Robert W. Cort

Robert W. Cort
Robert W. Cort
Born (1951-01-13) January 13, 1951 (age 73)
Brooklyn, New York City, United States
OccupationProducer
Years active1976–present
SpouseRosalie Swedlin

Robert W. Cort (born January 13, 1951) is an American film producer. Since 1985 he has produced forty-eight feature films which have grossed more than $2.5 billion in worldwide box office.[1] These include: On the Basis of Sex, Three Men and a Baby, Cocktail, Jumanji, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise,[2] The Cutting Edge,[3] Against the Ropes,[3] Runaway Bride,[4] and Save the Last Dance.[5][6]

Cort also produced Mr. Holland's Opus[7] and currently serves on the board of directors for The Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation[8]

Cort’s HBO film, Something the Lord Made, won three Emmy Awards, including the 2004 Outstanding Film Made for Television.[9] The film also won the American Film Institute Award, the Director's and Writer's Guild Awards, the Christopher, NAACP Image Award and the prestigious Peabody Award.[10] His other television films have also won multiple honors, including the 1990 Emmy for Outstanding Children's Program for A Mother's Courage: The Mary Thomas Story.[11][1]

His production of the family drama Im Winter ein Jahr (English Title: A Year Ago in Winter), won the Silver Lola for Best Picture at the 2009 German Academy Awards.[12]

Career history

Cort entered the motion picture industry in 1976 and one year later was named vice president of advertising, publicity and promotion for Columbia Pictures. In 1980, he became executive vice president of marketing for Fox. In his five years as a marketing chief, Cort planned and supervised the campaigns of such films as Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Midnight Express, The China Syndrome, All That Jazz, The Empire Strikes Back and Nine to Five. He then served as executive vice president of production at Twentieth Century Fox, where he oversaw the making of Romancing the Stone, Bachelor Party, and Revenge of the Nerds.[1]

For the next eleven years, Cort was a partner and president of Interscope Communications. From 1996 to 2001, he was the managing partner with David Madden of The Cort/Madden Company, a production unit with close ties to Paramount Pictures. He currently operates Robert Cort Productions, an independent production company.[1]

Cort was a partner and president of Interscope Communications.[13]

From 1996 to 2001, Cort was the managing partner of The Cort/Madden Company, a production unit with close ties to Paramount Pictures.[14]

In 2003 Random House published Cort's novel, Action!, which garnered positive critical reviews and became a bestseller.[15][16][1]

His articles and essays have been published in The New York Times and The New Yorker.[17][18] and he is currently a professor of production on the faculty of the American Film Institute.[1]

Prior to working in the entertainment industry, Cort earned BA and MA degrees in history from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from the Wharton School,[19][1] and was a management consultant for McKinsey & Company.[16]

He lives in Beverly Hills, California, with his wife, Rosalie Swedlin, a manager of writers and directors.[16]

Filmography

He was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.[2]

Film

Year Film Credit Notes
1985 Turk 182 Executive producer
1987 Critical Condition
Outrageous Fortune
Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise
Three Men and a Baby
1988 The Seventh Sign
Cocktail
1989 Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure Executive producer
Collision Course
Renegades Executive producer
Blind Fury Executive producer
An Innocent Man
1990 The First Power Executive producer
Bird on a Wire Executive producer
Arachnophobia Co-executive producer
A Gnome Named Gnorm
Three Men and a Little Lady
1991 Eve of Destruction Executive producer
Class Action
Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey Executive producer
Paradise Executive producer
1992 The Hand That Rocks the Cradle Executive producer
The Cutting Edge
FernGully: The Last Rainforest Executive producer
Jersey Girl Executive producer
The Gun in Betty Lou's Handbag Executive producer
Out on a Limb Executive producer
1994 The Air Up There
Holy Matrimony Executive producer
Terminal Velocity Executive producer
Imaginary Crimes Executive producer
1995 Roommates
Separate Lives Executive producer
Operation Dumbo Drop Executive producer
The Tie That Binds Executive producer
Two Much Executive producer
Jumanji Executive producer
Mr. Holland's Opus
1996 The Arrival Executive producer
Boys Executive producer
Kazaam Executive producer
The Associate Executive producer
1998 The Odd Couple II
1999 The Out-of-Towners
Runaway Bride
2001 Save the Last Dance
2004 Against the Ropes
2006 Save the Last Dance 2 Executive producer Direct-to-video
2008 A Year Ago in Winter Executive producer
2013 Make Your Move
2015 Terminator Genisys Executive producer
2018 On the Basis of Sex
2020 The Secret: Dare to Dream
TBA
 The Tale of the Allergist's Wife
Thanks
Year Film Role
2013 The Call Special thanks

