show, The Tim Conway Show, and The Carol Burnett Show. After some success as a screenwriter — notably the Mel Brooks comedies Silent Movie (1976) and High Anxiety (1977) (in which he played a bellboy) and the Oscar-nominated script (co-written by then-wife Valerie Curtin) …And Justice for All (1979) — Levinson began his career as a director with Diner (1982), for which he had also written the script and which earned him a Oscar nomination for Best Screenplay.

Diner was the first of a series of films set in the Baltimore of Levinson's youth. The others were Tin Men (1987), a story of aluminum-siding salesmen in the 1960s starring Richard Dreyfuss and Danny DeVito; the immigrant family saga Avalon (which featured Elijah Wood in one of his earliest screen appearances), and Liberty Heights (1999).

His biggest hit, both critically and financially, was Rain Man (1988), with Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise. (Levinson appeared in a cameo as a doctor.) The film won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. It also won the Golden Bear at the 39th Berlin International Film Festival.

Another of his notable films is the 1984 baseball drama The Natural starring Robert Redford, who would later direct Quiz Show and cast Levinson as television personality Dave Garroway. Levinson also directed Good Morning, Vietnam (1987) and Toys (1992), both with Robin Williams, and the critically acclaimed Bugsy (1991) with Warren Beatty.

He directed Dustin Hoffman again in Wag the Dog (1997), a political comedy co-starring Robert De Niro about a war staged in a film studio. (Levinson had been an uncredited co-writer on Hoffman's 1982 hit comedy Tootsie). The film won the Silver Bear - Special Jury Prize at the 48th Berlin International Film Festival.

Levinson partnered with producer Mark Johnson to form the film production company Baltimore Pictures. The two parted ways in 1994. Levinson has been a producer or executive producer for such major productions as The Perfect Storm directed by Wolfgang Petersen (2000); Analyze That (2002), starring De Niro as a neurotic mob boss and Billy Crystal as his therapist, and Possession (2002), based on the best-selling novel by A. S. Byatt.

He has a television production company with Tom Fontana (The Levinson/Fontana Company) and served as executive producer for a number of series, including Homicide: Life on the Street (which ran on NBC from 1993–1999) and the HBO prison drama Oz. Levinson also played an uncredited main role as a judge in the short-lived TV series The Jury.

Levinson published his first novel, Sixty-Six (ISBN 0-7679-1533-X), in 2003. Like several of his films, it is semi-autobiographical and set in Baltimore in the 1960s. He directed two webisodes of the American Express ads "The Adventures of Seinfeld and Superman".

In 2004, Levinson was the recipient of the Austin Film Festival's Distinguished Screenwriter Award.

Levinson directed a documentary PoliWood about the 2008 Democratic and Republican National Conventions. The documentary, produced by Tim Daly, Robin Bronk and Robert E. Baruc, had its premiere at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival.

Personal life

Levinson grew up in a Jewish family. He married his writing collaborator Valerie Curtin in 1975. They divorced seven years later. He later married Dianna Rhodes, whom he met in Baltimore while filming Diner. He is the father of Sam, Jack, Michelle, and Patrick Levinson. He is a minority owner of the Baltimore Orioles baseball team.

Currently, he resides with his two sons and wife in Redding, Connecticut.

Filmography

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Levinson#Filmography

בארי לוינסון

' (באנגלית: Barry Levinson; נולד ב־6 באפריל 1942) הוא במאי, מפיק ותסריטאי קולנוע וטלוויזיה יהודי-אמריקני. זוכה פרס אוסקר על "איש הגשם".

קורות חייו נולד וגדל בבולטימור, מרילנד, התקבל ללימודים באמריקן יוניברסיטי בוושינגטון הבירה, לפני שעבר ללוס אנג'לס כדי להיות שחקן ותסריטאי. הוא החל את דרכו כתסריטאי בסדרות טלוויזיה בשנות השבעים, וקיבל עליהם שני פרסי אמי. לאחר שהתבסס כתסריטאי מצליח בסרטים "סרט אילם", "מתח גבוה" ו"וצדק לכל" (מועמדות לאוסקר, לתסריט), הוא נהייה לבמאי, בדרמת ההתבגרות "דיינר" (1982), עליו קיבל מועמדות שנייה לפרס האוסקר על התסריט. "דיינר" היה הראשון מבין סדרה של סרטים שהתרחשו בבולטימור, עיר ילדותו, אותם גם כתב. האחרים היו "אנשי הפח" (1987), בכיכובם של ריצ'רד דרייפוס ודני דה ויטו, " אבלון" (1990) ((מועמדות לאוסקר, לתסריט) ו"ליברטי הייטס" (1999), ששניהם עסקו ביהודים.

