James L. Brooks

James L. Brooks

Born: May 9, 1940
in North Bergen, New Jersey, USA
James Lawrence Brooks is an American director, producer and screenwriter. Growing up in North Bergen, New Jersey, Brooks endured a fractured family life and passed the time by reading and writing. After dropping out of New York University, he got a job as an usher at CBS, going on to write for the CBS News broadcasts. He moved to Los Angeles in 1965 to work on David L. Wolper's documentaries. After being laid off he met producer Allan Burns who secured him a job as a writer on the series My Mother the Car.

Brooks wrote for several shows before being hired as a story editor on My Friend Tony and later creating the series Room 222. Grant Tinker hired Brooks and Burns at MTM Productions to create The Mary Tyler Moore Show in 1970. The show, one of the first to feature an independent working woman as its lead character, was critically acclaimed and won Brooks several Primetime Emmy Awards. Brooks and Burns then created two successful spin-offs from Mary Tyler Moore in the shape of Rhoda (a comedy) and Lou Grant (a drama). Brooks left MTM Productions in 1978 to co-create the sitcom Taxi which, despite winning multiple Emmys, suffered from low ratings and was canceled twice.

He moved into feature film work when he wrote and co-produced the 1979 film Starting Over. His next project was the critically acclaimed film Terms of Endearment, which he produced, directed and wrote, winning an Academy Award for all three positions. Basing his next film, Broadcast News, on his journalistic experiences the film earned him a further two Academy Award nominations. Although his 1994 work I'll Do Anything was hampered by negative press attention due to the cutting of all of its recorded musical numbers, As Good as It Gets (co-written with Mark Andrus) earned further praise. It was seven years until his next film, which came in the shape of 2004's Spanglish. His sixth film, How Do You Know, was released in 2010. Brooks also produced and mentored Cameron Crowe on Say Anything... (1989) and Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson on Bottle Rocket (1996).

Although he did not intend to do so, Brooks returned to television in 1987 as the producer of The Tracey Ullman Show. He hired cartoonist Matt Groening to create a series of shorts for the show, which eventually led to The Simpsons in 1989. The Simpsons won numerous awards and is still running after 20 years. Brooks also co-produced and co-wrote the 2007 film adaptation of the show, The Simpsons Movie. In total, Brooks has received 47 Emmy nominations, winning 20 of them.

Movies for James L. Brooks...

