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'''Barry Lee Levinson''' (born April 6, 1942) is an American film director, producer and screenwriter.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Balaban|first=Bob|date=April 19, 2011|title=Interview with Barry Levinson for the Directors Guild of America's Visual History Program|url=https://www.dga.org/VideoHTMLNew.ashx?id=%7BA4488D38-6C6F-4874-BA94-946F2B922271%7D&db=web|access-date=2021-02-26|website=Directors Guild of America}}</ref> His best-known works are mid-budget<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2018/07/barry-levinson-oscar-winner-peak-tv-trump-karlovy-vary-film-festival-1201981725/|title=Barry Levinson: The Oscar-Winning Director Who Decades Ago Saw TV's Peak Potential and Trump-like Danger|last=O'Falt|first=Chris|date=2018-07-06|work=IndieWire|access-date=2018-07-08|language=en-US}}</ref> [[comedy drama]] and [[Drama (film and television)|drama film]]s such as ''[[Diner (1982 film)|Diner]]'' (1982), ''[[The Natural (film)|The Natural]]'' (1984), ''[[Good Morning, Vietnam]]'' (1987), ''[[Bugsy]]'' (1991), and ''[[Wag the Dog]]'' (1997). Levinson won the [[Academy Award for Best Director]] for ''[[Rain Man]]'' (1988).<ref>{{cite web | url = https://movies.nytimes.com/person/99530/Barry-Levinson/biography | first = Hal | last = Erickson | title = Barry Levinson | access-date = May 30, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100921063557/http://movies.nytimes.com/person/99530/Barry-Levinson/biography | archive-date = September 21, 2010 | department = Movies & TV Dept. | work = [[The New York Times]] | author-link = Hal Erickson (author) | date = 2010 | url-status = dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Canby |first=Vincent |author-link=Vincent Canby|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/12/16/movies/review-film-brotherly-love-of-sorts.html |work=The New York Times |title=Review/Film; Brotherly Love, of Sorts |date=1988-12-16 |access-date=2017-02-16}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/14/al-pacino-barry-levinson-and-buck-henry-team-up-on-a-roth-tale|title=Al Pacino, Barry Levinson and Buck Henry Team Up on a Roth Tale|first=Brooks|last=Barnes|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=December 14, 2009}}</ref> In 2021, he co-executive produced the [[Hulu]] miniseries ''[[Dopesick (miniseries)|Dopesick]]'' and directed the first two episodes.
'''Barry Lee Levinson''' (born April 6, 1942) is an American film director, producer and screenwriter.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Balaban|first=Bob|date=April 19, 2011|title=Interview with Barry Levinson for the Directors Guild of America's Visual History Program|url=https://www.dga.org/VideoHTMLNew.ashx?id=%7BA4488D38-6C6F-4874-BA94-946F2B922271%7D&db=web|access-date=2021-02-26|website=Directors Guild of America}}</ref> Levinson won the [[Academy Award for Best Director]] for ''[[Rain Man]]'' (1988).<ref>{{cite web | url = https://movies.nytimes.com/person/99530/Barry-Levinson/biography | first = Hal | last = Erickson | title = Barry Levinson | access-date = May 30, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100921063557/http://movies.nytimes.com/person/99530/Barry-Levinson/biography | archive-date = September 21, 2010 | department = Movies & TV Dept. | work = [[The New York Times]] | author-link = Hal Erickson (author) | date = 2010 | url-status = dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Canby |first=Vincent |author-link=Vincent Canby|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/12/16/movies/review-film-brotherly-love-of-sorts.html |work=The New York Times |title=Review/Film; Brotherly Love, of Sorts |date=1988-12-16 |access-date=2017-02-16}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/14/al-pacino-barry-levinson-and-buck-henry-team-up-on-a-roth-tale|title=Al Pacino, Barry Levinson and Buck Henry Team Up on a Roth Tale|first=Brooks|last=Barnes|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=December 14, 2009}}</ref> His other best-known works are similarly mid-budget<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2018/07/barry-levinson-oscar-winner-peak-tv-trump-karlovy-vary-film-festival-1201981725/|title=Barry Levinson: The Oscar-Winning Director Who Decades Ago Saw TV's Peak Potential and Trump-like Danger|last=O'Falt|first=Chris|date=2018-07-06|work=IndieWire|access-date=2018-07-08|language=en-US}}</ref> [[comedy drama]] and [[Drama (film and television)|drama film]]s such as ''[[Diner (1982 film)|Diner]]'' (1982), ''[[The Natural (film)|The Natural]]'' (1984), ''[[Good Morning, Vietnam]]'' (1987), ''[[Bugsy]]'' (1991), and ''[[Wag the Dog]]'' (1997). In 2021, he co-executive produced the [[Hulu]] miniseries ''[[Dopesick (miniseries)|Dopesick]]'' and directed the first two episodes.

