pirates of the caribbean - Cannes International Film Festival

Four years on Madison Avenue gave him the experience and confidence to tackle
Hollywood, and, just about 30, he was at the helm of memorable films like “Farewell,
My Lovely,” “American Gigolo” and 1983’s “Flashdance,” which changed Bruckheimer’s
life by grossing $92 million in the U.S. alone and pairing him with Don Simpson, who
would be his producing partner for the next 13 years.
Together the Simpson/Bruckheimer juggernaut produced one hit after another,
including “Top Gun,” “Days of Thunder,” “Beverly Hills Cop,” “Beverly Hills Cop II,” “Bad
Boys,” “Dangerous Minds” and “Crimson Tide.” Box office success was acknowledged in
both 1985 and 1988 when the National Association of Theater Owners (NATO) named
Bruckheimer Producer of the Year. And in 1988 the Publicists Guild of America chose
him, along with Simpson, Motion Picture Showmen of the Year.
In 1996, Bruckheimer produced “The Rock,” re-establishing Sean Connery as an action
star and turning an unlikely Nicolas Cage into an action hero. “The Rock,” named
Favorite Movie of the Year by NATO, grossed $350 million worldwide and was
Bruckheimer’s last movie with Simpson, who died during production.
Now on his own, Bruckheimer followed in 1997 with “Con Air,” which grossed over $230
million, earned a Grammy® and two Oscar® nominations and brought its producer the
ShoWest International Box Office Achievement Award for unmatched foreign grosses.
Then came Touchstone Pictures’ megahit “Armageddon,” starring Bruce Willis, Billy Bob
Thornton, Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler and Steve Buscemi. Directed by Michael Bay, it was the
biggest movie of 1998, grossing nearly $560 million worldwide and introducing
legendary rock band Aerosmith’s first #1 single, “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing.”
By the end of the millennium, Bruckheimer had produced “Enemy of the State,” starring
Will Smith and Gene Hackman and “Gone in 60 Seconds,” starring Cage, Angelina Jolie
and Robert Duvall, both grossing over $225 million worldwide; “Coyote Ugly,” whose
soundtrack album went triple platinum; and the NAACP Image Award–winning
“Remember the Titans,” starring Denzel Washington. His peers in the Producers Guild of
America acknowledged his abilities with the David O. Selznick Award for Lifetime
Achievement in Motion Pictures.
He began the 21 st century with triple Oscar®-nominee “Pearl Harbor.” Starring Affleck,
Josh Hartnett and Kate Beckinsale and directed by Bay, the film was hailed by World
War II veterans and scholars as a worthy re-creation of the event that brought the
United States into the war. In addition to multiple award nominations and the Oscar for
Best Sound Editing, it earned over $450 million in worldwide box office and has topped
$250 million in DVD and video sales.
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