Bruce Berman (born April 25, 1952) is an American film industry executive and executive producer. He is the chairman and CEO of Village Roadshow Pictures, a position he has held from 1997 to 2021. His credits as an executive producer include American Sniper, The Lego Movie, The Great Gatsby, the Ocean's trilogy, Sherlock Holmes and its sequel, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Happy Feet and The Matrix franchise.
Berman is noted for his collection of contemporary American photographs. In 2004, he was listed among the world's top 25 photography collectors by ARTnews.
Early life and education Berman was born to a Jewish family in New York in 1952. As a teenager, he developed a passion for photography and contemplated a career as a photographer. He continued to pursue photography throughout high school and into college, where, as a student at Bennington College, he would take frequent road trips to shoot photos of 20th century Americana.
Berman's focus shifted to film after he was accepted at the California Institute of the Arts film school. "I didn't think I could make a living at photography," Berman said in a 2007 interview with the Los Angeles Times. "And when I got into film school, I didn't think I could do both."
In addition to Bennington and CalArts, Berman attended UCLA, where he graduated cum laude with a degree in United States history. He also attended Georgetown University Law School, earning a juris doctor in 1978.
Career Berman began working with Jack Valenti at the MPAA while a student at Georgetown. After he received his degree, he was hired as an assistant to Peter Guber at Casablanca Filmworks. In 1979, he moved to Universal Pictures, where he worked for Sean Daniel and Joel Silver. Less than three years later, he was named vice president of production.
In 1984, Berman was recruited by Warner Bros. Pictures as a vice president of production, and in 1987 was promoted to senior vice president of production. He was named president of theatrical production in 1989 and president of worldwide theatrical production in 1991. During his tenure at Warner Bros. he produced and distributed films including Goodfellas, Batman Forever, JFK, The Fugitive, The Bodyguard, and Driving Miss Daisy.
In May 1996, Berman started Plan B Entertainment, an independent motion picture company affiliated with Warner Bros. In 1997, Warner Bros entered into a joint venture with Village Roadshow Pictures, and Berman was appointed chairman and CEO. Considered "one of the industry’s leading financiers and producers of studio released motion pictures," the Village Roadshow and Warner Bros. partnership was extended in 2012 to 2017. The company established a second joint partnership with Sony Pictures Entertainment in 2014.
On September 27, 2021, Berman stepped down as chairman and CEO of Village Roadshow Pictures.
In May 2023, Bruce came out of retirement to join the new Pan-Asian studio Through The Lens Entertainment as the President and Co-Chairman.
Photography collection In 1991, Berman was given an Edward S. Curtis photograph of a thatched American Indian shelter as a gift. It inspired him to begin a photography collection, which grew to include more than 2600 works by photographers including William Eggleston, Diane Arbus, Richard Misrach, Dorothea Lange, and Walker Evans. He and his ex-wife Nancy Goliger donated nearly 500 of the photographs to the J. Paul Getty Museum, which in 2007 showcased them in the exhibition Where We Live: Photographs of America From the Berman Collection.
Personal life Berman has two children; a daughter, with his wife, Lea Russo (an art collection manager), and a son from his previous marriage to Goliger.
Filmography (as executive producer) Year Title Notes1998 Practical Magic1999 Analyze This The Matrix Four Academy AwardsBest Film Editing (Zach Staenberg)Best Sound (John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff, David E. Campbell)Best Visual Effects (John Gaeta, Janek Sirrs, Steve Courtley, Jon Thum) Best Sound Effects Editing (Dane A. Davis)Deep Blue Sea Three Kings Three to Tango 2000 Gossip Red Planet ProducerMiss Congeniality 2001ValentineSaving Silverman See Spot Run Exit Wounds Swordfish Cats & Dogs Training Day Hearts in Atlantis Don't Say a Word Ocean's Eleven 2002Queen of the Damned Showtime Eight Legged Freaks ProducerThe Adventures of Pluto Nash Ghost Ship Analyze That Two Weeks Notice 2003Dreamcatcher The Matrix ReloadedMystic River Two Academy AwardsBest Actor in a Leading Role (Sean Penn)Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Tim Robbins)The Matrix Revolutions 2004Torque Taking Lives Catwoman Ocean's Twelve 2005Miss Congeniality 2: Armed & Fabulous House of Wax Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Academy Award nominationBest Costume Design (Gabriella Pescucci)The Dukes of Hazzard Rumor Has It... 2006Firewall The Lake House Happy Feet Academy Award Best Animated FeatureUnaccompanied Minors 2007 Music and Lyrics The Reaping Lucky You Ocean's Thirteen License to Wed No Reservations The InvasionThe Brave One I Am Legend 2008Street Kings Speed Racer Get Smart Nights in Rodanthe Yes Man Gran Torino 2009Where the Wild Things AreSherlock Holmes Two Academy Award nominationsBest Original Score (Hans Zimmer) Best Art Direction (Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer)2010Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole Life as We Know It 2011 Happy Feet Two Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows 2012The Lucky One Dark Shadows 2013Gangster Squad The Great Gatsby Two Academy AwardsBest Production Design (Catherine Martin and Beverley Dunn) Best Costume Design (Catherine Martin)2014The Lego Movie Academy Award nomination Best Original Song (Shawn Patterson)Winter's Tale Edge of Tomorrow The Judge Into the Storm American Sniper Academy AwardBest Sound Editing (Alan Robert Murray and Bob Asman)Six Academy Award NominationsBest PictureBest Actor (Bradley Cooper)Best Adapted Screenplay (Jason Hall)Best Film Editing (Joel Cox and Gary D. Roach)Best Sound Mixing (John T. Reitz, Gregg Rudloff and Walt Martin)2015 Jupiter Ascending Mad Max: Fury RoadSix Academy AwardsBest Film Editing (Margaret Sixel)Best Production Design (Colin Gibson and Lisa Thompson)Best Costume Design (Jenny Beavan) Best Makeup and Hairstyling (Lesley Vanderwalt, Elka Wardega and Damian MartinBest Sound Mixing (Chris Jenkins, Gregg Rudloff, Ben Osmo)Best Sound Editing (Mark Mangini and David White)Ten Academy Award NominationsBest PictureBest Director (George Miller)Best Cinematography (John Seale)Best Visual Effects (Andrew Jackson, Tom Wood, Dan Oliver, and Andy Williams)San Andreas Goosebumps Concussion In the Heart of the Sea 2016 Grimsby The Legend of Tarzan SullyThe Magnificent SevenCollateral BeautyPassengers2017 Fist Fight Going in Style King Arthur: Legend of the SwordThe House2018 The 15:17 to Paris Ready Player One Ocean's 8 2019 Joker Two Academy AwardsBest Actor (Joaquin Phoenix)Best Original Score (Hildur Guðnadóttir)Eleven Academy Award NominationsBest PictureBest Director (Todd Phillips)Best Adapted Screenplay (Todd Phillips and Scott Silver)Best Film Editing (Jeff Groth)Best Cinematography (Lawrence Sher)Best Costume Design (Mark Bridges)Best Makeup And Hairstyling (Nicki Ledermann, Kay Georgiou)Best Sound Mixing (Tom Ozanich, Dean Zupancic and Tod Maitland)Best Sound Editing (Alan Robert Murray)2021 The Matrix Resurrections
References
External links Village Roadshow Pictures Official Website