Rob Cohen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rob Cohen
Cohen on the bridge of the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) in 2004
Born	Robert Alan Cohen (1949-03-12) March 12, 1949 (age 76) Cornwall, New York, U.S.
Alma mater	Harvard University
Occupation	Producer, director, screenwriter
Years active	1975–2018
Notable work	Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story Dragonheart Daylight The Skulls The Fast and the Furious XXX Stealth The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
Spouse(s)	Diane Mitzner ​ ​ (m. 1986; div. 1987)​ Barbara Cohen ​ (m. 2006)​

Robert Alan Cohen (born March 12, 1949) is an American film director and producer. He has worked on many popular movies and TV shows. He started his career as an executive producer, helping to create films like The Wiz. Later, in the 1990s, he began directing full-time. Some of his most famous action films include The Fast and the Furious and XXX.

Early Life and Start in Hollywood

Robert Alan Cohen was born in New York on March 12, 1949. He grew up interested in drama and writing. In 1967, he finished high school at Newburgh Free Academy. He was even president of the drama club there!

He then went to Harvard University and graduated in 1971. His first filmmaking project was a recruiting film for Harvard. After college, he moved to Los Angeles to work in movies.

Discovering a Hit Movie

At first, Rob Cohen had a tough time finding a job in Hollywood. He even worked at an animal hospital for a while! But then, he got a job as a "reader" for a talent agent named Mike Medavoy. A reader's job is to read movie scripts and decide if they are good.

One day, Rob found a script that he thought was amazing. He told his boss it would be a huge hit. His boss said he would try to sell it, but if it didn't sell, Rob would be fired. Luckily, Universal bought the script that very afternoon! This script became the famous, award-winning movie The Sting (1973). This big success helped Rob make a name for himself in Hollywood.

Rob Cohen's Film Career

Rob Cohen's career in film and television has lasted over 40 years. He has been a writer, producer, and director.

Producing Movies and TV Shows

In 1973, Rob started working at 20th Century Fox Television. He helped with popular TV shows like M*A*S*H. He also helped Fox start making TV movies. He even sold two TV films to ABC and CBS on his own!

Later, he joined Motown, a famous music company, to help them make movies. He developed the film Mahogany (1975), starring Diana Ross. He also worked on The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings (1976), which starred Billy Dee Williams and James Earl Jones.

After leaving Motown, Rob continued to produce many films and TV series. These included Miami Vice, Light of Day, and The Witches of Eastwick.

Directing Action-Packed Films

From the 1990s onwards, Rob Cohen focused mainly on directing. He directed several successful films, such as Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story and Dragonheart.

In 2001, Rob directed the action film The Fast and the Furious. This movie was a huge hit and starred Paul Walker and Vin Diesel. Because of its success, Rob worked with Vin Diesel again the next year on another action movie called xXx.

He also directed The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor in 2008, which made a lot of money worldwide. In 2015, he directed The Boy Next Door, starring Jennifer Lopez.

Besides movies, Rob Cohen has also directed over 150 TV commercials for big companies like Disney, Verizon, and Ford.

Rob Cohen's Filmography

Movies He Directed

Movies He Produced

Movies He Was an Executive Producer For

Television Work

Music Videos

• Rammstein for "Feuer frei!" (2002)
• Rammstein for "Lichtspielhaus" (2003)

Images for kids

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  Rob Cohen on the bridge of the USS Abraham Lincoln in 2004

See also

In Spanish: Rob Cohen para niños