==Early life==
==Early life==
Levinson is of Russian-Jewish descent.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Ebert|first=Roger|title=Avalon movie review & film summary (1990) {{!}} Roger Ebert|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/avalon-1990-1|access-date=2021-02-26|website=www.rogerebert.com/|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Jews in the News:Sarah Michelle Gellar, Julianne Margulies and Jake Gyllenh {{!}} Tampa JCCs and Federation|url=https://www.jewishtampa.com/jews-in-the-news/jews-in-the-newssarah-michelle-gellar-julianne-margulies-and-jake-gyllenhaal|access-date=2021-02-26|website=www.jewishtampa.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Arnold|first=Peter|date=2017-05-03|title=Jmore Exclusive with Baltimore Filmmaker Barry Levinson|url=https://jmoreliving.com/2017/05/03/jmore-exclusive-with-baltimore-filmmaker-barry-levinson/|access-date=2021-02-26|website=JMORE - Baltimore Jewish Living|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Barry Levinson: Baltimore, My Baltimore|url=https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/film/111499levinson-film.html|access-date=2021-02-26|website=archive.nytimes.com}}</ref> After growing up in [[Forest Park, Baltimore]] and graduating from [[Forest Park High School (Maryland)|Forest Park Senior High School]] in 1960, Levinson attended [[Baltimore City Community College]] and [[American University]] in [[Washington, D.C.]] at the [[American University School of Communication]], where he studied [[broadcast journalism]].{{Citation needed |date=August 2022}}
Levinson was born in [[Baltimore, Maryland]], the son of Violet "Vi" ([[married and maiden names|née]] Krichinsky) and Irvin Levinson, who worked in the furniture and appliance business.{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}}. He is of [[History of the Jews in Russia|Russian-Jewish]] descent.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Ebert|first=Roger|title=Avalon movie review & film summary (1990) {{!}} Roger Ebert|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/avalon-1990-1|access-date=2021-02-26|website=www.rogerebert.com/|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Jews in the News:Sarah Michelle Gellar, Julianne Margulies and Jake Gyllenh {{!}} Tampa JCCs and Federation|url=https://www.jewishtampa.com/jews-in-the-news/jews-in-the-newssarah-michelle-gellar-julianne-margulies-and-jake-gyllenhaal|access-date=2021-02-26|website=www.jewishtampa.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Arnold|first=Peter|date=2017-05-03|title=Jmore Exclusive with Baltimore Filmmaker Barry Levinson|url=https://jmoreliving.com/2017/05/03/jmore-exclusive-with-baltimore-filmmaker-barry-levinson/|access-date=2021-02-26|website=JMORE - Baltimore Jewish Living|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Barry Levinson: Baltimore, My Baltimore|url=https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/film/111499levinson-film.html|access-date=2021-02-26|website=archive.nytimes.com}}</ref> After growing up in [[Forest Park, Baltimore]] and graduating from [[Forest Park High School (Maryland)|Forest Park Senior High School]] in 1960, Levinson attended [[Baltimore City Community College]] and [[American University]] in [[Washington, D.C.]] at the [[American University School of Communication]], where he studied [[broadcast journalism]].{{Citation needed |date=August 2022}}


He then moved to [[Los Angeles]] to work as an actor and writer and performed comedy routines. Levinson at one time shared an apartment with would-be drug smuggler (and subject of the movie ''[[Blow (film)|Blow]]'') [[George Jung]].<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|last=O'Brien|first=Kyle|date=24 April 2017|title=Gilbert Gottfried and Barry Levinson talk storytelling during live podcast at Tribeca Film Festival|url=https://www.thedrum.com/news/2017/04/24/gilbert-gottfried-and-barry-levinson-talk-storytelling-during-live-podcast-tribeca|access-date=2021-02-26|website=The Drum|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Carr|first=Sandra|date=April 28, 2012|title=Barry Levinson Shares His Life and Career with Fans at the Florida Film Festival|url=https://savvyscribe.blog/2012/04/28/barry-levinson-shares-his-life-and-career-with-fans-at-the-florida-film-festival/|access-date=2021-02-26|website=Savvy Scribe's Blog|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Distinguished Alumni - Notable Alumni|url=https://www.bccc.edu/Page/4677|access-date=2021-02-26|website=http|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Barry Levinson|url=https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/barry-levinson/bio/3000383682/|access-date=2021-02-26|website=TVGuide.com|language=en}}</ref>
He then moved to [[Los Angeles]] to work as an actor and writer and performed comedy routines. Levinson at one time shared an apartment with would-be drug smuggler (and subject of the movie ''[[Blow (film)|Blow]]'') [[George Jung]].<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|last=O'Brien|first=Kyle|date=24 April 2017|title=Gilbert Gottfried and Barry Levinson talk storytelling during live podcast at Tribeca Film Festival|url=https://www.thedrum.com/news/2017/04/24/gilbert-gottfried-and-barry-levinson-talk-storytelling-during-live-podcast-tribeca|access-date=2021-02-26|website=The Drum|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Carr|first=Sandra|date=April 28, 2012|title=Barry Levinson Shares His Life and Career with Fans at the Florida Film Festival|url=https://savvyscribe.blog/2012/04/28/barry-levinson-shares-his-life-and-career-with-fans-at-the-florida-film-festival/|access-date=2021-02-26|website=Savvy Scribe's Blog|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Distinguished Alumni - Notable Alumni|url=https://www.bccc.edu/Page/4677|access-date=2021-02-26|website=http|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Barry Levinson|url=https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/barry-levinson/bio/3000383682/|access-date=2021-02-26|website=TVGuide.com|language=en}}</ref>


