Robert Zemeckis

Robert Zemeckis
Zemeckis in 2015
Born
Robert Lee Zemeckis

(1952-05-14) May 14, 1952 (age 72)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Other namesBob Zemeckis[1][2]
Alma materUniversity of Southern California (BFA)
Occupations
  • Film director
  • producer
  • screenwriter
Years active1972–present
Political partyDemocratic
Spouses
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 1980; div. 2000)​
  • Leslie Harter
    ​
    (m. 2001)​
Children4
AwardsAccolades

Robert Lee Zemeckis (born May 14, 1952)[3] is an American filmmaker. Known for directing and producing a range of successful and influential movies, often blending cutting-edge visual effects with storytelling. He has received several accolades including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for five British Academy Film Awards and a Daytime Emmy Award.

Zemeckis started his career directing the comedy films I Wanna Hold Your Hand (1978), Used Cars (1980), and Romancing the Stone (1984). He gained prominence directing the science-fiction comedy Back to the Future trilogy (1985–1990), the fantasy comedy Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), and the comedy-drama Forrest Gump (1994), the latter of which won Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Director.[4]

He has also directed the satirical black comedy Death Becomes Her (1992), the science fiction film Contact (1997), and the drama films Cast Away (2000), Flight (2012), The Walk (2015), and Allied (2016). His exploration of performance capture techniques can be seen in the animated films The Polar Express (2004) and A Christmas Carol (2009) as well as the action fantasy drama Beowulf (2007), and the drama Welcome to Marwen (2018). He has collaborated with film composer Alan Silvestri since 1984, and directed Tom Hanks in five films.

  1. ^ Attanasio, Paul (July 3, 1985). "Bob Zemeckis, Zooming Ahead". Washington Post. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  2. ^ Leicester, John (July 24, 2021). "At Tokyo Olympics, a debt to 'Back to the Future' and 'E.T.'". ABC News. Retrieved December 12, 2021. 'The skateboard associations and the BMX associations should be giving Bob Zemeckis, myself and Steven Spielberg lifetime achievement awards,' joked 'Back to the Future' screenwriter Bob Gale in an interview with The Associated Press ahead of the competitions.
  3. ^ "Celebrity birthdays for the week of May 9–15". Associated Press. May 14, 2021. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
  4. ^ Harris, Mark (July 15, 1994). "Movie Review: Forrest Gump". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 26, 2007.