Lawrence Gordon (producer) facts for kids

Lawrence Gordon was born on March 25, 1936. He is an American film producer and a movie executive. This means he helps make movies happen, from getting the money to hiring the right people. He is known for producing many exciting action movies and other types of films.

Some of his most famous movies include 48 Hours (1982), Predator (1987), Die Hard (1988), and Point Break (1991). He also produced Boogie Nights (1997), Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001), and the recent hit Prey (2022).

Life and career

Lawrence Gordon grew up in Belzoni, Mississippi. He went to Tulane University in New Orleans. After finishing college, he moved to Los Angeles in 1964. This is where he started his career in the movie business.

He began working for a famous producer named Aaron Spelling. Gordon became a writer and associate producer for the TV show Burke's Law. He quickly moved up in the industry. He worked as an executive producer at big companies like ABC and Screen Gems.

In 1968, Gordon joined American International Pictures (AIP). By 1969, he was in charge of developing new movies there. He left AIP in 1970 to start his own company. He later returned to AIP in 1972 as the head of movie production. During his time there, he helped release films like Slaughter and Boxcar Bertha.

Gordon also worked as an executive producer on Dillinger (1973). In 1974, he left AIP again to start his own company and made a deal with Columbia Pictures. His first film with them was Hard Times (1975). In 1978, he had two very successful movies, Hooper and The End. Both of these movies starred the actor Burt Reynolds.

Gordon and fellow producer Walter Hill planned to make a movie called The Last Gun. When that didn't work out, they made The Warriors instead. In the early 1980s, he also created the TV series Matt Houston. Gordon worked on many films in the 1970s and 1980s with producer Joel Silver. Their notable collaborations include Streets of Fire and 48 Hrs..

In 1984, Gordon became the head of production at 20th Century Fox. He was later named president of Fox Entertainment Group. In 1986, he stepped down from his role as president to focus on his health. He planned to continue producing movies independently with 20th Century Fox.

In 1989, he produced Field of Dreams, which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture. After this, he started his own company called Largo Entertainment. This company was supported by a Japanese company called JVC.

Gordon also had a deal with Universal Pictures to produce movies under his company, Lawrence Gordon Productions. Through this company, he produced films like Jumpin' Jack Flash, Boogie Nights, Mystery Men, and the Lara Croft: Tomb Raider movies. He also produced Watchmen.

Selected films and TV shows

Lawrence Gordon has been a producer for many films and TV shows. Here are some of the projects he worked on:

Films

Television shows

See also

In Spanish: Lawrence Gordon (productor) para niños