Andrew G. Vajna facts for kids

Andrew G. Vajna (born András György Vajna; 1 August 1944 – 20 January 2019) was a Hungarian film producer. He was known for producing many famous movies like the first three Rambo films, Total Recall, Die Hard with a Vengeance, Evita, and Terminator 3. He also started film companies such as Carolco Pictures, Cinergi Pictures, and C2 Pictures. He often worked with Mario Kassar.

Quick facts for kids Andrew G. Vajna
Vajna in 2013
Born	András György Vajna (1944-08-01)1 August 1944 Budapest, Hungary
Died	20 January 2019(2019-01-20) (aged 74) Budapest, Hungary
Resting place	Kerepesi Cemetery
Education	University of California, Los Angeles
Occupation	Film producer
Years active	1975–2009
Spouse(s)	Tímea Palácsik ​ (m. 2013)​

Biography

Early Life and First Businesses

Andrew G. Vajna was born in Budapest, Hungary. In 1956, when he was 12 years old, he left Hungary. The Red Cross helped him travel alone to Canada. He arrived without friends and couldn't speak English. Later, he met his parents again in Los Angeles, USA. They had also left Hungary.

He studied filmmaking at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He then worked in the university's film department on different projects. Andrew Vajna wanted to be independent. He left UCLA to open his own photo studio. However, he broke his leg in a skiing accident, and the business had to close for nine months.

After he recovered, he became a hairdresser. He teamed up with a childhood friend, Gábor Koltai, who was a wig stylist in Hollywood. They decided to make high-quality wigs. Vajna moved to Hong Kong and started his own wig company called Gilda Fashion. By 1973, the company had over 3,000 employees. He sold the company that year.

Starting in the Film Industry: The Carolco Years

Vajna began his career in movies by buying film theaters in Asia. He started Panasia Films Limited in Hong Kong. This company made a lot of money by distributing and selling films. In 1976, Vajna sold Panasia to Raymond Chow's Golden Harvest Company.

At the 1975 Cannes Film Festival, he met Mario Kassar, another film producer. They decided to create a company called Carolco. This company focused on selling, funding, and distributing films around the world. Carolco quickly became one of the top film sales companies in less than four years.

In 1982, Vajna helped start the American Film Marketing Association. In the same year, Vajna and Kassar produced their first movie, Rambo: First Blood. It starred Sylvester Stallone. First Blood was a big hit, earning $120 million globally. Rambo: First Blood Part II came out in 1985 and made over $300 million worldwide.

Vajna was an executive producer for many other films with Mario Kassar. These included Angel Heart, Rambo III, Music Box, Total Recall, and Jacob's Ladder.

Cinergi Productions Inc.

In 1989, Andrew Vajna sold his share in Carolco for $106 million. He then started Cinergi Productions, Inc.. This new company focused on funding, developing, producing, and distributing major movies. Cinergi worked with The Walt Disney Company to distribute its films in the United States, Canada, and Latin America.

Vajna wanted to work with talented people for a long time. He aimed to produce two to four big movies each year. Cinergi's first film was Medicine Man. In 1993, they released Tombstone, a movie about Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday. In 1994, Cinergi released Renaissance Man and Color of Night.

In 1995, Cinergi released two more successful films. The first was Die Hard with a Vengeance, which earned over $365 million worldwide. The second was Judge Dredd. Cinergi also released The Scarlet Letter and Nixon that year. Nixon received four nominations for the Academy Awards.

Another important Cinergi film was Evita, starring Madonna. This film was also a commercial success, making $141 million worldwide. It won the Golden Globe for Best Picture in 1996.

Returning to Hungarian Film

Andrew Vajna never forgot his Hungarian background. He always tried to help the film industry in Hungary. He played a big part in many films being shot in Budapest. Some of these included Evita, Escape to Victory, and Red Heat.

He also helped distribute movies in Hungary. Eventually, his company had 70% of the Hungarian box office. In 1989, Vajna founded InterCom. This company became a leader in the market. It distributed films from many Hollywood studios, like 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros.

He produced the very popular Hungarian comedy Out of Order in 1997. This movie was seen by 750,000 people in cinemas. It broke Hungarian box office records.

In 1998, Vajna bought back all the public shares of Cinergi. He then teamed up with his old partner, Mario Kassar, to start C2 Pictures. Their first big Hollywood movie was I Spy (2002). It starred Eddie Murphy and Owen Wilson and was filmed in Budapest.

In 2002, he started DIGIC Pictures in Hungary. This is an animation studio that creates 3D animation and visual effects. In 2003, he and Kassar produced Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines with Arnold Schwarzenegger.

In 2005, Vajna was an executive producer for a documentary called Freedom's Fury. This film showed his interest in the story of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. He also produced The Children of Glory, a film about the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. It was Hungary's most successful movie in 2006.

Changing Hungarian Film Funding

From 2011, Vajna worked as a Government Commissioner for the Hungarian film industry. In the same year, he created the Hungarian National Film Fund. Its goal was to help produce Hungarian films that would entertain people and be successful both in Hungary and around the world. Under Vajna's leadership, the money spent on film production in Hungary doubled between 2011 and 2014.

The Film Fund provides financial and professional support. It also helps with marketing, expert advice, and international connections. It supports film festivals, sales, and training programs.

One of the recent films that received money from the Hungarian National Film Fund was Son of Saul. This drama won the Grand Prix at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival. It also won the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film. This was the first time a Hungarian film won this award. Most importantly, Son of Saul won the Academy Award in 2016 for Best Foreign Language Film.

During Vajna's time, Hungarian movies funded by the Hungarian National Film Fund won over 130 international awards. Also, the number of foreign films made in Hungary grew a lot.

Media Companies

After returning to Hungary, Vajna became involved in media. In 2015, he bought the Hungarian TV2 Group. This was the country's second-largest commercial TV channel. He also owned the Rádió 1 radio station from 2016 until his death. In 2017, he bought Lapcom Zrt., which included newspapers like Bors and Kisalföld.

Death

Andrew Vajna passed away from a heart attack at his home in Budapest on 20 January 2019. He was 74 years old.

Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Andrew G. Vajna para niños