Robert Zemeckis facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Robert Zemeckis
Zemeckis in 2015
Born	Robert Lee Zemeckis (1952-05-14) May 14, 1952 (age 73) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Other names	Bob Zemeckis
Alma mater	University of Southern California (BFA)
Occupation	Film director producer screenwriter
Years active	1972–present
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Mary Ellen Trainor ​ ​ (m. 1980; div. 2000)​ Leslie Zemeckis ​ (m. 2001)​
Children	4
Awards	Accolades

Robert Lee Zemeckis (born May 14, 1952) is an American filmmaker. He is famous for directing and producing many popular and important movies. His films often mix amazing visual effects with great stories. He has won several awards, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. He was also nominated for five British Academy Film Awards.

Zemeckis started his career directing comedies like I Wanna Hold Your Hand (1978) and Romancing the Stone (1984). He became very well known for directing the science-fiction comedy Back to the Future movies (1985–1990). He also directed the cartoon and live-action mix Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988). His comedy-drama Forrest Gump (1994) won Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Director.

He has also directed other famous films. These include the dark comedy Death Becomes Her (1992) and the science fiction movie Contact (1997). His drama films include Cast Away (2000), Flight (2012), and The Walk (2015). Zemeckis has explored special animation techniques called performance capture. You can see this in The Polar Express (2004) and A Christmas Carol (2009). He has worked with film composer Alan Silvestri since 1984. He has also directed actor Tom Hanks in five different movies.

Early Life and Film Dreams

Robert Lee Zemeckis was born on May 14, 1952, in Chicago, Illinois. His mother, Rosa, was Italian-American. His father, Alphonse, was Lithuanian-American. Robert grew up in a working class family on the South Side of the city. He went to a Catholic grade school and Fenger Academy High School.

Zemeckis has said that his family wasn't involved in art or music. He found his inspiration in television. As a child, he loved watching TV. He was also fascinated by his parents' 8 mm film home movie camera. He started by filming family events like birthdays. Soon, he began making his own short movies with friends. He even added stop-motion and other special effects.

Television showed Zemeckis a world beyond his everyday life. He learned about film schools from an episode of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. After seeing the movie Bonnie and Clyde with his father, he decided he wanted to go to film school. His parents were worried about this idea. They thought it was an impossible dream for someone from their background.

Education and First Steps in Film

Zemeckis first attended Northern Illinois University. During a summer break, he worked as a film cutter for NBC News in Chicago. He also edited commercials. He then applied to transfer to the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts in Los Angeles. He got into the film school because of a strong essay and a music video he made.

At USC, Zemeckis met fellow student and writer Bob Gale. They both wanted to make exciting Hollywood movies. They were interested in films starring actors like Clint Eastwood and James Bond. They also loved Walt Disney movies.

Career Highlights

Early Comedy Films (1978–1984)

Zemeckis won a Student Academy Award at USC for his film A Field of Honor. This caught the attention of famous director Steven Spielberg. Spielberg became Zemeckis's mentor. He helped produce Zemeckis's first two films. These films were I Wanna Hold Your Hand (1978) and Used Cars (1980). Both were liked by critics but didn't make much money.

After these films, Zemeckis had trouble finding work. But he and Bob Gale kept writing scripts. One of their scripts, Back to the Future, was turned down by many studios. Then, in 1984, Michael Douglas hired Zemeckis to direct Romancing the Stone. This romantic adventure film was a surprise hit. While making it, Zemeckis met composer Alan Silvestri. Silvestri has scored all of Zemeckis's movies since then.

Breakthrough Success (1985–1999)

Zemeckis directing Contact (1997)

After Romancing the Stone became a hit, Zemeckis finally got to direct Back to the Future. This 1985 film, starring Michael J. Fox, was a huge success. It led to two sequels: Back to the Future Part II (1989) and Back to the Future Part III (1990).

Before the sequels, Zemeckis directed Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988). This unique film mixed traditional animation with live-action actors. It was very expensive to make but was a big hit and won three Academy Awards.

In 1992, Zemeckis directed the dark comedy Death Becomes Her. His next film, Forrest Gump (1994), was his biggest success. It starred Tom Hanks as a man with a low I.Q. who accidentally takes part in major historical events. The film made $677 million worldwide and won six Academy Awards. These included Best Picture and Best Director for Zemeckis. From then on, Hanks and Zemeckis worked together often.

