James L. Brooks facts for kids

Quick facts for kids James L. Brooks
Born	(1940-05-09) May 9, 1940 Brooklyn, New York

James L. Brooks (born May 9, 1940) is a three-time Academy Award, nineteen-time Emmy and Golden Globe-winning American producer, writer, and movie director.

He is best known for creating American television programs such as The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Simpsons, Rhoda and Taxi. His best-known movie is Terms of Endearment, for which he received three Academy Awards in 1984.

Career

Brooks won several Emmy Awards for The Mary Tyler Moore Show

James L. Brooks was raised in a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York. Brooks began his television career as a writer for CBS News from 1964 to 1966. After working for the ABC television series as executive story editor, Brooks was hired along with writing partner Allan Burns by television executive Grant Tinker to create a show that would later become The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

The Mary Tyler Moore Show became a critical and commercial success and spawned many other television shows created by Brooks and Burns.

In 1978, Brooks began work on feature motion films. His first project was being writer and co-producer on the film Starting Over and later wrote, produced, and directed Terms of Endearment in 1983.

Brooks later started his own film and television production company, Gracie Films, in 1984. Gracie Films would produce the television series The Tracey Ullman Show and The Simpsons. Brooks had a cameo in one Simpsons episode (Season 14 Episode 13, A Star is Born-Again).

Personal life

Brooks was married twice. His first wife was Marianne Catherine Morrissey; they have one daughter, Amy Lorraine Brooks. They divorced in 1964. In 1978, he married Holly Beth Holmberg; they had three children together: daughter Chloe and sons Cooper and Joseph. They divorced in 1999.

Filmography

Films

Year	Film	Position	Notes
1979	Starting Over	Producer Writer
	Real Life	Actor	Appears as Driving evaluator
1981	Modern Romance	Actor	Appears as David
1983	Terms of Endearment	Director Producer Writer	Academy Award for Best Director Academy Award for Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay) Academy Award for Best Picture Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing - Feature Film Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Director Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Screenplay National Board of Review Award for Best Director Writers Guild of America Award for Best Comedy Adapted from Another Medium Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Director
1987	Broadcast News	Director Producer Writer	Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Director (2nd place) New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Director New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Screenplay Nominated—Academy Award for Best Picture Nominated—Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay Nominated—Berlin International Film Festival Golden Bear Nominated—Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing - Feature Film Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Director Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay Nominated—Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay
1988	Big	Producer	Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Fantasy Film
1989	Say Anything...	Executive producer
	The War of the Roses	Co-producer
1994	I'll Do Anything	Director Producer Writer
1996	Bottle Rocket	Executive producer
	Jerry Maguire	Co-producer	Nominated—Academy Award for Best Picture
1997	As Good as It Gets	Director Co-writer Producer	San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Original Screenplay Satellite Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy Southeastern Film Critics Association Award for Best Original Screenplay Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay Nominated—Academy Award for Best Picture Nominated—Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay Nominated—Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Director Nominated—Czech Lion for Best Foreign Language Film Nominated—Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing - Feature Film Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Director Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay Nominated—Producers Guild of America Award for Best Theatrical Motion Picture
2001	Riding in Cars with Boys	Co-producer
2004	Spanglish	Director Producer Writer	Nominated—Imagen Foundation Award for Best Director – Film
2007	The Simpsons Movie	Co-producer Co-writer	Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Animated Film
2010	How Do You Know	Director Producer Writer
2012	The Longest Daycare	Co-producer Co-writer
2016	The Edge of Seventeen	Producer

Television

Year	Series	Position	Notes
1965	Men in Crisis	Producer Writer	episode: "Halsey vs Yamamoto" episode: "Kennedy vs Khrushchev"
	October Madness: The World Series	Writer	TV movie documentary
1965–1966	Time-Life Specials: The March of Time	Writer	"And Away We Go" "The Odyssey of the Automobile" "The Enterprise in Action"
1966	My Mother the Car	Writer	episode 1.26: "It Might as Well be Spring as Not" episode 1.28: "The Blabbermouth"
1966–1967	That Girl	Writer	episode 1.16: "Christmas and the Hard-Luck Kid" episode 1.21: "Rain, Snow, and Rice" episode 2.1: "Pass the Potatoes, Ethel Merman" Nominated—Writers Guild of America Award for Television: Episodic Comedy
1967	Hey, Landlord	Writer	episode 1.24: "Sharin' Sharon"
	Accidental Family	Writer Story editor	episode 1.2: "Hot Kid in a Cold Town"
1968	The Andy Griffith Show	Writer	episode 8.17: "The Mayberry Chef" episode 8.18: "Emmett's Brother-in-Law"
	My Three Sons	Writer	episode 8.27: "The Perfect Separation"
	The Doris Day Show	Writer	episode 1.11: "The Job"
	Good Morning, World	Writer	episode 1.21: "Pot Luckless"
	Mayberry R.F.D.	Writer	episode 1.7: "Youth Takes Over"
1969	My Friend Tony	Writer Story editor	episode 1.7: "Encounter"
1969–1974	Room 222	Creator Writer	113 episodes
1970–1977	The Mary Tyler Moore Show	Creator Executive producer Producer Script consultant Writer	168 episodes Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series (1975–1977) Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series (1971, 1977) Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series (1971–1974) Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series (1973) Nominated—Writers Guild of America Award for Television: Episodic Comedy (1973, 1978)
1973	Going Places	Writer	TV short
1974	Thursday's Game	Producer Writer	Television film
	Paul Sand in Friends and Lovers	Creator Writer	15 episodes
1974–1978	Rhoda	Actor Creator Executive producer Producer Writer	110 episodes appears uncredited as "Subway Passenger" in episode 1.9: "Rhoda's Wedding: Part 2" Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series (1975) Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series (1975, for episode: "Rhoda's Wedding")
1975–1977	Phyllis	Creator	48 episodes
1976	Saturday Night Live	Actor	as Paul Reynold in episode 1.9: "Elliot Gould/Anne Murray"
1977–1982	Lou Grant	Creator Executive consultant Executive producer Writer	114 episodes Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series (1978)
1978	Cindy	Creative consultant Producer Writer	TV movie
1978–1983	Taxi	Creator Executive creative consultant Executive producer Writer	114 episodes Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series (1979–1981)
1979–1980	The Associates	Creator Executive producer	13 episodes
1980	Carlton Your Doorman	Writer	TV short
1987–1990	The Tracey Ullman Show	Executive producer Writer	80 episodes Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series (1990) Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Series (1989) Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Series (1987–1988, 1990) Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety, Music, or Comedy Special (for episode: The Best of the Tracey Ullman Show, 1990) Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series (1987–1989)
1989–present	The Simpsons	Actor Creative consultant Executive producer Producer Writer	appeared as himself in episode 14.13: "A Star Is Born Again" Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour) (1990–1991, 1995, 1997–1998, 2000–2001, 2003, 2006, 2008) Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour) (1990, 1992, 1996, 1999, 2002, 2004–2005, 2007, 2009–2013)
1991–1992	Sibs	Executive producer
1993	Phenom	Executive producer	22 episodes
1994–1995	The Critic	Executive creative consultant Executive producer	7 episodes
2001	What About Joan	Producer	21 episodes