Roberto Orci facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Roberto Orci
Orci in 2014
Born	Roberto Gaston Orcí (1973-07-20)July 20, 1973 Mexico City, Mexico
Died	February 25, 2025(2025-02-25) (aged 51) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Other names	Bob Orci
Alma mater	University of Texas at Austin Spring Woods Senior High School
Occupation	Screenwriter, producer
Years active	1997–2025
Spouse(s)	Melissa Blake ​ (div. 2020)​ Adele Heather Taylor ​ ​ (m. 2020; sep 2022)​
Relatives	J. R. Orci (brother)

Roberto Gaston Orcí (July 20, 1973 – February 25, 2025) was a talented Mexican-American writer and producer for movies and TV shows. He was known for working on many popular projects.

Roberto Orci often worked with his friend Alex Kurtzman. They wrote for TV shows like Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess. Later, they helped create hit shows like Fringe and Sleepy Hollow.

In movies, Orci and Kurtzman wrote the first two Transformers films. They also worked on Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness. Roberto Orci was also a producer for films such as Eagle Eye and The Proposal. His work brought in billions of dollars at the box office.

Roberto Orci's Early Life

Roberto Orci was born in Mexico City on July 20, 1973. His father was Mexican, and his mother was Cuban. When he was 10, his family moved to the United States. He grew up in places like Texas, Los Angeles, and Canada.

He met his good friend and writing partner, Alex Kurtzman, when they were 17. They were both students at Crossroads School in Santa Monica, California. They found out they both loved movies in a film class. They also realized they had a lot in common. Orci later studied at the University of Texas at Austin.

Roberto Orci's Career Highlights

Writing for TV and Movies

Roberto Orci's longtime writing partner, Alex Kurtzman

Orci and Kurtzman started their writing journey on the TV show Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. They were hired by Sam Raimi. They became showrunners, which means they were in charge of the show's daily production, at just 24 years old. They also worked on Xena: Warrior Princess, a sister show to Hercules.

They wanted to write for bigger TV networks. After some tries, they met J. J. Abrams. This meeting led to them working on the show Alias. They later teamed up with Abrams again to create the science fiction series Fringe for Fox.

Their big break in movies came in 2004 with the film The Island. The director, Michael Bay, was unsure about hiring them at first. But Orci told him, "You shouldn't yet. Let's see what happens." Even though The Island wasn't a huge hit, they were asked to write Bay's next film, Transformers. This movie earned over $710 million worldwide.

They also helped revise the script for Watchmen and worked with Abrams again on Mission: Impossible III. When they wrote Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, they had to work very fast. This was because of a writers' strike in 2007–08.

Between 2005 and 2011, movies written by Orci and Kurtzman made over $3 billion. Forbes magazine called them "Hollywood's secret weapons." Because they had so many projects, they often worked with other writers. For example, Ehren Kruger joined them for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

Becoming a Producer

Roberto Orci's first time being credited only as a producer was for the film Eagle Eye. He worked with Kurtzman on this project. Orci explained that he liked helping writers, just as producers with writing backgrounds had helped him before. The director of Eagle Eye, D. J. Caruso, praised them. He said it was rare for writers to keep their power as producers in movies, like they did. After Eagle Eye, they were executive producers for the Sandra Bullock film, The Proposal.

Even with their movie success, Orci and Kurtzman kept creating TV shows. They developed Sleepy Hollow with Phillip Iscove. They also created Matador for Robert Rodriguez's El Rey Network. Orci had been working on the idea for Matador for five years.

Orci and Kurtzman were also executive producers for the animated TV series, Transformers: Prime. This was because of their work on the live-action Transformers movies. Orci hoped to be involved in future animated Transformers shows. He felt Prime was very detailed, but maybe too complex for younger viewers.

Working on the Star Trek Movies

Orci and Kurtzman were asked to write the script for a new Star Trek movie. At first, they said no, even though Orci was a big fan. Orci suggested a new timeline for the Star Trek universe. He also wanted Leonard Nimoy to return as Spock from the original series. Orci saw the first two new Star Trek films as the origin story for the crew. He felt the third movie would show the crew as they were at the start of Star Trek: The Original Series.

The first Star Trek movie made a lot of money. So, the studio asked Kurtzman and Orci to write a sequel. Orci said they would not use the common "hero quitting" storyline for the second movie. He believed the Enterprise crew was committed to their mission. Before the second film, Star Trek Into Darkness, came out, Orci kept details about the villain a secret.

Ending a Partnership

In April 2014, Orci and Kurtzman announced they would no longer work together on movie projects. However, they planned to keep working together on TV shows. Kurtzman wanted to focus on the Spider-Man movies. Orci was considered to direct Star Trek 3.

Their company, K/O Paper Products, continued to operate. It created TV series like Scorpion and Limitless.

Before their partnership split, Orci and Kurtzman were set to write the third Star Trek film. In May 2014, it was announced that Orci would direct this movie. This would have been his first time directing a film. He was also writing the script with JD Payne and Patrick McKay. Because of Star Trek 3, he left a new Power Rangers film project. However, in December, it was announced he would no longer direct the Star Trek film. He still received credit as a producer. Justin Lin took over as director.

Orci created the TV series Matador with a cool idea: a "soccer player by day who is a spy by night." He called the main character a "Latin James Bond." The show aired on the El Rey Network. It was renewed for a second season even before the first episode aired. But after the first season, the show was canceled. This was because it didn't sell well internationally.

In March 2020, it was reported that Roberto Orci was hired by Sony. He was to write a script for a new Marvel film set in Sony's Spider-Man Universe.

Roberto Orci's Personal Life

Roberto Orci & Adele Heather Taylor attend a CBS Sunset on the Beach event to celebrate 'Hawaii Five-0', in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Roberto Orci was married to actress Melissa Blake. They divorced in 2020. He then married actress and screenwriter Adele Heather Taylor on June 6, 2020. They also worked together on projects. Orci filed for divorce in January 2023.

Roberto Orci passed away from kidney disease at his home in Los Angeles on February 25, 2025. He was 51 years old.

Awards and Honors

In 2007, The Hollywood Reporter named Roberto Orci one of the 50 most powerful Latinos in Hollywood. In 2009, he received the Norman Lear Writer's Award at the Imagen Awards. He also won the Raul Julia Award for Excellence from the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts. With Alex Kurtzman, Orci won The George Pal Memorial Award at the 2010 Saturn Awards.

In 2013, Orci and Kurtzman were honored by Chrysalis, a group that helps homeless people and low-income families. Orci said he was moved by the stories of people Chrysalis had helped.

In 2017, Orci received the "Visionary Impact Award" from the National Hispanic Media Coalition. This award celebrates Latinos who make great contributions to showing positive images of Latinos in film and TV.

Filmography

Film Work

Television Work

Images for kids

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  Roberto Orci & Adele Heather Taylor attend a CBS Sunset on the Beach event to celebrate 'Hawaii Five-0', in Honolulu, Hawaii.

See also

In Spanish: Roberto Orci para niños