Scott Rudin facts for kids

Scott Rudin (born July 14, 1958) is an American producer who has worked on many films, TV shows, and theater productions. He is known for producing popular movies like No Country for Old Men, Uncut Gems, Lady Bird, and School of Rock. He also produced many plays on Broadway, winning 17 Tony Awards for shows such as 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 is a very rare achievement in the entertainment world!

In 2021, Scott Rudin decided to step back from his work on Broadway, films, and streaming projects. This happened after some reports were published about his behavior towards people he worked with.

Early Life and First Steps

Scott Rudin grew up in Baldwin, New York, on Long Island. He came from a Jewish family. He has said that his childhood helped shape his interests and how he acts.

Starting in Show Business

When he was just 16 years old, Scott Rudin began working as an assistant for a theater producer named Kermit Bloomgarden. He later worked for other producers too. Instead of going to college, Rudin decided to become a casting director. A casting director helps choose the actors for a movie, TV show, or play.

He started his own company and helped cast many Broadway shows, including Annie in 1977. He also helped choose actors for TV shows and movies like King of the Gypsies (1978) and Resurrection (1980).

Becoming a Film Producer

In 1980, Scott Rudin moved to Los Angeles. He started working as a producer, which means he helps manage the making of a film or show from start to finish. He worked on films like I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can (1981) and the Oscar-winning documentary He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin' (1983).

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

After leaving Fox, he made a deal to produce films for Paramount Pictures. This deal lasted for almost 15 years. During this time, he produced many well-known movies such as The First Wives Club, The Addams Family, Clueless, and Sleepy Hollow.

Later, Rudin moved to Disney and worked on films for their different labels. In the 2010s, he focused on smaller, independent films. He produced three films about growing up with the studio A24: Greta Gerwig's Lady Bird, Bo Burnham's Eighth Grade, and Jonah Hill's Mid90s.

Email Controversy

In 2014, some private emails between Scott Rudin and another film executive were made public. These emails caused some controversy because they were seen as insensitive. Scott Rudin later said he was "profoundly and deeply sorry" for the emails, explaining they were "private emails between friends and colleagues written in haste and without much thought or sensitivity."

Working as a Theater Producer

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

His first Broadway play was Face Value in 1993. In 1994, he won a Tony Award for Best Musical for Passion. He continued to produce many successful plays and musicals, including A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and Doubt.

In 2010, Rudin produced a new version of August Wilson's play Fences, starring Denzel Washington and Viola Davis. This play won three Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Play. He 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 hit, winning nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theatre Album. It has been performed thousands of times on Broadway and all over the world.

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

To Kill a Mockingbird Play

Scott Rudin produced the first Broadway play based on Harper Lee's famous book, To Kill a Mockingbird. The 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 disagreement was settled, and the play went on to be a big success.

Awards and Achievements

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 nominated for eight Oscars each. No Country for Old Men won the Best Picture award, which Rudin accepted.

He has also won Emmy Awards for TV shows like He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin' and a Grammy Award for The Book of Mormon album.

In 2011, the Producers Guild of America (PGA) gave Scott Rudin a special award called the David O. Selznick Achievement Award. This award recognizes a producer's amazing work in movies. That same year, he was also nominated for two PGA awards for producing The Social Network and True Grit.

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 house in New York's West Village neighborhood.

Filmography

Scott Rudin was a producer for all the films listed below unless noted otherwise.

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