סרטו הגדול ביותר, הן מבחינה ביקורתית והן מבחינה כספית היה "איש הגשם" (1988). הסרט זכה בארבעה פרסי אוסקר, כולל פרס הבימוי, בו זכה לוינסון. סרטים נוספים עטורי תשבחות שביים היו "הטוב מכולם" (1984), בו כיכבו רוברט רדפורד וגלן קלוז, "בוקר טוב וייטנאם" (1987), עליו קיבל רובין ויליאמס מועמדות לפרס האוסקר ו"באגסי" (1991), שקיבל 10 מועמדויות לפרס האוסקר, ו-8 מועמדויות לפרס גלובוס הזהב, בו זכה בקטגוריית סרט הדרמה הטוב ביותר. בין סרטיו הנוספים נמנים: סרט הילדים "צעצועים", עם רובין ויליאמס, "חשיפה", על פי הרומן של מייקל קרייטון, בו כיכבו מייקל דאגלס ודמי מור, ושלושה סרטים בכיכובו של דסטין הופמן, הדרמה עטורת הכוכבים "סליפרס", הסאטירה הפוליטית "לכשכש בכלב" וסרט הפעולה-מדע בדיוני "ספירה". בשנות האלפיים התמקד לוינסון בבימוי קומדיות: "בנדיטס", בו כיכבו ברוס ויליס ובילי בוב תורנטון, "Envy", בו כיכבו בן סטילר וג'ק בלאק ו"איש השנה", בו שיתף פעולה בפעם השלישית עם רובין ויליאמס.

בנוסף להיותו במאי מוערך, לוינסון הוא גם מפיק פורה, במיוחד בשנות האלפיים. הוא שימש כמפיק או מנהל הפקה בהפקות הוליוודיות כ"דוני בראסקו", עם ג'וני דפ ואל פצ'ינו, "הסערה המושלמת", "בוא נדבר על זה" ו"מכתבי אהבה", עם גווינת' פאלטרו. כמו כן מביים לא מעט סרטי טלוויזיה, בהם "יריה בלב", של הבמאית הפולנית אניישקה הולנד וסרטו של סידני לומט, "חיפוש גופני". בנוסף לוינסון הפיק כמה פרויקטים טלוויזיוניים, כשהגדולה שבהם הייתה סדרת הפשע "רצח מאדום לשחור", בין השנים 1993–1999, בו גם ביים שני פרקים, שעל אחד מהם זכה בפרס אמי ב־1993.

ב-2003 פרסם את ספרו הראשון, הנקרא "שישים ושש", זאת לאחר שכמה מסרטיו בבימויו כבר היו למעשה בעלי אלמנטים אוטוביוגרפיים מחייו של לוינסון.

סרטים בבימויו דיינר (1982) הטוב מכולם (1984) פירמידת הפחד (1985) אנשי הפח (1987) בוקר טוב, וייטנאם (1987) איש הגשם (1988) אבלון (1990) באגסי (1991) צעצועים (1992) ג'ימי הוליווד (1994) חשיפה (1994) סליפרס (1996) לכשכש בכלב (1997) ספרה (1998) ליברטי הייטס (1999) שערה בלב הסערה (2000) בנדיטס (2001) קנאה (2004) איש השנה (2006) מה בדיוק קרה? (2008) PoliWood‏ (2009) - סרט דוקומנטרי You Don't Know Jack ‏(2010) - סרט טלוויזיה המפרץ (2012) The Humbling‏ (2014) רוק בקסבה באפגניסטן (2015) קוסם השקרים (2017) - סרט טלוויזיה פטרנו ‏(2018) - סרט טלוויזיה קישורים חיצוניים ויקישיתוף מדיה וקבצים בנושא בארי לוינסון בוויקישיתוף Green globe.svg אתר האינטרנט הרשמי

של בארי לוינסון IMDB Logo 2016.svg בארי לוינסון , במסד הנתונים הקולנועיים IMDb (באנגלית) בארי לוינסון , באתר "אידיבי", מאגר הידע העברי לקולנוע ישראלי ועולמי Allmovie Logo.png בארי לוינסון , באתר AllMovie (באנגלית) בארי לוינסון , באתר Box Office Mojo (באנגלית) https://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%91%D7%90%D7%A8%D7%99_%D7%9C%D7%95...

