Barry Levinson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Barry Levinson
|
|
|---|---|
Levinson in 2009
|
|
| Born |
Barry Lee Levinson
April 6, 1942 Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
|
| Alma mater | American University |
| Occupation |
|
| Years active | 1970–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Valerie Curtin
(m. 1975; div. 1982)Diana Rhodes
(m. 1983) |
| Children | 3, including Sam Levinson |
Barry Lee Levinson (born April 6, 1942) is a famous American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is known for making many popular movies. Barry Levinson won an Academy Award for Best Director for his film Rain Man in 1988. Some of his other well-known movies include Diner (1982), The Natural (1984), Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), Bugsy (1991), and Wag the Dog (1997).
Contents
Barry Levinson's Early Life and Education
Barry Levinson grew up in Forest Park, Baltimore, Maryland. His family has a Russian-Jewish background. After finishing high school in 1960, he went to Baltimore City Community College. Later, he studied broadcast journalism at American University in Washington, D.C..
After college, Barry moved to Los Angeles. He wanted to be an actor and writer. He even performed comedy routines!
Barry Levinson's Film Career and Famous Movies
Barry Levinson started his career writing for TV shows. He wrote for popular variety shows like The Carol Burnett Show. He then became a successful film screenwriter. He helped write comedies like Silent Movie (1976) and High Anxiety (1977) for Mel Brooks. He also co-wrote the Oscar-nominated script for ...And Justice for All (1979).
Directing His First Films
Barry Levinson began directing movies with Diner (1982). He also wrote the script for this film. Diner earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay. This movie was the first of four films he made that were set in Baltimore. These films showed what Baltimore was like when he was growing up.
The other three Baltimore films were Tin Men (1987), Avalon (1990), and Liberty Heights (1999). Tin Men was about salesmen in the 1960s. Avalon told the story of an immigrant family. Liberty Heights was also set in Baltimore.
Directing Award-Winning Films
Levinson's biggest success was Rain Man (1988). This movie was about two brothers. It starred Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise. Barry Levinson even had a small role as a doctor in the film. Rain Man won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director for Levinson. It also won the Golden Bear award at the 39th Berlin International Film Festival.
He also directed The Natural (1984), a popular baseball movie starring Robert Redford. Later, Redford directed a movie called Quiz Show (1994) and cast Levinson in it.
Working with Famous Actors
Barry Levinson directed the funny war movie Good Morning, Vietnam (1987). It starred Robin Williams as Adrian Cronauer. Levinson worked with Robin Williams again on the fantasy film Toys (1992) and the comedy Man of the Year (2006).
He also directed the crime drama Bugsy (1991), starring Warren Beatty. This film was nominated for ten Academy Awards. Levinson worked with Dustin Hoffman again in Wag the Dog (1997). This movie was a political comedy about a fake war. It also starred Robert De Niro.
Producing and Television Work
Barry Levinson also produced many films through his company, Baltimore Pictures. Some of these include The Perfect Storm (2000) and Analyze That (2002). He also has a TV production company with Tom Fontana. They produced popular TV series like Homicide: Life on the Street (1993-1999) and the HBO prison drama Oz.
Recent Projects and Awards
In 2003, Levinson published his first novel, Sixty-Six. Like some of his films, it was based on his own life and set in Baltimore in the 1960s. He also directed The Humbling (2014) with Al Pacino and Rock the Kasbah (2015) with Bill Murray.
In 2010, Barry Levinson received the Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement. This is a special award for his lifetime of great writing from the Writers Guild of America.
Barry Levinson's Personal Life
Barry Levinson married Valerie Curtin in 1975, who was also his writing partner. They divorced seven years later. He then married Diana Rhodes in 1983. They met in Baltimore while he was filming Diner.
Barry has three children: Sam, Jack, and Michelle. His son, Sam Levinson, is also a director and writer. Barry Levinson is a part-owner of the Baltimore Orioles baseball team. He lives with his family in Redding, Connecticut.
See also
- Barry Levinson's unrealized projects