==Career==
==Career==
Levinson's first writing work was for [[variety show]]s such as ''The [[Marty Feldman]] Comedy Machine'', ''The Lohman and Barkley Show'', ''[[The Tim Conway Show (1970 TV series)|The Tim Conway Show]]'', and ''[[The Carol Burnett Show]]''. After some success as a screenwriter – notably the [[Mel Brooks]] comedies ''[[Silent Movie]]'' (1976) and ''[[High Anxiety]]'' (1977) (in which he played a bellboy) and the Oscar-nominated script (co-written by then-wife [[Valerie Curtin]]) ''[[...And Justice for All (film)|...And Justice for All]]'' (1979) – Levinson began his career as a film director.
Levinson's first writing work was for television [[variety show]]s such as ''The [[Marty Feldman]] Comedy Machine'', ''The Lohman and Barkley Show'', ''[[The Tim Conway Show (1970 TV series)|The Tim Conway Show]]'', and ''[[The Carol Burnett Show]]''. He moved on to success as a film screenwriter – notably the [[Mel Brooks]] comedies ''[[Silent Movie]]'' (1976) and ''[[High Anxiety]]'' (1977) (in which he played a bellboy) and the Oscar-nominated script (co-written by then-wife [[Valerie Curtin]]), and ''[[...And Justice for All (film)|...And Justice for All]]'' (1979). He was an uncredited co-writer on [[Dustin Hoffman]]'s 1982 hit comedy ''[[Tootsie]].''


His first directorial effort was ''[[Diner (1982 film)|Diner]]'' (1982), for which he also wrote the script, earned him an Oscar nomination for [[Academy Award For Best Original Screenplay|Best Original Screenplay]]. ''Diner'' was the first of four films set in the [[Baltimore, Maryland|Baltimore]] of Levinson's youth. The other three were ''[[Tin Men]]'' (1987), a story of aluminum-siding salesmen in the 1960s starring [[Richard Dreyfuss]] and [[Danny DeVito]]; the immigrant family saga ''[[Avalon (1990 film)|Avalon]]'' (1990) featuring [[Elijah Wood]] in one of his earliest screen appearances; and ''[[Liberty Heights]]'' (1999).
Levinson began his career as a film director with ''[[Diner (1982 film)|Diner]]'' (1982), for which he also wrote the script, earned him an Oscar nomination for [[Academy Award For Best Original Screenplay|Best Original Screenplay]]. ''Diner'' was the first of four films set in the [[Baltimore, Maryland|Baltimore]] of Levinson's youth. The other three were ''[[Tin Men]]'' (1987), a story of aluminum-siding salesmen in the 1960s starring [[Richard Dreyfuss]] and [[Danny DeVito]]; the immigrant family saga ''[[Avalon (1990 film)|Avalon]]'' (1990) featuring [[Elijah Wood]] in one of his earliest screen appearances; and ''[[Liberty Heights]]'' (1999).


His biggest hit, both critically and financially, was ''[[Rain Man]]'' (1988), a sibling drama starring [[Dustin Hoffman]] and [[Tom Cruise]] in which Levinson appeared as a doctor in a cameo appearance. The film won four [[Academy Awards]], including [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]] and [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]]. It also won the [[Golden Bear]] at the [[39th Berlin International Film Festival]].<ref name="Berlinale 1989">{{cite web |url=http://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/1989/03_preistr_ger_1989/03_Preistraeger_1989.html |title=Berlinale: 1989 Prize Winners |access-date=2011-03-13 |work=berlinale.de}}</ref>
His biggest hit, both critically and financially, was ''[[Rain Man]]'' (1988), a sibling drama starring Dustin Hoffman and [[Tom Cruise]] in which Levinson appeared as a doctor in a cameo appearance. The film won four [[Academy Awards]], including [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]] and [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]]. It also won the [[Golden Bear]] at the [[39th Berlin International Film Festival]].<ref name="Berlinale 1989">{{cite web |url=http://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/1989/03_preistr_ger_1989/03_Preistraeger_1989.html |title=Berlinale: 1989 Prize Winners |access-date=2011-03-13 |work=berlinale.de}}</ref>