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Levinson

Barry Levinson (born April 6, 1942) is an American screenwriter, Academy Award winning film director, actor, and producer of film and television. His most notable films include Diner, The Natural, Good Morning, Vietnam, Rain Man, and Bugsy.

Levinson was born in Baltimore, Maryland, the son of Violet "Vi" (née Krichinsky) and Irvin Levinson, who worked in the furniture and appliance business. His family was of Russian Jewish descent.

Career Levinson's first writing work was for variety shows such as The Marty Feldman Comedy Machine, The Lohman and Barkley Show, The Tim Conway Show, and The Carol Burnett Show. After some success as a screenwriter – notably the Mel Brooks comedies Silent Movie (1976) and High Anxiety (1977) (in which he played a bellboy) and the Oscar-nominated script (co-written by then-wife Valerie Curtin) ...And Justice for All (1979) – Levinson began his career as a director with Diner (1982), for which he had also written the script and which earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Screenplay.

Diner was the first of a series of films set in the Baltimore of Levinson's youth. The others were Tin Men (1987), a story of aluminum-siding salesmen in the 1960s starring Richard Dreyfuss and Danny DeVito; the immigrant family saga Avalon (which featured Elijah Wood in one of his earliest screen appearances), and Liberty Heights (1999).

His biggest hit, both critically and financially, was Rain Man (1988), with Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise. (Levinson appeared in a cameo as a doctor.) The film won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. It also won the Golden Bear at the 39th Berlin International Film Festival.[7]

Another of his notable films is the 1984 baseball drama The Natural starring Robert Redford, who would later direct Quiz Show and cast Levinson as television personality Dave Garroway. Levinson also directed Good Morning, Vietnam (1987) and Toys (1992), both with Robin Williams, and the critically acclaimed Bugsy (1991) with Warren Beatty.

He directed Dustin Hoffman again in Wag the Dog (1997), a political comedy co-starring Robert De Niro about a war staged in a film studio. (Levinson had been an uncredited co-writer on Hoffman's 1982 hit comedy Tootsie). The film won the Silver Bear – Special Jury Prize at the 48th Berlin International Film Festival.[8]

Levinson partnered with producer Mark Johnson to form the film production company Baltimore Pictures. The two parted ways in 1994. Levinson has been a producer or executive producer for such major productions as The Perfect Storm directed by Wolfgang Petersen (2000); Analyze That (2002), starring De Niro as a neurotic mob boss and Billy Crystal as his therapist, and Possession (2002), based on the best-selling novel by A. S. Byatt.

He has a television production company with Tom Fontana (The Levinson/Fontana Company) and served as executive producer for a number of series, including Homicide: Life on the Street (which ran on NBC from 1993 to 1999) and the HBO prison drama Oz. Levinson also played an uncredited main role as a judge in the short-lived TV series The Jury.

Levinson published his first novel, Sixty-Six (ISBN 0-7679-1533-X), in 2003. Like several of his films, it is semi-autobiographical and set in Baltimore in the 1960s. He directed two webisodes of the American Express ads "The Adventures of Seinfeld and Superman". In 2004, Levinson was the recipient of the Austin Film Festival's Distinguished Screenwriter Award. Levinson directed a documentary PoliWood about the 2008 Democratic and Republican National Conventions. The documentary, produced by Tim Daly, Robin Bronk and Robert E. Baruc, had its premiere at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival.

