Don Simpson facts for kids

Donald Clarence Simpson (October 29, 1943 – January 19, 1996) was a famous American film producer, screenwriter, and actor. He was known for making many popular movies.

Don Simpson worked with his producing partner, Jerry Bruckheimer. Together, they created huge hit films. Some of these include Flashdance (1983), Beverly Hills Cop (1984), and Top Gun (1986). They also made The Rock (1996). By the time Don Simpson passed away in 1996, his movies had earned over $3 billion worldwide. That's a lot of money!

Early Life and Education

Don Simpson was born in Seattle, Washington, in 1943. His father worked as a mechanic at Boeing. Don grew up in Juneau, Alaska. His parents were very religious, and he went to church often. He even called himself a "straight-A Bible student."

He attended West Anchorage High School. Later, he studied English at the University of Oregon. After college, he worked as a ski instructor in Utah. Then he moved to San Francisco. There, he worked for a company that made advertisements for movies.

Don Simpson's Film Career

Don Simpson had a very successful career in the movie business. He started by helping to market films. Then he became a top producer.

Starting in Movies

In the early 1970s, Don Simpson moved to Los Angeles. He got a job at Warner Bros in 1972. He helped market movies like Woodstock and A Clockwork Orange. This meant he helped tell people about these films.

In 1975, he interviewed for a job at Paramount Pictures. His friend Steve Tisch helped him get the interview. Don even co-wrote a film called Cannonball in 1976. He also had a small acting role in it.

Rising at Paramount Studios

By 1977, Don Simpson became a vice-president at Paramount. He was promoted to president in 1981. He worked on many movies at once. Sometimes, he would get very upset during production. He was fired from Paramount in 1982.

Soon after, he teamed up with Jerry Bruckheimer. This partnership became very famous. They made some of the biggest movies of the 1980s. These included Flashdance (1983) and Beverly Hills Cop (1984). They also produced Top Gun (1986) and Beverly Hills Cop II (1987).

Because of their success, Don and Jerry were named Producers of the Year. This happened in 1985 and again in 1988. Their hit movie Flashdance led them to start their own production company. This company worked with Paramount Pictures.

Moving to Disney

In 1990, Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer signed a big deal with Paramount. It was worth $300 million. But this deal didn't last long. Later that year, they released Days of Thunder. This movie starred Tom Cruise. It made $158 million, which was a lot. But it didn't do as well as their earlier films.

Don and Jerry blamed Paramount for the movie's performance. They said the studio rushed the film. Paramount blamed the producers for spending too much money. So, the duo left Paramount.

In 1991, they signed a new deal with Disney. Their first film for Disney was The Ref (1994). It didn't make much money. But their next films were big hits. These included Dangerous Minds, Crimson Tide, and Bad Boys. All these movies came out in 1995. They brought Don and Jerry back to success.

Personal Life

Don Simpson never got married. He lived by himself in a large house in Beverly Hills.

He was known for being very direct and outspoken. He believed that a producer's main job was "to make money." Don also worked out every day. He used special exercise equipment.

Death

Don Simpson passed away on January 19, 1996. He was found at his home in Bel Air, Los Angeles.

After his death, his brother Lary Simpson started his own production company. He wanted to develop projects that Don Simpson had started.

Filmography

Don Simpson was a producer for most of these films.

Film

As an actor

As writer

Television

Posthumous Credits

These films were released after Don Simpson's death, but his production company was still credited.