Levinson directed the popular period baseball drama ''[[The Natural (film)|The Natural]]'' (1984), starring [[Robert Redford]]. Redford later directed ''[[Quiz Show (film)|Quiz Show]]'' (1994), and he cast Levinson as television personality [[Dave Garroway]]. Levinson also directed the classic war comedy ''[[Good Morning, Vietnam]]'' (1987), starring [[Robin Williams]] (as [[Adrian Cronauer]]), and he later collaborated with Williams on the fantasy film ''[[Toys (film)|Toys]]'' (1992) and the political comedy ''[[Man of the Year (2006 film)|Man of the Year]]'' (2006). Levinson also directed the critically acclaimed historical crime drama ''[[Bugsy]]'' (1991), which starred [[Warren Beatty]] and which was nominated for ten Academy Awards.
Levinson directed the popular period baseball drama ''[[The Natural (film)|The Natural]]'' (1984), starring [[Robert Redford]]. Redford later directed ''[[Quiz Show (film)|Quiz Show]]'' (1994), and he cast Levinson as television personality [[Dave Garroway]]. Levinson also directed the classic war comedy ''[[Good Morning, Vietnam]]'' (1987), starring [[Robin Williams]] (as [[Adrian Cronauer]]), and he later collaborated with Williams on the fantasy film ''[[Toys (film)|Toys]]'' (1992) and the political comedy ''[[Man of the Year (2006 film)|Man of the Year]]'' (2006). Levinson also directed the critically acclaimed historical crime drama ''[[Bugsy]]'' (1991), which starred [[Warren Beatty]] and which was nominated for ten Academy Awards.


He directed Dustin Hoffman again in ''[[Wag the Dog]]'' (1997), a political comedy co-starring [[Robert De Niro]] about a war staged in a film studio. (Levinson had been an uncredited co-writer on Hoffman's 1982 hit comedy ''[[Tootsie]].'') The film won the [[Jury Grand Prix|Silver Bear – Special Jury Prize]] at the [[48th Berlin International Film Festival]].<ref name="Berlinale 1998">{{cite web |url=http://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/1998/03_preistr_ger_1998/03_Preistraeger_1998.html |title=Berlinale: 1998 Prize Winners |access-date=2012-01-23 |work=berlinale.de}}</ref>
He directed Dustin Hoffman again in ''[[Wag the Dog]]'' (1997), a political satire co-starring [[Robert De Niro]] about a Presidential election swayed by a phony war staged on a film studio. The film won the [[Jury Grand Prix|Silver Bear – Special Jury Prize]] at the [[48th Berlin International Film Festival]].<ref name="Berlinale 1998">{{cite web |url=http://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/1998/03_preistr_ger_1998/03_Preistraeger_1998.html |title=Berlinale: 1998 Prize Winners |access-date=2012-01-23 |work=berlinale.de}}</ref>


Levinson partnered with producer [[Mark Johnson (producer)|Mark Johnson]] to form the film production company Baltimore Pictures, with 1990's ''[[Avalon (1990 film)|Avalon]]'' as the company's first production. Johnson departed the firm in 1994. Levinson has been a producer or executive producer for such major productions as ''[[The Perfect Storm (film)|The Perfect Storm]]'' (2000), directed by [[Wolfgang Petersen]]; ''[[Analyze That]]'' (2002), starring De Niro as a neurotic mob boss and [[Billy Crystal]] as his therapist; and ''[[Possession (2002 film)|Possession]]'' (2002), based on the best-selling novel by [[A. S. Byatt]].
Levinson partnered with producer [[Mark Johnson (producer)|Mark Johnson]] to form the film production company Baltimore Pictures, with 1990's ''[[Avalon (1990 film)|Avalon]]'' as the company's first production. Johnson departed the firm in 1994. Levinson has been a producer or executive producer for such major productions as ''[[The Perfect Storm (film)|The Perfect Storm]]'' (2000), directed by [[Wolfgang Petersen]]; ''[[Analyze That]]'' (2002), starring De Niro as a neurotic mob boss and [[Billy Crystal]] as his therapist; and ''[[Possession (2002 film)|Possession]]'' (2002), based on the best-selling novel by [[A. S. Byatt]].
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Levinson has a television production company with [[Tom Fontana]] (The Levinson/Fontana Company) and has served as executive producer for a number of series, including ''[[Homicide: Life on the Street]]'' (which ran on [[NBC]] from 1993 to 1999) and the [[Home Box Office|HBO]] prison drama ''[[Oz (TV series)|Oz]]''. Levinson also played an uncredited main role as a judge in the short-lived TV series ''[[The Jury (TV series)|The Jury]]''.
Levinson has a television production company with [[Tom Fontana]] (The Levinson/Fontana Company) and has served as executive producer for a number of series, including ''[[Homicide: Life on the Street]]'' (which ran on [[NBC]] from 1993 to 1999) and the [[Home Box Office|HBO]] prison drama ''[[Oz (TV series)|Oz]]''. Levinson also played an uncredited main role as a judge in the short-lived TV series ''[[The Jury (TV series)|The Jury]]''.