Levinson is in production on a film based on Whitey Bulger, the Boston crime boss.[9] The film Black Mass (script by Jim Sheridan, Jez Butterworth, and Russell Gewirtz) is based on the book by Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill, and is said to be the "true story of Billy Bulger, Whitey Bulger, FBI agent John Connelly and the FBI's witness protection program that was created by J. Edgar Hoover."[10]

In September 2013, Levinson was set to direct the film titled Rock the Kasbah, written by Mitch Glazer.[11] Bruce Willis, Shia LaBeouf, Bill Murray and Kate Hudson will star in the film.[12]

In 2010, Levinson received the Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement from the Writers Guild of America.

Filmography[edit] The Tim Conway Show (1970) (Toy) The Marty Feldman Comedy Machine (1971) (TV) The Carol Burnett Show (1973–1976) (TV) Street Girls (with Michael Miller) (1975) (TV) Hot l Baltimore (1975) (TV) The Rich Little Show (1976) (TV) Silent Movie (with Mel Brooks, Ron Clark and Rudy De Luca) (1976) High Anxiety (with Mel Brooks, Ron Clark and Rudy De Luca) (1977) ...And Justice For All (with Valerie Curtin) (1979) (1 Oscar Nomination) Inside Moves (with Valerie Curtin) (1980) Best Friends (with Valerie Curtin) (1982) Diner (1982) (Writer/Director) (1 Oscar Nomination) Unfaithfully Yours (with Valerie Curtin and Robert Klane) (1984) The Natural (1984) (Director) (4 Oscar Nominations) Young Sherlock Holmes (1985) (Director) (1 Oscar Nomination) Tin Men (1987) (Writer/Director) Good Morning, Vietnam (1987) (Director) (1 Oscar Nomination) Rain Man (1988) (Director) (8 Oscar Nominations, 4 Wins) Avalon (1990) (Writer/Director) (4 Oscar Nominations) Bugsy (1991) (Director) (10 Oscar Nominations, 2 Wins) Toys (with Valerie Curtin) (1992) (Co-Writer/Director) (2 Oscar Nominations) Jimmy Hollywood (1994) (Writer/Director) Disclosure (1994) (Director) Homicide: Life on the Streets (1996) (TV) (Developed By) Sleepers (1996) (Writer/Director) (1 Oscar Nomination) Wag The Dog (1997) (Director) (2 Oscar Nominations) Oz (1997–2003) (TV) (Executive Producer) Sphere (1998) (Director) Liberty Heights (1999) (Writer/Director) An Everlasting Piece (2000) (Director) Bandits (2001) (Director) The Jury (2004) (TV) (Creator) Envy (2004) (Director) Man of the Year (2006) (Writer/Director) What Just Happened (2008) (Director) PoliWood (2009) (Director) (TV) (Documentary) The Band that Wouldn't Die (2009) (TV) (Documentary) You Don't Know Jack (2010) (Director) (TV) The Bay (2012) (Director) Copper (2012) (Executive Producer) Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight (2013) (Actor) Rock the Kasbah (2014) (Director) References[edit] Jump up ^ Erickson, Hal. "Barry Levinson". Rovi / All Movie Guide via The New York Times. Retrieved May 30, 2013. Jump up ^ New York Times Jump up ^ Barnes, Brooks (December 14, 2009). "Al Pacino, Barry Levinson and Buck Henry Team Up on a Roth Tale". New York Times. Jump up ^ Filmreference.com Jump up ^ Pqasb.pqarchiver.com Jump up ^ Pqasb.pqarchiver.com Jump up ^ "Berlinale: 1989 Prize Winners". berlinale.de. Retrieved 2011-03-13. Jump up ^ "Berlinale: 1998 Prize Winners". berlinale.de. Retrieved 2012-01-23. Jump up ^ Rottenberg, Josh (February 22, 2013). "Hollywood Insider: What's Going on Behind the Scenes: Boston's Bulger is Now Hollywood's It Gangster". Entertainment Weekly (New York: Time Inc.): 27. Jump up ^ Cappadona, Bryanna (June 20, 2013). "Who Should Play Whitey Bulger in Black Mass?". Boston. Retrieved September 1, 2013. Jump up ^ Fleming Jr, Mike (3 September 2013). "QED Sets Bill Murray For Barry Levinson-Directed ‘Rock The Kasbah’". deadline.com. Retrieved 6 February 2014. Jump up ^ McClintock, Pamela (30 January 2014). "Kate Hudson, Bruce Willis, Shia LaBeouf Join "Rock the Kasbah"". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved 6 February 2014.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Levinson

Barry Levinson (born April 6, 1942) is an American screenwriter, film director, actor, and producer of film and television. His most notable films include The Natural, Good Morning Vietnam, Rain Man, Bugsy, and Bandits.

