FILMMAKERS

Writer-producer-director RON SHELTON received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay for "Bull Durham," his directorial debut. This sophisticated comedy earned awards for best original screenplay from the Writers Guild of America, the New York Film Critics Circle, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and the National Society of Film Critics.

Shelton's first produced script was "Under Fire," a political drama set against the intrigue of the Nicaraguan revolution. Directed by Roger Spottiswoode, the film starred Gene Hackman, Nick Nolte and Joanna Cassidy and provided Shelton the opportunity to direct the crucial second-unit action. Shelton and Spottiswoode reteamed as writer and director of the comedy "The Best of Times," starring Robin Williams and Kurt Russell.

In 1987, Shelton made his directorial debut, casting two actors who had yet to burst into stardom vying for the affections of a leading lady in a movie about minor-league baseball. "Bull Durham," starring Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins, became one of the top-grossing films of 1988 and re-introduced the baseball diamond as a commercially viable dais for movie entertainment.

Shelton's next directorial effort, from his own screenplay, was "Blaze," starring Paul Newman as former Louisiana Governor Earl Long and introducing Lolita Davidovich as the stripper for whom he risked his political career.

The urban playgrounds were fertile ground for Shelton's next effort, a love story between two men, a woman and a basketball, "White Men Can't Jump." One of the most successful films of 1992, Shelton's third directorial effort also made stars of its three principals, Wesley Snipes, Woody Harrelson and Rosie Perez.

Shelton's most recent film was the controversial tour-de-force "Cobb," a biography of baseball legend Ty Cobb, starring Tommy Lee Jones.

Producer GARY FOSTER's initial venture through his newly formed company, Gary Foster Productions, was the 1993 blockbuster comedy "Sleepless in Seattle," starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.

Active in the film business since his teens, the son of producer David Foster studied film production and theatre at the University of Colorado, then at the University of Southern California before moving to New York to work briefly for the William Morris Agency. Returning to Los Angeles to take a position in development at the Turman-Foster Company, he discovered the script for "Short Circuit," which earned him a credit as associate producer. He later produced the sequel, "Short Circuit 2."

Foster's other credits as producer include "The Amazing Panda Adventure," "Just Cause," "Loverboy" and "Big Bully." His next project will be the drama "Desperate Measures," directed by Barbet Schroeder.

Producer DAVID LESTER began his association with Ron Shelton working as executive producer and production manager on "Bull Durham." He later served as executive producer and second unit director on "Blaze" and producer on both "White Men Can't Jump" and "Cobb."

Lester was executive producer and production manager on "The Shawshank Redemption." He produced the comedy "Sibling Rivalry" and was co-producer of "Lord of the Flies."

Raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Lester graduated from Northwestern University's School of Speech and later did postgraduate film study at the University of Southern California.

He gained moviemaking experience working as a production consultant on "The Wind and the Lion" and unit manager (for the miniature pyrotechnic unit) on "Star Wars," the Canadian sequences of "The Black Stallion" and "Star Trek - The Motion Picture" (optical effects production). He then worked as a production manager in television before making the transition to feature films in that capacity. Among his credits as motion picture production manager are "In the Line of Fire," "Broadcast News" and "Gardens of Stone."

Executive producer ARNON MILCHAN is the founder of Regency Enterprises and one of the pre-eminent independent film producers in the world.

Milchan entered the entertainment industry in the mid-1970s, when he co-financed "The Medusa Touch." He then started two commercial production companies in France and produced Roman Polanski's live staging of "Amadeus." Milchan later produced the landmark television miniseries "Masada" and joined with Sydney Pollack to form the production company Pariscal.

The list of Milchan's commercial film productions of the 1980s includes three films cited by key American critics and writers to be among the top 20 films of that decade: Martin Scorsese's "The King of Comedy," Terry Gilliam's "Brazil" and Sergio Leone's "Once Upon A Time in America."

Since then, Milchan has produced, among other films, Danny DeVito's "The War of the Roses"; Sidney Lumet's "Q&A"; "Pretty Woman," the top-grossing film of 1992; Oliver Stone's controversial "Natural Born Killers" and "JFK," which which was nominated for eight Academy Awards in 1991; and the box-office hits "The Client," "Under Siege" and "Free Willy." He most recently executive produced the crime saga "Heat," which starred Al Pacino, Robert De Niro and Val Kilmer.

His other releases include "Guilty By Suspicion," "Six Degrees of Separation," Stone's "Heaven and Earth," "Striking Distance," "That Night," "Made in America," "Falling Down," "Sommersby," "The Power of One," "The Mambo Kings," "The New Age," "Cobb," "Under Siege 2: Dark Territory" and "Copycat," starring Sigourney Weaver and Holly Hunter. Milchan's upcoming projects include "Bogus," starring Whoopi Goldberg and Gerard Depardieu; "A Time to Kill," starring Matthew McConaughey, Sandra Bullock, Gene Hackman and Samuel L. Jackson; and "The Honest Courtesan," directed by Marshall Herskovitz and starring Catherine McCormack, Rufus Sewell and Jacqueline Bisset.