Albert Brooks: Defending My Life
Title: Albert Brooks: Defending My Life
Character: Self
Released: November 12, 2023
Type: Movie
Rob Reiner profiles Albert Brooks, comedic legend, acclaimed filmmaker, talented character actor and a lifelong friend, who Reiner first met in their high school drama club.
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Thank You Very Much
Title: Thank You Very Much
Character: Self
Released: August 31, 2023
Type: Movie
In his short, enigmatic life, Andy Kaufman entertained and transfixed audiences while simultaneously driving them away. His work dissolved the boundaries separating reality from fiction, and his commitment to performance, both on stage and off, rendered any distinctions between his characters and his real life useless. Was he a comic, an affable sit-com star, a washed-up lounge singer, a bus boy, a professional wrestler, a hoaxer, a provocateur or a pest? Nearly 40 years after his supposed death, one question still puzzles fans and haters alike: “was that for real?” Thank You Very Much is the definitive documentary look at how a shy, oddball kid from Long Island, New York, became the most polarizing performance artist of the 20th century.
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Being Mary Tyler Moore
Title: Being Mary Tyler Moore
Character: Self (voice)
Released: March 13, 2023
Type: Movie
With unprecedented access to the Mary Tyler Moore Estate, friends, family, and colleagues, Being Mary Tyler Moore constructs an intimate mosaic of Mary's sixty-year career in show business.
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Hans Zimmer: Hollywood Rebel
Title: Hans Zimmer: Hollywood Rebel
Character: Self
Released: October 16, 2022
Type: Movie
An in-depth look of the 40 year journey, from post-war Germany to Hollywood royalty, of Hans Zimmer, the man who’s become the dominant force in the world of movie soundtracks. His film credits include The Lion King, Rain Man, Pirates of The Caribbean, Gladiator, The Dark Knight Trilogy, 12 Year A Slave, The Thin Red Line, The Da Vinci Code and Dune.
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Alan Pakula: Going for Truth
Title: Alan Pakula: Going for Truth
Character: Self
Released: October 12, 2019
Type: Movie
"Alan Pakula: Going for Truth" encompasses the personal and professional life of Alan J. Pakula, a lauded filmmaker and extremely private man, who was unflinching in his commitment to bringing some of the most memorable movies of the last half of the 20th century to the big screen.
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Title: The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling
Character: Self
Released: March 26, 2018
Type: TV
The story of legendary comedian Garry Shandling, featuring interviews from nearly four dozen friends, family and colleagues; four decades’ worth of television appearances; and a lifetime of personal journals, private letters and home audio and video footage.
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Harry Benson: Shoot First
Title: Harry Benson: Shoot First
Character: Self
Released: November 4, 2016
Type: Movie
What we know today about many famous musicians, politicians, and actresses is due to the famous work of photographer Harry Benson. He captured vibrant and intimate photos of the most famous band in history;The Beatles. His extensive portfolio grew to include iconic photos of Muhammad Ali, Michael Jackson, and Dr. Martin Luther King. His wide-ranging work has appeared in publications including Life, Vanity Fair and The New Yorker. Benson, now 86, is still taking photos and has no intentions of stopping.
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Mike Nichols: An American Master
Title: Mike Nichols: An American Master
Character: Self
Released: January 29, 2016
Type: Movie
With charm and wit, Nichols discusses his life and 50-year career as a performer and director.
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Misery Loves Comedy
Title: Misery Loves Comedy
Character: Self
Released: January 23, 2015
Type: Movie
Do you have to be miserable to be funny? More than sixty comedians—including stand-ups, writers, actors, and directors from the US, Canada, and abroad—take on this question, sharing anecdotes and insights with lively enthusiasm.
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Hans Zimmer: The Sound of Hollywood
Title: Hans Zimmer: The Sound of Hollywood
Character: Self
Released: March 14, 2011
Type: Movie
Documentary about Hans Zimmer.
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James L. Brooks - A Singular Voice
Title: James L. Brooks - A Singular Voice
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: January 25, 2011
Type: Movie
A new documentary on Brooks’s career in television and film, featuring actresses Marilu Henner and Julie Kavner, among other collaborators.
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The Making of 'Bottle Rocket'
Title: The Making of 'Bottle Rocket'
Character: Self
Released: December 16, 2008
Type: Movie
Interviews with individuals involved in the making of Wes Anderson's 1996 film "Bottle Rocket."
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Dreams on Spec
Title: Dreams on Spec
Character: Self
Released: March 23, 2007
Type: Movie
"Dreams on Spec" takes an intimate look at how far people will go - and how much they will sacrifice - for the chance to pursue their dreams. This feature-length documentary delves into the lives of three aspiring Hollywood screenwriters as they pour their hearts into their spec scripts, pitch their ideas to anyone who will listen, go to meetings, hold table reads, and work at low-level day-jobs - all in the hopes of one day seeing one of their beloved creations made into a movie. These poignant portraits are intercut with wisdom from a "Greek Chorus" of superstar Hollywood creative-types like James L. Brooks, Nora Ephron, Gary Ross, and Carrie Fisher to forge a funny and compelling look at inspiration, creativity, and solitude in the movie industry.
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Title: The Simpsons
Character: James L. Brooks (voice)
Released: December 17, 1989
Type: TV
Set in Springfield, the average American town, the show focuses on the antics and everyday adventures of the Simpson family; Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie, as well as a virtual cast of thousands. Since the beginning, the series has been a pop culture icon, attracting hundreds of celebrities to guest star. The show has also made name for itself in its fearless satirical take on politics, media and American life in general.
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Title: Prisoners of Gravity
Character: Self
Released: August 21, 1989
Type: TV
Prisoners of Gravity was a Canadian public broadcasting television news magazine program that explored speculative fiction — science fiction, fantasy, horror, comic books — and its relation to various thematic and social issues. Produced by TVOntario, the show was the brainchild of former comic retail manager Mark Askwith and writer Daniel Richler, and was hosted by Rick Green. The series aired 139 episodes over 5 seasons from 1989 to 1994.
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Lost in America
Title: Lost in America
Character: Party Guest (uncredited)
Released: February 8, 1985
Type: Movie
David and Linda Howard are successful yuppies from LA. When he gets a job disappointment, David convinces Linda that they should quit their jobs, liquidate their assets, and emulate the movie Easy Rider, spending the rest of their lives traveling around America...in a Winnebago.
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Modern Romance
Title: Modern Romance
Character: David
Released: March 13, 1981
Type: Movie
A film editor breaks up with his girlfriend, unsure if he is in love.
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Real Life
Title: Real Life
Character: Driving Evaluator
Released: March 2, 1979
Type: Movie
A pushy, narcissistic filmmaker persuades a Phoenix family to let him and his crew film their everyday lives, in the manner of the ground-breaking PBS series "An American Family".
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Audience Research
Title: Audience Research
Character: Paul Reynold
Released: January 10, 1976
Type: Movie
Albert Brooks goes to a research institute to find out why people don't like him and how he can change that. Saturday Night Live, Season 1 Episode 9
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Title: The Mary Tyler Moore Show
Character: Rabbi (uncredited)
Released: September 19, 1970
Type: TV
30-year-old single Mary Richards moves to Minneapolis to start a new life after a romantic break-up. There she reacquaints with Phyllis who rents her a room, and meets her upstairs neighbor and new best friend Rhoda. Mary unexpectedly lands a job as associate producer at the TV station WJM, where she works alongside her bristly boss, Lou; the comical newswriter, Murray; and the newscast's often-incompetent anchor, Ted.
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The Process
Title: The Process
Released: December 31, 1969
Type: Movie
The Process, a documentary film that takes the audience for an inside, behind the scenes look of world renowned acting and directing coach, Larry Moss. The film follows Moss working with a young director and his actors, through a rehearsal process that will elicit a richer comedic performance by exploring the subtext of gifted comedic writers. The film also features Academy Award Winner James L. Brooks and USC Cinematic Arts Professor, Barnet Kellman, and a special clip with Tracey Ullman and Mel Brooks from The Tracey Ullman Show.