Levinson published his first novel, ''Sixty-Six'' ({{ISBN|0-7679-1533-X}}), in 2003, and like several of his films, it is semi-autobiographical and set in Baltimore in the 1960s. In 2004, he directed two [[webisode]]s of the [[American Express]] ads "[[The Adventures of Seinfeld & Superman]]." In 2004, he was also the recipient of the [[Austin Film Festival]]'s Distinguished Screenwriter Award. Levinson directed a documentary ''[[PoliWood]]'' about the 2008 Democratic and Republican National Conventions: the documentary — produced by [[Tim Daly]], Robin Bronk and Robert E. Baruc — had its premiere at the 2009 [[Tribeca Film Festival]].
Levinson published his first novel, ''Sixty-Six'' ({{ISBN|0-7679-1533-X}}), in 2003, and like several of his films, it is semi-autobiographical and set in Baltimore in the 1960s. In 2004, he directed two [[webisode]]s of the [[American Express]] ads "[[The Adventures of Seinfeld & Superman]]." In 2004, he was also the recipient of the [[Austin Film Festival]]'s Distinguished Screenwriter Award. Levinson directed a documentary ''[[PoliWood]]'' about the 2008 Democratic and Republican National Conventions: the documentary—produced by [[Tim Daly]], Robin Bronk and Robert E. Baruc—had its premiere at the 2009 [[Tribeca Film Festival]].

⚫
In 2011 Levinson was developing a film based on [[Whitey Bulger]], the Boston crime boss.<ref name="EW">{{cite magazine |last=Rottenberg |first=Josh |title=Hollywood Insider: What's Going on Behind the Scenes: Boston's Bulger is Now Hollywood's "It" Gangster |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |date=February 22, 2013 |location=New York |page=27}}</ref> The resulting film, ''[[Black Mass (film)|Black Mass]]'' (script by [[Jim Sheridan]], [[Jez Butterworth]], and [[Russell Gewirtz]]), is based on the book by Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill, and it is said to be the "true story of Billy Bulger, Whitey Bulger, FBI agent John Connelly and the FBI's witness protection program created by [[J. Edgar Hoover]]."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bostonmagazine.com/arts-entertainment/blog/2013/06/20/who-should-play-whitey-bulger-black-mass/|first=Bryanna|last=Cappadona|title=Who Should Play Whitey Bulger in Black Mass?|date=June 20, 2013|work=[[Boston (magazine)|Boston]]|access-date=September 1, 2013|archive-date=April 17, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160417034511/http://www.bostonmagazine.com/arts-entertainment/blog/2013/06/20/who-should-play-whitey-bulger-black-mass/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Levinson later left the project.

⚫
Levinson finished production on ''[[The Humbling (film)|The Humbling]]'' (2014), starring [[Al Pacino]]. Levinson also directed ''[[Rock the Kasbah (film)|Rock the Kasbah]]'' (2015), starring [[Bill Murray]].<ref name=QED-Bill>{{cite news|last=Fleming|first=Mike Jr.|title=QED Sets Bill Murray For Barry Levinson-Directed 'Rock The Kasbah'|url=https://deadline.com/2013/09/qed-sets-bill-murray-for-barry-levinson-directed-rock-the-kasbah-577012/|access-date=6 February 2014|newspaper=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|date=3 September 2013}}</ref>


