Jim Burke Jr. is an American film producer.Par captures 'Hogan's Heroes' - Entertainment News, Film News, Media - Variety
Burke, who is a graduate of the University of Minnesota, was a founding member of Rysher Entertainment. He was the President of Ad Hominem Enterprises, a production company he shared with Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor. The company had a first look deal with Fox Searchlight Pictures. He also served as President of Production at Focus Features.
On January 24, 2012, he was nominated for an Oscar for the movie The Descendants.Academy Awards 2012 | Road to the Oscars - IMDb
In 2019, he won the Academy Award for Best Picture for producing Green Book.Oscars: 'Green Book' Overcomes Backlash to Win Best Picture | The Hollywood Reporter
Over his career, Burke has been involved with films that have garnered 27 Academy Award nominations and 7 Oscars.
Burke is living in Hawaii and has nearly completed his final film as a producer. He is married to Christina Simpkins and father to New York sports broadcaster Madelyn Burke.
Early life and career Burke is the oldest of six children born and raised in Edina, Minnesota. Burke graduated from the University of Minnesota's College of Liberal Arts. In 2011, he was honored with the University's Alumni of Notable Achievement Award.
Prior to his senior year, he arranged for his family to audition for the popular game show Family Feud. Selected as contestants, against all odds, his family won. It was that experience in Los Angeles that enabled Burke to believe a career in show business was achievable.
His first job was as a “satellite jockey” coordinating news and sports satellite feeds. In that job he was introduced to the business of television syndication—the sales of film and television shows to broadcasters nationwide.
Lorimar Television / Warner Bros Within a year, he landed a job at Lorimar Television, which soon after was acquired by Warner Bros. During his 7 years at Warner, after watching thousands of Warner Bros. films, Burke grew to become the studio's authority on its vast film library.
Rysher Entertainment When the opportunity arose, he followed his dream and pursued a career in filmmaking. He was a founding member of Rysher Entertainment—a fledgling film and television company which soon after scored a notable success with the hit syndicated TV show, Saved By The Bell. The enormous profits that show provided were immediately plowed into a small film slate, primarily for HBO.
Rysher was then bought by Cox Communications and provided with the resources to make a full slate of theatrical films. Over the next 5 years Burke supervised the development, production and release of over 30 films. Some of the most notable were, Primal Fear, Private Parts, Kiss the Girls, The Saint, Kingpin, Big Night, and Hard Eight. The experience was invigorating but impersonal. Burke wanted to get closer to the films and make a stylistic imprint.
Ad Hominem While at Rysher, Burke read a script written by two friends entitled Election. It was the best script he had ever read and was driven to getting it made. When making Election he formed a bond with writer Jim Taylor and director Alexander Payne. Sharing the same film aesthetic, the decided to form a production company, Ad Hominem. Ad Hominem, funded by Fox Searchlight, was dedicated to making human films.
At Ad Hominem the trio made several films including The Savages, and Oscar nominated The Descendants, starring George Clooney. Burke spent 7 months in Honolulu while making The Descendants and fell in love with Hawaii's history, culture and people.
Focus Features While preparing the film Downsizing, Burke was unexpectedly approached with an offer to become the President of Production for specialized film groundbreaker and Universal Studios-based Focus Features. At Focus he was tasked with making between 4-8 quality films a year. During that time, he developed a film that came to known as Green Book. He felt so strongly about the film that he asked to be let out of his deal to produce the film. Focus graciously agreed in exchange that he sign a “first look deal” with the studio. However, the film was instead released by Universal Pictures and not by Focus Features like it was originally intended.