Early life

Levinson was born in Baltimore, Maryland, the son of Violet "Vi" (née Krichinsky) and Irvin Levinson, who worked in the furniture and appliance business. His family was of Russian Jewish descent. After growing up in Baltimore and graduating from Forest Park Senior High School, Levinson attended Baltimore City Community College, and American University in Washington, D.C. at the American University School of Communication, before moving to Los Angeles to work as an actor and writer. Levinson at one time shared an apartment with would-be drug smuggler (and basis for the movie Blow) George Jung.

Career

Levinson's first writing work was for variety shows such as The Marty Feldman Comedy Machine, The Lohman and Barkley Show, The Tim Conway Show, and The Carol Burnett Show. After some success as a screenwriter — notably the Mel Brooks comedies Silent Movie (1976) and High Anxiety (1977) (in which he played a bellboy) and the Oscar-nominated script (co-written by then-wife Valerie Curtin) …And Justice for All (1979) — Levinson began his career as a director with Diner (1982), for which he had also written the script and which earned him a Oscar nomination for Best Screenplay.

Diner was the first of a series of films set in the Baltimore of Levinson's youth. The others were Tin Men (1987), a story of aluminum-siding salesmen in the 1960s starring Richard Dreyfuss and Danny DeVito; the immigrant family saga Avalon (which featured Elijah Wood in one of his earliest screen appearances), and Liberty Heights (1999).

His biggest hit, both critically and financially, was Rain Man (1988), with Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise. (Levinson appeared in a cameo as a doctor.) The film won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. It also won the Golden Bear at the 39th Berlin International Film Festival.

Another of his notable films is the 1984 baseball drama The Natural starring Robert Redford, who would later direct Quiz Show and cast Levinson as television personality Dave Garroway. Levinson also directed Good Morning, Vietnam (1987) and Toys (1992), both with Robin Williams, and the critically acclaimed Bugsy (1991) with Warren Beatty.

He directed Dustin Hoffman again in Wag the Dog (1997), a political comedy co-starring Robert De Niro about a war staged in a film studio. (Levinson had been an uncredited co-writer on Hoffman's 1982 hit comedy Tootsie). The film won the Silver Bear - Special Jury Prize at the 48th Berlin International Film Festival.

Levinson partnered with producer Mark Johnson to form the film production company Baltimore Pictures. The two parted ways in 1994. Levinson has been a producer or executive producer for such major productions as The Perfect Storm directed by Wolfgang Petersen (2000); Analyze That (2002), starring De Niro as a neurotic mob boss and Billy Crystal as his therapist, and Possession (2002), based on the best-selling novel by A. S. Byatt.

He has a television production company with Tom Fontana (The Levinson/Fontana Company) and served as executive producer for a number of series, including Homicide: Life on the Street (which ran on NBC from 1993–1999) and the HBO prison drama Oz. Levinson also played an uncredited main role as a judge in the short-lived TV series The Jury.

Levinson published his first novel, Sixty-Six (ISBN 0-7679-1533-X), in 2003. Like several of his films, it is semi-autobiographical and set in Baltimore in the 1960s. He directed two webisodes of the American Express ads "The Adventures of Seinfeld and Superman".

In 2004, Levinson was the recipient of the Austin Film Festival's Distinguished Screenwriter Award.

Levinson directed a documentary PoliWood about the 2008 Democratic and Republican National Conventions. The documentary, produced by Tim Daly, Robin Bronk and Robert E. Baruc, had its premiere at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival.

Personal life

Levinson grew up in a Jewish family. He married his writing collaborator Valerie Curtin in 1975. They divorced seven years later. He later married Dianna Rhodes, whom he met in Baltimore while filming Diner. He is the father of Sam, Jack, Michelle, and Patrick Levinson. He is a minority owner of the Baltimore Orioles baseball team.

Currently, he resides with his two sons and wife in Redding, Connecticut.

Filmography

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Levinson#Filmography