Associate producers KARIN FREUD and KELLIE DAVIS served in the same capacity on "Cobb."

Freud began her professional association with Ron Shelton on "The Best of Times" and has also worked with him on "Bull Durham" (in post-production) and "Blaze."

Davis began working for Shelton on "White Men Can't Jump" before earning her first producing credit on "Cobb."

JOHN NORVILLE collaborated with Ron Shelton on the original story and screenplay for "Tin Cup." A graduate of Stanford University where he majored in creative writing and lettered in golf, Norville sold his first screenplay out of college. He has several other scripts optioned or in development.

Cinematographer RUSSELL BOYD, A.C.S., previously worked with Ron Shelton on "Cobb" and "White Men Can't Jump." The Australian native has also enjoyed a long working relationship with his fellow countryman, Peter Weir. Among the Weir's early efforts shot by Boyd were "Picnic at Hanging Rock," "The Last Wave," "Gallipoli" and "The Year of Living Dangerously." Boyd's first North American production credit was erned on Bruce Beresford's "Tender Mercies."

Boyd also served as cinematographer on "Starstruck," "High Tide" and "Mrs. Soffel," directed by Gillian Armstrong, Simon Wincer's "Phar Lap," and two by director Norman Jewison, "A Soldier's Story" and "In Country." He also shot "Burke & Wills," "Crocodile Dundee," "Crocodile Dundee II," "Turtle Beach" and "Forever Young."

Production designer JAMES BISSELL earned a British Academy Award nomination for his design of the worldwide smash hit "E.T. The Extra Terrestrial" and is a former Emmy-winner for "Palmerstown, U.S.A." Prior to "Tin Cup," he did the production design on the fantasy hit "Jumanji."

Born in Charleston, South Carolina, Bissell was graduated from the University of North Carolina with a fine arts degree in theatre in 1973. He moved to New York, where he worked on commercials and documentaries for two years before switching coasts to begin his television and film career as an art director.

Among his early efforts in that capacity were the 1977 miniseries "King," directed by Abby Mann, and the feature "Good Luck, Miss Wykoff," directed by Marvin Chomsky.

Bissell served as production designer on the Steven Spielberg, Joe Dante and George Miller episodes of "Twilight Zone - The Movie." His subsequent credits as designer include "Blue Chips," "The Falcon and the Snowman," "The Boy Who Could Fly," "Harry and the Hendersons," "Someone to Watch Over Me," "Twins," "Always," "Arachnophobia," "The Rocketeer," "The Pickle" and "Dennis the Menace."

Editor PAUL SEYDOR continues a long association with Ron Shelton that began with the Shelton-scripted "Under Fire." He recently served as editor on "Cobb" and, previously, on "White Men Can't Jump."

After receiving his doctoral degree in American Civilization from the University of Iowa, Seydor taught literature at the University of Southern California for seven years. During that time, Seydor wrote what is considered the definitive critical study on the work of director Sam Peckinpah, Peckinpah: The Western Films (a new edition of which will be published this year).

In the course of researching the book, Seydor met Roger Spottiswoode who was then an editor for Peckinpah. Their friendship led Seydor to leave academia for a job as assistant editor for Spottiswoode, who had begun directing. Seydor began his film editing career on "Under Fire," followed by "The Best of Times" from another Shelton script. Through the years, he has teamed with Spottiswoode on the features "Turner and Hooch" and "Shoot to Kill," as well as on the HBO movies "The Last Innocent Man" and "Time Flies When You're Alive."

Seydor's other credits as editor include "Major League 2," "The Program," "Shadow of China" and "Love Struck."

Editor KIMBERLY RAY previously edited Ron Shelton's movies "Cobb" and "White Men Can't Jump." Ray's other feature credits include "The Program," "Major League 2," "Mortal Passions" and the TNT telefilm "Good Ol' Boys," which marked Tommy Lee Jones' directing debut.

WILLIAM ROSS (Composer) previously scored "The Amazing Panda Adventure" after orchestrating nearly 30 movies and composing music for numerous television series, specials and miniseries. In addition, Ross received a Pulitzer Prize nomination in music for "Truman Suite for Speaker and Orchestra," comissioned in honor of the late president Harry S. Truman.

Among Ross' film-orchestrating credits are "Forrest Gump," "Blown Away," "Grumpy Old Men," "The Bodyguard," "Death Becomes Her," "Father of the Bride," "Die Hard 2: Die Harder," "Lethal Weapon," "Lethal Weapon 3" and "Ferngully: The Last Rainforest."


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© 1996 Warner Bros.