Green Book went on to be a hit worldwide and was named best picture of the year by the academy, Golden Globes, Producers Guild and many critics organizations.Oscars: 'Green Book' Overcomes Backlash to Win Best Picture | The Hollywood Reporter
Filmography and awards +YearTitleAwardCategoryResultCredit2022Dreamin' WildProducer2018Green BookAcademy AwardsBest PictureWonProducerBest Actor (Viggo Mortensen)NominatedBest Supporting Actor (Mahershala Ali)WonBest Original ScreenplayWonBest Film EditingNominatedBAFTA AwardsBest FilmNominatedBest Actor (Viggo Mortensen)NominatedBest Supporting Actor (Mahershala Ali)WonBest Original ScreenplayNominatedGolden Globe AwardsBest Picture, Musical or ComedyWonBest Director (Peter Farrelly)NominatedBest Actor, Musical or Comedy (Viggo Mortensen)NominatedBest Supporting Actor (Mahershala Ali)WonBest ScreenplayWonProducers Guild of America AwardsOutstanding ProducingWon2017Atomic BlondeStudio Executive2017Darkest HourAcademy AwardsBest PictureNominatedStudio ExecutiveBest Actor (Gary Oldman)WonBest CinematographyNominatedBest Production DesignNominatedBest Costume DesignNominatedBest Makeup and HairstylingWonBAFTA AwardsBest FilmNominatedBest British FilmNominatedBest Actor (Gary Oldman)WonBest Supporting Actress (Kristin Scott Thomas)NominatedBest CinematographyNominatedBest Production DesignNominatedBest Costume DesignNominatedBest Makeup and HairWonBest MusicNominatedGolden Globe AwardsBest Actor, Drama (Gary Oldman)Won2017Victoria & AbdulAcademy AwardsBest Costume DesignNominatedStudio ExecutiveBest Makeup and HairstylingNominatedBAFTA AwardsBest Makeup & HairNominated2017DownsizingGolden Globe AwardsBest Supporting Actress (Hong Chau)NominatedStudio Executive2017The BeguiledStudio Executive2017The Book of HenryStudio Executive2017The Zookeeper's WifeStudio Executive2016A Monster CallsStudio Executive2016Nocturnal AnimalsAcademy AwardsBest Supporting Actor (Michael Shannon)NominatedStudio ExecutiveBAFTA AwardsBest Director (Tom Ford)NominatedBest Actor (Jake Gyllenhaal)NominatedBest Supporting Actor (Aaron Taylor-Johnson)NominatedBest Adapted ScreenplayNominatedBest CinematographyNominatedBest EditingNominatedBest Production DesignNominatedBest Makeup & HairNominatedBest MusicNominatedGolden Globe AwardsBest Director (Tom Ford)NominatedBest Supporting Actor (Aaron Taylor-Johnson)WonBest ScreenplayNominated2015The Danish GirlAcademy AwardsBest Actor (Eddie Redmayne)NominatedStudio ExecutiveBest Supporting Actress (Alicia Vikander)WonBest Production DesignNominatedBest Costume DesignNominatedBAFTA AwardsBest British FilmNominatedBest Actor (Eddie Redmayne)NominatedBest Actress (Alicia Vikander)NominatedBest Costume DesignNominatedBest Makeup & HairNominatedGolden Globe AwardsBest Actor, Drama (Eddie Redmayne)NominatedBest Actress, Drama (Alicia Vikander)NominatedBest Original ScoreNominated2014Kumiko, the Treasure HunterProducer2011The DescendantsAcademy AwardsBest PictureNominatedProducerBest Director (Alexander Payne)NominatedBest Actor (George Clooney)NominatedBest Adapted ScreenplayWonBest EditingNominatedBAFTA AwardsBest FilmNominatedBest Actor (George Clooney)NominatedBest Adapted ScreenplayNominatedProducers Guild of America AwardsOutstanding ProducingNominatedGolden Globe AwardsBest Picture, DramaWonBest Director (Alexander Payne)NominatedBest Actor (George Clooney)WonBest Supporting Actress (Shailene Woodley)NominatedBest ScreenplayNominated2011Cedar RapidsProducer2007The SavagesAcademy AwardsBest Actress (Laura Linney)NominatedExecutive ProducerBest Adapted ScreenplayNominatedGolden Globe AwardsBest Actor, Musical or Comedy (Philip Seymour Hoffman)Nominated2004Walking TallProducer2001The BreedProducer1999ElectionAcademy AwardsBest Adapted ScreenplayNominatedCo-ProducerGolden Globe AwardsBest Actress, Musical or Comedy (Reese Witherspoon)Nominated1999OneGinBAFTA AwardsBest British FilmNominatedProduction Executive1998The Opposite of SexGolden Globe AwardsBest Actress, Musical or Comedy (Christina Ricci)Production Executive1997A Smile Like YoursProduction Executive1997The Eighteenth AngelExecutive Producer1997SwitchbackProduction Executive1997Kiss The GirlsProduction Executive1997The SaintProduction Executive1997Zeus and RoxanneProduction Executive1997TurbulenceProduction Executive1996Hard EightProduction Executive1996The Evening StarGolden GlobesBest Supporting Actress (Marion Ross)NominatedProduction Executive1996Dear GodProduction Executive19962 Days in the ValleyCo-Producer1996Big NightProduction Executive1996FoxfireProduction Executive1996House ArrestProduction Executive1996Escape from L.AProduction Executive1996KingpinCo-Producer1996Primal FearAcademy AwardsBest Supporting Actor (Edward Norton)NominatedProduction ExecutiveBAFTA AwardsBest Supporting Actor (Edward Norton)NominatedGolden Globe AwardsBest Supporting Actor (Edward Norton)Won1995ChameleonProduction Executive1995White Man's BurdenProduction Executive1995It Takes TwoProduction Executive1995Let It Be MeProduction Executive1995Three WishesProduction Executive1995Perfect AlibiProduction Executive1995The ShowProduction Executive1995Above SuspicionProduction Executive1995Destiny Turns on the RadioProduction Executive1995Bodily HarmProduction Executive1994Judicial ConsentProduction Executive1994A Passion to KillProduction Executive
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