In 1997, Zemeckis directed Contact, based on Carl Sagan's novel. It was about a woman who believes she has contacted aliens. Around this time, Zemeckis also started his own film company, ImageMovers.

Zemeckis also worked as an executive producer for the TV show Tales from the Crypt. In 1999, he gave $5 million to the University of Southern California to create the Robert Zemeckis Center for Digital Arts. This center helps students learn about filmmaking.

Zemeckis has worked with Tom Hanks on five films.

In the late 1990s, Zemeckis worked on a film called Cast Away with Tom Hanks. The story was about a man stranded on a tropical island. Because Hanks's character needed to lose a lot of weight for the film, Zemeckis decided to shoot another movie in between. This was What Lies Beneath (2000), a thriller starring Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer. Cast Away was released later that year and was also a big success.

Modern Films and New Techniques (2004–Present)

In 2004, Zemeckis and Hanks worked together again on The Polar Express. This film used a new animation technique called performance capture. This is where actors' movements are recorded digitally and used to create animated characters. The New York Times said this film could be a turning point for digital cinema. Zemeckis also produced Monster House (2006), which used performance capture.

Zemeckis's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

In 2007, Zemeckis used performance capture again for Beowulf. This film retold the old Anglo-Saxon epic poem. In 2009, he directed A Christmas Carol, based on Charles Dickens's story. Jim Carrey played many roles in the film, including Ebenezer Scrooge. Zemeckis was a big fan of 3-D digital movies for a while.

After some projects didn't do as well, Zemeckis returned to live-action films. He directed Flight (2012), starring Denzel Washington. In 2015, he directed The Walk, about Philippe Petit's famous tightrope walk between the World Trade Center towers. He also directed Allied (2016), a romantic thriller set during World War II.

More recently, Zemeckis directed Welcome to Marwen (2018) and The Witches (2020). In 2022, he directed Disney's live-action version of Pinocchio, again working with Tom Hanks. He is also set to direct a film called Here in 2024, which will star Tom Hanks and Robin Wright. Zemeckis has also hinted at plans to make a film version of the Back to the Future musical.

Film Style and Recognition

Zemeckis is known as a leader in visual effects. He was one of the first to use computer graphics in live-action films in Back to the Future Part II and Forrest Gump. He also combined hand-drawn animation with live-action in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. His use of performance capture in films like The Polar Express and Beowulf also shows his innovative style.

Film critic David Thomson said that Zemeckis uses special effects better than almost any other director to tell stories. His long-time collaboration with composer Alan Silvestri is also a key part of his film style.

Personal Life

Robert Zemeckis has said that for a long time, his career was his main focus. He married actress Mary Ellen Trainor in the early 1980s. They had a son named Alexander Francis. Later, they divorced. On December 4, 2001, he married actress Leslie Harter. They have three children together.

Zemeckis is also a private pilot. He has flown planes for about 1,600 hours. He owns a villa in Tuscany, Italy, which is part of a 10th-century castle. In 2013, he visited Lithuania, the home country of his father's parents.

Filmography

Short film

Feature Film

Television Work

Awards and Special Recognitions

Robert Zemeckis has received many awards for his work in film.

• In 1994, he won an Academy Award for Best Director for Forrest Gump.
• He also won a Directors Guild of America Award for Forrest Gump.
• In 1985, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Back to the Future.
• He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on November 5, 2004. This star honors his contributions to motion pictures.
• In 1996, he received the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement. This award was presented by George Lucas.
• In 1998, he received a Los Angeles Film Critics Association's Special Achievement Award.

Awards for His Films Many of Zemeckis's films have also won or been nominated for major awards:

Images for kids

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  Zemeckis in 2015

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  Overseeing the filming of Contact (1997)

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  Zemeckis has collaborated with Tom Hanks for five films

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  Zemeckis's star on Walk of Fame, Hollywood, LA

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  Zemeckis with wife Leslie Harter, at the French premiere of Flight, January 2013

See also

In Spanish: Robert Zemeckis para niños

• Directors with two films rated "A+" by CinemaScore
• Robert Zemeckis' unproduced projects