Scott Rudin facts for kids

Scott Rudin (born July 14, 1958) is an American producer who has worked on many films, TV shows, and plays. He is famous for producing movies like No Country for Old Men, which won an Oscar for Best Picture. He also produced popular films such as Uncut Gems, Lady Bird, School of Rock, and The Truman Show.

On Broadway, Scott Rudin has won 17 Tony Awards for plays and musicals. Some of his famous Broadway shows include The Book of Mormon and Hello, Dolly!.

Scott Rudin is one of only 21 people who have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award. This special achievement is called an "EGOT."

In 2021, Rudin decided to step back from his Broadway, film, and streaming projects. This happened after some reports about his behavior towards his employees. His name was later removed from several upcoming films, and his business partnership with the studio A24 ended.

Early Life

Scott Rudin was born and grew up in Baldwin, New York. This town is located on Long Island. He comes from a Jewish family. He has said that his childhood greatly influenced his interests and how he works.

Career Highlights

Scott Rudin started working in the entertainment industry at a young age. When he was just 16, he became an assistant to a theater producer named Kermit Bloomgarden. He later worked for other famous producers. Instead of going to college, Rudin became a casting director. A casting director helps choose the actors for a show or movie.

He started his own company and helped cast many Broadway shows. One of these was Annie in 1977. He also cast actors for TV shows and films like King of the Gypsies (1978) and The Wanderers (1979).

Becoming a Film Producer

In 1980, Rudin moved to Los Angeles to work in film. He became a producer for various films, including I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can (1981). He also produced the Oscar-winning documentary He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin' (1983).

Later, he started his own company called Scott Rudin Productions. His first film with this company was Mrs. Soffel (1984). He then worked as an executive producer at 20th Century-Fox. By 1986, at just 28 years old, he became the president of production at Fox.

After leaving Fox, he made a deal with Paramount Pictures. For almost 15 years, he produced many successful movies for Paramount. These included The First Wives Club, The Addams Family, Clueless, and Sleepy Hollow.

After 2004, Rudin moved to Disney. There, he produced films under labels like Touchstone Pictures and Miramax Films. In the 2010s, he focused on smaller, independent films. He worked with studio A24 on three films about growing up. These were Greta Gerwig's Lady Bird, Bo Burnham's Eighth Grade, and Jonah Hill's Mid90s.

Controversial Emails

In 2014, some private emails between Scott Rudin and a film executive became public. These emails contained comments that were seen as insensitive. Rudin later said he was "profoundly and deeply sorry" for the emails. He explained that they were "private emails between friends and colleagues written in haste and without much thought or sensitivity."

Theater Producer Work

Scott Rudin was one of the busiest producers on Broadway. He often produced several shows each year.

In 1994, he won his first Tony Award for Best Musical for Passion. He also produced revivals of classic musicals like A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.

In 2010, Rudin produced a new version of August Wilson's play Fences. It starred Denzel Washington and Viola Davis. This play won three Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Play. Rudin later produced the movie version of Fences in 2016.

The next year, in 2011, Rudin was a producer for the musical The Book of Mormon. This show was a huge success, winning nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical. It also won a Grammy Award. The Book of Mormon has been performed thousands of times on Broadway and around the world.

Since 2011, Rudin has won more Tony Awards for plays like Death of a Salesman, A Raisin in the Sun, and The Humans. He also produced the very popular revival of Hello, Dolly! starring Bette Midler.

To Kill a Mockingbird Play

Rudin produced the first Broadway play based on Harper Lee's famous novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. This new play was written by Aaron Sorkin and opened in 2018. It was very popular and broke box office records for a non-musical play.

Before the play opened, there was a legal disagreement with the Harper Lee estate. They felt the play changed the story too much from the original book. However, the issue was settled, and the play continued its successful run.

Awards and Recognition

Scott Rudin has received many awards for his work. In 2008, two of his films, No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood, were both nominated for eight Oscars each. No Country for Old Men won the Best Picture award, which Rudin accepted.

He has also won Primetime and Daytime Emmys for his TV work. His musical The Book of Mormon won a Grammy Award.

In 2011, the Producers Guild of America (PGA) gave Rudin a special award called the David O. Selznick Achievement Award. This award recognizes a producer's amazing body of work in movies. He was also nominated twice in one year for PGA awards, which was a unique achievement.

Personal Life

Scott Rudin is married to John Barlow. John Barlow used to own a company that handled public relations for Broadway shows. In 2019, Rudin and Barlow bought a historic home in New York City's West Village neighborhood.

Filmography

Scott Rudin has been a producer for many films and television shows. Below are some of his works.

Film

Producer

Executive producer

As casting director

As an actor

Other acknowledgement in credits

Television

Executive producer

Producer

Miscellaneous crew

As casting director

See Also

In Spanish: Scott Rudin para niños