⚫
In 2010, Levinson received the [[Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement]], which is the lifetime achievement award from the [[Writers Guild of America]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Acclaimed Screenwriter Barry Levinson to Receive WGAW's 2010 Screen Laurel Award |publisher=Writers Guild Awards |date=February 20, 2010 |url=https://awards.wga.org/awards/awards-recipients/laurel-awards/screen-laurel-award/barry-levinson |access-date=July 3, 2023}}</ref>
⚫
Levinson, in 2011, was developing a film based on [[Whitey Bulger]], the Boston crime boss.<ref name="EW">{{cite magazine |last= Rottenberg |first= Josh |title= Hollywood Insider: What's Going on Behind the Scenes: Boston's Bulger is Now Hollywood's "It" Gangster |magazine= [[Entertainment Weekly]] |date= February 22, 2013 |location= New York |page= 27}}</ref> The film ''[[Black Mass (film)|Black Mass]]'' (script by [[Jim Sheridan]], [[Jez Butterworth]], and [[Russell Gewirtz]]) is based on the book by Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill, and it is said to be the "true story of Billy Bulger, Whitey Bulger, FBI agent John Connelly and the FBI's witness protection program created by [[J. Edgar Hoover]]."<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.bostonmagazine.com/arts-entertainment/blog/2013/06/20/who-should-play-whitey-bulger-black-mass/|first= Bryanna|last= Cappadona|title= Who Should Play Whitey Bulger in Black Mass?|date= June 20, 2013|work= [[Boston (magazine)|Boston]]|access-date= September 1, 2013|archive-date= April 17, 2016|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160417034511/http://www.bostonmagazine.com/arts-entertainment/blog/2013/06/20/who-should-play-whitey-bulger-black-mass/|url-status= dead}}</ref> Levinson later left the project.


In 2021, he co-executive produced the [[Hulu]] miniseries ''[[Dopesick (miniseries)|Dopesick]]'' and directed the first two episodes.
⚫
Levinson finished production on ''[[The Humbling (film)|The Humbling]]'' (2014), starring [[Al Pacino]]. Levinson also directed ''[[Rock the Kasbah (film)|Rock the Kasbah]]'' (2015), written by [[Mitch Glazer]].<ref name=QED-Bill>{{cite news|last=Fleming|first=Mike Jr.|title=QED Sets Bill Murray For Barry Levinson-Directed 'Rock The Kasbah'|url=https://www.deadline.com/2013/09/qed-sets-bill-murray-for-barry-levinson-directed-rock-the-kasbah/|access-date=6 February 2014|newspaper=deadline.com|date=3 September 2013}}</ref> The film starred [[Bill Murray]], [[Bruce Willis]], [[Kate Hudson]], [[Zooey Deschanel]], [[Leem Lubany]], [[Scott Caan]], [[Danny McBride]], [[Kelly Lynch]], [[Arian Moayed]], [[Taylor Kinney]], and [[Beejan Land]].


⚫
In 2010, Levinson received the [[Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement]], which is the lifetime achievement award from the [[Writers Guild of America]].<ref>{{cite web | title=Acclaimed Screenwriter Barry Levinson to Receive WGAW's 2010 Screen Laurel Award | website=Writers Guild Awards | date=February 20, 2010 | url=https://awards.wga.org/awards/awards-recipients/laurel-awards/screen-laurel-award/barry-levinson | access-date=July 3, 2023}}</ref>
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==Personal life==
==Personal life==
Levinson married his writing collaborator [[Valerie Curtin]] in 1975.{{Citation needed|date=March 2013}} They divorced seven years later. He later married Dianna Rhodes, whom he met in Baltimore while filming ''Diner.'' He is the father of [[Sam Levinson|Sam]], Jack, Michelle, and Patrick Levinson.
Levinson married his writing collaborator [[Valerie Curtin]] in 1975.{{Citation needed|date=March 2013}} They divorced seven years later. He later married Dianna Rhodes, whom he met in Baltimore while filming ''Diner.'' He is the father of [[Sam Levinson|Sam]], Jack, Michelle, and Patrick Levinson.
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He resides with his two sons and wife in [[Redding, Connecticut]].
He resides with his two sons and wife in [[Redding, Connecticut]].
-->


==Filmography==
==Filmography==
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==See also==
* [[Barry Levinson's unrealized projects]]


==References==
==References==
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[[Category:Actors from Maryland]]
[[Category:Actors from Maryland]]
[[Category:Jews from Maryland]]
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Latest revision as of 23:21, 15 November 2024

Not to be confused with Barry Levinson (producer, born 1932).

Barry Levinson
Levinson in 2009
Born
Barry Lee Levinson

(1942-04-06) April 6, 1942 (age 82)
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Alma materAmerican University
Occupations
  • Director
  • screenwriter
  • producer
Years active1970–present
Known for
Spouses
​
​
(m. 1975; div. 1982)​
Diana Rhodes
​
​
(m. 1983)​
Children3, including Sam Levinson

Barry Lee Levinson (born April 6, 1942) is an American film director, producer and screenwriter.[1] Levinson won the Academy Award for Best Director for Rain Man (1988).[2][3][4] His other best-known works are similarly mid-budget[5] comedy drama and drama films such as Diner (1982), The Natural (1984), Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), Bugsy (1991), and Wag the Dog (1997). In 2021, he co-executive produced the Hulu miniseries Dopesick and directed the first two episodes.