Television

Year Title Credit Notes
1989 A Mother's Courage: The Mary Thomas Story Executive producer Television film
1994 A Part of the Family Executive producer Television film
1995 Body Language Executive producer Television film
1997 Snow White: A Tale of Terror Executive producer Television film
1999 In the Company of Spies Television film
2000 Harlan County War Executive producer Television film
2002 The Rats Executive producer Television film
Save the Last Dance Television pilot
2004 Something the Lord Made Executive producer Television film
2005 VH1 News Presents: Hollywood Secrets Revealed: Movie Screw Ups

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "AFI Conservatory: Faculty". www.afi.com. Archived from the original on June 23, 2011.
  2. ^ a b "Robert Cort". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2013. Archived from the original on October 16, 2013.
  3. ^ a b Holden, Stephen (March 27, 1992). "Movie Review - The Cutting Edge - Review/Film; Hot Pursuit of Olympic Success on the Ice - NYTimes.com". Movies.nytimes.com. Retrieved August 6, 2011.
  4. ^ A. O. Scott (February 20, 2004). "Movie Review - Against the Ropes - FILM REVIEW; Fearlessly Going Where The Punches Are Flying - NYTimes.com". Movies.nytimes.com. Retrieved August 6, 2011.
  5. ^ Maslin, Janet (July 30, 1999). "Movie Review - Runaway Bride - FILM REVIEW; Pretty Woman Is Back, But Now She's Cautious - NYTimes.com". Movies.nytimes.com. Retrieved August 6, 2011.
  6. ^ Mitchell, Elvis (January 12, 2001). "Movie Review - Save the Last Dance - FILM REVIEW; A Young Ballerina Discovers Hip-Hop, and Yo! - NYTimes.com". Movies.nytimes.com. Retrieved August 6, 2011.
  7. ^ Maslin, Janet (January 19, 1996). "FILM REVIEW;A Teacher Who Once Had Dreams". The New York Times.
  8. ^ "Mr Holland's Opus Foundation – Keeping Music Alive in Our Schools".
  9. ^ "Something the Lord Made".
  10. ^ "Test". The New York Times.
  11. ^ "A Mother's Courage: The Mary Thomas Story the Magi".
  12. ^ "Bruce Lee Biopic & German 'Schindler's List' + World War I Disaster & Mafia Thugs: Award Winners".
  13. ^ Eller, Claudia (September 27, 1995). "ENTERTAINMENT : Interscope President to Resign; Parting Amicable, Partner Says – Los Angeles Times". Articles.latimes.com. Retrieved August 6, 2011.
  14. ^ "Company Town Annex – Los Angeles Times". Articles.latimes.com. November 8, 1995. Retrieved August 6, 2011.
  15. ^ Kennedy, Dana (August 3, 2003). "Books in Brief – Fiction and Poetry". The New York Times. Retrieved August 6, 2011.
  16. ^ a b c "Action! by Robert Cort: 9781588362933 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books". PenguinRandomhouse.com. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
  17. ^ Cort, Robert W. (May 6, 2006). "Straight to DVD – New York Times". The New York Times. Retrieved August 6, 2011.
  18. ^ Friend, Tad (January 7, 2009). "The Pictures: Novelization". The New Yorker. Retrieved August 6, 2011.
  19. ^ "School of Arts & Sciences - University of Pennsylvania".