Alex Kurtzman
Alex Kurtzman | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | September 7, 1973 Los Angeles, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Alexander Kurtzman, Alexander Hilary Kurtzman |
| Occupation(s) | Writer, producer, director |
| Spouse | Samantha Counter (m. 2002) |
Alex Kurtzman (born September 7, 1973) is an American film and television writer, producer and director.
Life and career
Kurtzman was born and raised in Los Angeles, California,[1] where he met his high school friend and longtime collaborator Roberto Orci. He attended Wesleyan University.[2]
Kurtzman first teamed with Orci on television on the syndicated series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. After they produced several storylines to cope with the absence of lead actor Kevin Sorbo following a stroke during the first season, Kurtzman and Orci were placed in charge of the show.[3] They were both aged 24.[3] They moved into films after they were asked to rewrite Michael Bay's The Island. The film earned $162 million at the box office on a budget of $126 million, which was a sufficient success that they were brought back for Bay's Transformers, which earned $710 million. The Island, Transformers and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, although not particularly well received by critics, earned a combined $1.7 billion.[3] They wrote the 2009 film Star Trek alongside J. J. Abrams, with whom they had co-created the Fox science-fiction series Fringe. After the pilot, Kurtzman served as consulting producer on the show for the remainder of its run.[3]
In 2011, Forbes magazine described Orci and Kurtzman as "Hollywood's Secret Weapons" as over the course of the previous six years, their films grossed a combined total of over $3 billion at the box office.[3] The partnership also wrote People like Us, originally known as Welcome to People, which was Kurtzman's directorial debut.[3]
Since 2002, Kurtzman has been married to Samantha Counter, daughter of lawyer Nick Counter.[4]
Filmography
| Year | Film | Credit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | The Island | co-writer | |
| The Legend of Zorro | co-writer | ||
| 2006 | Mission: Impossible III | co-writer | |
| 2007 | Transformers | co-writer | |
| 2008 | Eagle Eye | producer | |
| 2009 | Watchmen | co-writer | uncredited script polish[5] |
| Star Trek | co-writer and executive producer | ||
| Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen | co-writer | ||
| The Proposal | executive producer | ||
| 2011 | Cowboys & Aliens | co-writer, producer | |
| 2012 | People Like Us | director, co-writer, co-producer | |
| 2013 | Star Trek Into Darkness | co-writer, producer | |
| Now You See Me | producer | ||
| Ender's Game | producer | ||
| 2014 | All You Need is Kill | co-writer[6] | |
| The Amazing Spider-Man 2 | co-writer, executive producer[7] | ||
| TBA | Van Helsing | producer[6] | |
| The Mummy | producer[6] |
Television credits
| Year | TV Series | Credit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997-1999 | Hercules: The Legendary Journeys | co-executive producer, writer | |
| 1999-2000 | Xena: Warrior Princess | co-executive producer, writer | |
| 2000 | Jack of All Trades | executive producer, writer | |
| 2001-2003 | Alias | supervising producer, co-executive producer, executive producer, writer | |
| 2004 | The Secret Service | co-creator, executive producer, co-writer | pilot |
| 2008–2013 | Fringe | co-creator, executive producer, consulting producer, writer | |
| 2010–present | Transformers Prime | executive producer | |
| 2010–present | Hawaii 5-0 | co-developer, executive producer, writer | |
| 2011 | Exit Strategy | co-creator, executive producer, co-writer | pilot |
| Locke & Key | co-developer, executive producer, co-writer | pilot | |
| 2013 | Sleepy Hollow | co-creator, co-writer, executive producer | pilot[8] |
References
- ^ "Alex Kurtzman Biography". IGN.com. Retrieved 2012-08-16.
- ^ Itzkoff, Dave. "Character-Driven Films (but Keep the Kaboom)". New York Times.
- ^ a b c d e f Pomerantz, Dorothy (May 18, 2011). "Roberto Orci And Alex Kurtzman: Hollywood's Secret Weapons". Forbes.
- ^ Hubler, Shawn (June 27, 2007). "Reel life was his real love". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Roberto Orci (2008-08-10). "The All New "Hey Roberto" Thread". Don Murphy. Retrieved 2008-10-22.
- ^ a b c "Universal Signs Kurtzman And Orci; Pair Takes On 'The Mummy' And 'Van Helsing'". Deadline Hollywood. May 1, 2012. Retrieved 2012-05-04.
- ^ Fleming, Mike (April 24, 2012). "Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci Re-Writing Sequel To 'Amazing Spider-Man'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2012-04-24.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (January 22, 2013). "UPDATE: Fox Picks Up Three Drama, Four Comedy Pilots, Including 'Sleepy Hollow'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
External links
- Alex Kurtzman and Bob Orci Discuss Trek and Transformers at AMCtv.com
- Alex Kurtzman at IMDb
- Alex Kurtzman at Memory Alpha
Template:Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci
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