Sample some of the best American films
over the past twenty-five years and there's
a good chance Mike Medavoy played a role
in the success of many of them. From agenting
to studio chief, he has been involved with
over 300 feature films.
Medavoy began his career at Universal Studios in 1964. He rose from the mailroom to become a casting director. In 1965 he became an agent, working at General Artist Corporation and later as vice president at Creative Management Agency. Joining International Famous Agency as vice president in charge of the motion picture department in 1971, he worked with such prestigious clients as Steven Spielberg, Francis Ford Coppola, Terrence Malick, Jane Fonda, Donald Sutherland, and Gene Wilder among others. United Artists brought him in as senior vice president of production in 1974 where he was part of the team responsible for "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", "Rocky", and "Annie Hall", which won the Best Picture Oscars over three successive years.
In 1978 Medavoy co-founded Orion Pictures. During his tenure "Platoon", "Amadeus", "Robocop", "Hannah and Her Sisters", "The Terminator", "Dances with Wolves", and "Silence of the Lambs" were released. In 1990, after twelve fruitful years at Orion, Medavoy became Chairman of TriStar Pictures. Under his aegis, critically acclaimed, box office successes, "Philadelphia", "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" (with Carolco), "Sleepless in Seattle", "Cliffhanger" (with Carolco), "The Fisher King", "Legends of the Fall" and Steven Spielberg's "Hook" debuted. Of all the films Medavoy has been involved with, sixteen have been nominated for Best Picture Oscars and seven have won.
Medavoy has made a mark not only within his industry, but in his community as well. He has received numerous awards including the 1992 Motion Picture Pioneer of the Year Award, "Career Achievement" Awards from both UCLA (1997) and the University of Central Florida (2002) and the 1999 UCLA Neil H. Jacoby Award, which honors individuals who have made exceptional contributions to humanity. In 2001, he received the inaugural Fred Zinnemann Award presented by the Anti-Defamation League and in 2002 received the Israel Film Festival's Lifetime Achievement Award.
Extending his involvement in the community, Mike was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Museum of Science and Industry in Los Angeles by former Governor Jerry Brown and was appointed by Mayor Richard Riordan as Commissioner on the Los Angeles Board of Parks and Recreations. He's a member of the Board of Directors of the University of Tel Aviv. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of the UCLA Foundation and is a member of the Chancellor's Associates, the Dean's Advisory Board at the UCLA School of Theatre, Film, and Television, the Alumni Association's Student Relations Committee, and is Chairman of the Leadership Circle for UCLA's Center for International Relations.
In 2002, Governor Gray Davis appointed Mike to the California Anti-Terrorism Information Center's Executive Advisory Board. In addition, he is Chairman of the Group Theatre Society, as well as one of the original founding members of the Board of Governors of the Sundance Institute and is currently serving as co-chairman of the American Cinematheque.
Today, as chairman and co-founder of Phoenix Pictures, Mike Medavoy has amongst others brought to the screen "The People vs. Larry Flynt", "The Mirror Has Two Faces", "U-Turn", "Apt Pupil", "The Thin Red Line", "Dick", "Urban Legend (Iⅈ)", and "The Sixth Day." "The Thin Red Line" was nominated for seven Academy Awards, received five nominations from the Chicago Film Critics, won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival and five Golden Satellite Awards, a cinematography award for John Toll from the ASC and nominations from the DGA and WGA for Terrence Malick. In 2003 Phoenix Pictures released "Basic" (starring John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson, directed by John McTiernan), and "Holes", based on the Newbury Medal winning, bestseller by Louis Sachar (starring Sigourney Weaver and Jon Voight, directed by Andrew Davis). Several films are being readied for production and one, "Country of My Skull" (starring Samuel L. Jackson and Juliette Binoche, directed by John Boorman), is in post.
In 2002, Simon & Schuster published Mr. Medavoy's best-selling book, "You're Only As Good As Your Next One: 100 Great Films, 100 Good Films and 100 For Which I Should Be Shot" which was release in paperback in 2003.
Mike Medavoy has also been active in politics. Among others, he actively participated in President Clinton's election campaigns in 1992 and 1996.
Mike was born in Shanghai, China in 1941 and lived in Chile from 1947 to 1957. He graduated with honors in History from UCLA in 1963. He is married to Irena Medavoy, the Executive Vice Chairman of the charity Coach for Kids, who provide free medical care for inner city kids via a mobile medical unit. Mike Medavoy has two sons, Brian and Nicholas, and resides in Beverly Hills, California.