30 Facts About Mike Medavoy

Morris Mike Medavoy was born on January 21,1941 and is an American film producer and business executive.

Mike Medavoy is the co-founder of Orion Pictures and the current chairman and CEO of Phoenix Pictures.

Morris Mike Medavoy was born in Shanghai on January 21,1941.

Mike Medavoy is the son of a dress shop owner and a garage mechanic.

Mike Medavoy's parents were both Russian-speaking Ukrainian Jews, with his mother born in Harbin to Odesan immigrants and his father coming from Ukraine.

Mike Medavoy became an American citizen in 1963 and graduated from UCLA the same year.

Mike Medavoy joined the US Army Reserve in 1963 and served at Fort Ord in California until 1969.

In 1964, Mike Medavoy began his career in the mail room at Universal Studios.

Mike Medavoy became Creative Management's vice president of the motion picture department in 1967, working with Steven Spielberg and Francis Ford Coppola, among others.

Mike Medavoy began working at the International Famous Agency in 1970.

In 1978, Mike Medavoy co-founded Orion Pictures, a joint venture with Warner Bros.

In 1990, Mike Medavoy became the chairman of TriStar Pictures and oversaw the release of films such as Philadelphia, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Sleepless in Seattle, Cliffhanger, The Fisher King, Legends of the Fall, and Hook.

Mike Medavoy left in 1994 after disputes with Sony Pictures chairman Peter Guber.

In 1995, Medavoy co-founded Phoenix Pictures with Arnold W Messer, setting it up at Sony Pictures Entertainment.

In 2011, Mike Medavoy announced a project depicting the 2010 Chilean mining accident that left 33 men trapped underground for 69 days.

Mike Medavoy collaborated with Chilean officials and Academy Award-nominated screenwriter Jose Rivera for the project, claiming "at its heart, [it is] about the triumph of the human spirit and a testament to the courage and perseverance of the Chilean people".

In 2011, Mike Medavoy announced his collaboration with the Shanghai Film Group to create both a feature film and a six-hour miniseries.

Mike Medavoy worked on Dandelion Wine, which was adapted from a novel with the same name written by Ray Bradbury.

Mike Medavoy was appointed to the board of directors of the Museum of Science and Industry in Los Angeles by Governor Jerry Brown.

Mike Medavoy is a member of the board of directors of the University of Tel Aviv.

Mike Medavoy 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 Theater, Film and Television, and the Alumni Association's Student Relations Committee.

Mike Medavoy is a member of both the Council on Foreign Relations and the Homeland Security Advisory Council.

Mike Medavoy is on the Baryshnikov Arts Center Advisory Committee in New York and serves on the advisory board of the USC Center on Public Diplomacy.

For Kids, with Irena Medavoy, Mike Medavoy's wife, serving as the Executive Vice Chairman.

Mike Medavoy served as co-finance chair of Gary Hart's 1988 presidential campaign, participated in Bill Clinton's presidential campaigns in 1992 and 1996, and supported Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign; his wife, Irena, served as the co-finance chair of the latter.

In 1986, Mike Medavoy married political activist Patricia Duff, later divorcing in 1993.

In 1995, Mike Medavoy married Russian-American philanthropist and former model Irena Gerasimenko, with whom he has a son, Nick.

Mike Medavoy was a close friend of actor Marlon Brando, and he is a co-executor of Brando's estate.

In 2009, Mike Medavoy published American Idol After Iraq; Competing for Hearts and Minds in the Global Media Age, with co-author Nathan Gardels, editor of the National Political Quarterly.

Mike Medavoy was a producer on the following films unless otherwise noted.