Early life

[edit]

Levinson was born in Baltimore, Maryland, the son of Violet "Vi" (née Krichinsky) and Irvin Levinson, who worked in the furniture and appliance business.[citation needed]. He is of Russian-Jewish descent.[6][7][8][9] After growing up in Forest Park, Baltimore and graduating from Forest Park Senior High School in 1960, Levinson attended Baltimore City Community College and American University in Washington, D.C. at the American University School of Communication, where he studied broadcast journalism.[citation needed]

He then moved to Los Angeles to work as an actor and writer and performed comedy routines. Levinson at one time shared an apartment with would-be drug smuggler (and subject of the movie Blow) George Jung.[1][10][11][12][13]

Career

[edit]

Levinson's first writing work was for television variety shows such as The Marty Feldman Comedy Machine, The Lohman and Barkley Show, The Tim Conway Show, and The Carol Burnett Show. He moved on to success as a film screenwriter – notably the Mel Brooks comedies Silent Movie (1976) and High Anxiety (1977) (in which he played a bellboy) and the Oscar-nominated script (co-written by then-wife Valerie Curtin), and ...And Justice for All (1979). He was an uncredited co-writer on Dustin Hoffman's 1982 hit comedy Tootsie.

Levinson began his career as a film director with Diner (1982), for which he also wrote the script, earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay. Diner was the first of four films set in the Baltimore of Levinson's youth. The other three were Tin Men (1987), a story of aluminum-siding salesmen in the 1960s starring Richard Dreyfuss and Danny DeVito; the immigrant family saga Avalon (1990) featuring Elijah Wood in one of his earliest screen appearances; and Liberty Heights (1999).

His biggest hit, both critically and financially, was Rain Man (1988), a sibling drama starring Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise in which Levinson appeared as a doctor in a cameo appearance. The film won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. It also won the Golden Bear at the 39th Berlin International Film Festival.[14]

Levinson directed the popular period baseball drama The Natural (1984), starring Robert Redford. Redford later directed Quiz Show (1994), and he cast Levinson as television personality Dave Garroway. Levinson also directed the classic war comedy Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), starring Robin Williams (as Adrian Cronauer), and he later collaborated with Williams on the fantasy film Toys (1992) and the political comedy Man of the Year (2006). Levinson also directed the critically acclaimed historical crime drama Bugsy (1991), which starred Warren Beatty and which was nominated for ten Academy Awards.

He directed Dustin Hoffman again in Wag the Dog (1997), a political satire co-starring Robert De Niro about a Presidential election swayed by a phony war staged on a film studio. The film won the Silver Bear – Special Jury Prize at the 48th Berlin International Film Festival.[15]

Levinson partnered with producer Mark Johnson to form the film production company Baltimore Pictures, with 1990's Avalon as the company's first production. Johnson departed the firm in 1994. Levinson has been a producer or executive producer for such major productions as The Perfect Storm (2000), directed by Wolfgang Petersen; Analyze That (2002), starring De Niro as a neurotic mob boss and Billy Crystal as his therapist; and Possession (2002), based on the best-selling novel by A. S. Byatt.

Levinson has a television production company with Tom Fontana (The Levinson/Fontana Company) and has served as executive producer for a number of series, including Homicide: Life on the Street (which ran on NBC from 1993 to 1999) and the HBO prison drama Oz. Levinson also played an uncredited main role as a judge in the short-lived TV series The Jury.

Levinson published his first novel, Sixty-Six (ISBN 0-7679-1533-X), in 2003, and like several of his films, it is semi-autobiographical and set in Baltimore in the 1960s. In 2004, he directed two webisodes of the American Express ads "The Adventures of Seinfeld & Superman." In 2004, he was also the recipient of the Austin Film Festival's Distinguished Screenwriter Award. Levinson directed a documentary PoliWood about the 2008 Democratic and Republican National Conventions: the documentary—produced by Tim Daly, Robin Bronk and Robert E. Baruc—had its premiere at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival.

In 2011 Levinson was developing a film based on Whitey Bulger, the Boston crime boss.[16] The resulting film, Black Mass (script by Jim Sheridan, Jez Butterworth, and Russell Gewirtz), is based on the book by Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill, and it is said to be the "true story of Billy Bulger, Whitey Bulger, FBI agent John Connelly and the FBI's witness protection program created by J. Edgar Hoover."[17] Levinson later left the project.

Levinson finished production on The Humbling (2014), starring Al Pacino. Levinson also directed Rock the Kasbah (2015), starring Bill Murray.[18]

In 2010, Levinson received the Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement, which is the lifetime achievement award from the Writers Guild of America.[19]

In 2021, he co-executive produced the Hulu miniseries Dopesick and directed the first two episodes.

Personal life

[edit]

Levinson married his writing collaborator Valerie Curtin in 1975.[citation needed] They divorced seven years later. He later married Dianna Rhodes, whom he met in Baltimore while filming Diner. He is the father of Sam, Jack, Michelle, and Patrick Levinson. He is a minority owner of the Baltimore Orioles baseball team.

He resides with his two sons and wife in Redding, Connecticut.

Filmography

[edit]
Main article: Barry Levinson filmography
Directed features
Year Title Distribution
1982 Diner Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer / United Artists
1984 The Natural Tri-Star Pictures
1985 Young Sherlock Holmes Paramount Pictures
1987 Tin Men Buena Vista Distribution
Good Morning, Vietnam
1988 Rain Man Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
1990 Avalon Tri-Star Pictures
1991 Bugsy
1992 Toys 20th Century Fox
1994 Jimmy Hollywood Paramount Pictures
Disclosure Warner Bros.
1996 Sleepers Warner Bros. / PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
1997 Wag the Dog New Line Cinema
1998 Sphere Warner Bros.
1999 Liberty Heights
2000 An Everlasting Piece DreamWorks Pictures / Sony Pictures Releasing
2001 Bandits Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer / 20th Century Fox
2004 Envy DreamWorks Pictures / Sony Pictures Releasing
2006 Man of the Year Universal Pictures
2008 What Just Happened Magnolia Pictures
2012 The Bay Lionsgate / Roadside Attractions
2014 The Humbling Millennium Films
2015 Rock the Kasbah Open Road Films
2021 The Survivor HBO Films
2025 Alto Knights Warner Bros. Pictures

Awards and nominations

[edit]
Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Barry Levinson
Year Title Academy Awards BAFTA Awards Golden Globe Awards
Nominations Wins Nominations Wins Nominations Wins
1982 Diner 1 1
1984 The Natural 4 1
1985 Young Sherlock Holmes 1
1987 Good Morning, Vietnam 1 2 1 1
1988 Rain Man 8 4 3 4 2
1990 Avalon 4 3
1991 Bugsy 10 2 8 1
1992 Toys 2
1996 Sleepers 1
1997 Wag the Dog 2 1 3
2001 Bandits 2
Total 34 6 6 0 23 4

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Balaban, Bob (April 19, 2011). "Interview with Barry Levinson for the Directors Guild of America's Visual History Program". Directors Guild of America. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  2. ^ Erickson, Hal (2010). "Barry Levinson". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 21, 2010. Retrieved May 30, 2013.
  3. ^ Canby, Vincent (December 16, 1988). "Review/Film; Brotherly Love, of Sorts". The New York Times. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
  4. ^ Barnes, Brooks (December 14, 2009). "Al Pacino, Barry Levinson and Buck Henry Team Up on a Roth Tale". The New York Times.
  5. ^ O'Falt, Chris (July 6, 2018). "Barry Levinson: The Oscar-Winning Director Who Decades Ago Saw TV's Peak Potential and Trump-like Danger". IndieWire. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
  6. ^ Ebert, Roger. "Avalon movie review & film summary (1990) | Roger Ebert". www.rogerebert.com/. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  7. ^ "Jews in the News:Sarah Michelle Gellar, Julianne Margulies and Jake Gyllenh | Tampa JCCs and Federation". www.jewishtampa.com. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  8. ^ Arnold, Peter (May 3, 2017). "Jmore Exclusive with Baltimore Filmmaker Barry Levinson". JMORE - Baltimore Jewish Living. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  9. ^ "Barry Levinson: Baltimore, My Baltimore". archive.nytimes.com. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  10. ^ O'Brien, Kyle (April 24, 2017). "Gilbert Gottfried and Barry Levinson talk storytelling during live podcast at Tribeca Film Festival". The Drum. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  11. ^ Carr, Sandra (April 28, 2012). "Barry Levinson Shares His Life and Career with Fans at the Florida Film Festival". Savvy Scribe's Blog. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  12. ^ "Distinguished Alumni - Notable Alumni". http. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  13. ^ "Barry Levinson". TVGuide.com. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  14. ^ "Berlinale: 1989 Prize Winners". berlinale.de. Retrieved March 13, 2011.
  15. ^ "Berlinale: 1998 Prize Winners". berlinale.de. Retrieved January 23, 2012.
  16. ^ Rottenberg, Josh (February 22, 2013). "Hollywood Insider: What's Going on Behind the Scenes: Boston's Bulger is Now Hollywood's "It" Gangster". Entertainment Weekly. New York. p. 27.
  17. ^ Cappadona, Bryanna (June 20, 2013). "Who Should Play Whitey Bulger in Black Mass?". Boston. Archived from the original on April 17, 2016. Retrieved September 1, 2013.
  18. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (September 3, 2013). "QED Sets Bill Murray For Barry Levinson-Directed 'Rock The Kasbah'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 6, 2014.
  19. ^ "Acclaimed Screenwriter Barry Levinson to Receive WGAW's 2010 Screen Laurel Award". Writers Guild Awards. February 20, 2010. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
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