Edward M. Zwick (born October 8, 1952) is an American filmmaker. He has worked primarily in the comedy drama and epic historical film genres and received an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award for his work producing Shakespeare in Love (1998).
He made his film debut with the comedy About Last Night (1986), followed by Glory (1989), Legends of the Fall (1994), Courage Under Fire (1996), The Siege (1998), The Last Samurai (2003), Blood Diamond (2006), and Defiance (2008). His later films include Love & Other Drugs (2010), Pawn Sacrifice (2014), and Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016).
He is also the co-creator of the ABC family drama series thirtysomething and Once and Again.
Early life and education Zwick was born on October 8, 1952, into a Jewish family in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Ruth Ellen ( Reich) and Allen Zwick. He attended New Trier High School, received a B.A. at Harvard in 1974, and graduated from the AFI Conservatory with a Master of Fine Arts degree in 1975.
Despite sharing a surname and profession, Edward is unrelated to fellow director Joel Zwick. He has been married to actress Liberty Godshall since 1982, and they have two grown children.
Career
His films include Glory (1989), Legends of the Fall (1994), The Siege (1998), The Last Samurai (2003), Blood Diamond (2006), and Defiance (2008). Along with Marshall Herskovitz, Zwick runs The Bedford Falls Company (named after the town in Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life). The film production company has produced such films as Traffic and Shakespeare in Love and the TV shows thirtysomething, Relativity, Once and Again, and My So-Called Life.
Zwick's body of work has earned numerous accolades, including an Academy Award and BAFTA Award for Best Picture as a producer, and Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Writing in a Limited Series, and Outstanding Dramatic Special. He was one of the recipients of the Academy Award for Best Picture for Shakespeare in Love; he was also nominated in the same category for Traffic. He has also been nominated for multiple Golden Globe Awards.
In 2024, Zwick released his memoir, Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions: My Fortysomething Years in Hollywood.
Filmography Film YearTitleDirectorProducerWriter 1986 About Last Night... 1989 Glory 1992 Leaving Normal 1994 Legends of the Fall 1996 Courage Under Fire 1998 The Siege 2003 The Last Samurai 2006 Blood Diamond 2008 Defiance 2010 Love & Other Drugs 2014 Pawn Sacrifice 2016 Jack Reacher: Never Go Back The Great Wall 2017 American Assassin 2018 Trial by Fire 2027 AsymmetryRichard Gere and Diana Silvers Fall in Love in First Look at Age-Gap Romance Asymmetry (Exclusive)
Producer only Dangerous Beauty (1998) Shakespeare in Love (1998) Traffic (2000) I Am Sam (2001) Abandon (2002) Cut Bank (2014) Woman Walks Ahead (2017)Executive producer Lone Star State of Mind (2002) Boys of Abu Ghraib (2014) About Alex (2014) The Birth of a Nation (2016)
Television Year TitleDirectorWriterExecutiveProducerCreator Notes 1979–80Family Also producer;5 episodes (written);Directed episode "Ballerina" 1985 The Insiders Pilot episode 1987–91 thirtysomething 3 episodes (directed);8 episodes (written) 1999–2002 Once and Again 3 episodes (directed);4 episodes (written)Also actor (as Dr. Daniel Rosenfeld) 2008 Quarterlife Web series;2 episodes (written) 2016–18 Nashville Wrote episode "The Wayfaring Stranger" 2020 Away Directed episode "Go"
Television films Year TitleDirectorWriterProducer 1982 Paper Dolls 1982 Having It All 1983 Special Bulletin 1990 Extreme Close-Up 2009 A Marriage 2020 Thirtysomething(else)
Executive producer only Year Title Notes 1987 CBS Summer Playhouse Episode "Sawdust" 1989 Dream Street 1994-95 My So-Called Life 1998 Relativity 2000 The Only Living Boy in New York TV movie The Poof Point 2002 Women vs. Men
Awards and nominations YearTitleAward/Nomination 1989 Glory Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Director 1994 Legends of the Fall Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Director 1998 Shakespeare in Love Academy Award for Best PictureBAFTA Award for Best FilmSatellite Award for Best Motion Picture, Comedy or MusicalNominated - Producers Guild of America Award for Best Theatrical Motion Picture 2000 Traffic Nominated - Academy Award for Best Picture 2003 The Last Samurai National Board of Review Award for Best DirectorNominated - Saturn Award for Best DirectorNominated - Producers Guild of America Award for Best Picture 2006 Blood Diamond Nominated - St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Award for Best Director
+Awards received by Zwick films Year Title Academy Awards BAFTA Awards Golden Globe Awards Nominations Wins Nominations Wins Nominations Wins1989Glory531511994Legends of the Fall3142003The Last Samurai432006Blood Diamond512008Defiance112010Love & Other Drugs2Total18410161
Directed Academy Award performancesUnder Zwick's direction, these actors have received Academy Award wins and nominations for their performances in their respective roles. +YearPerformerFilmResultAcademy Award for Best Actor2006Leonardo DiCaprioBlood DiamondAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actor1989Denzel WashingtonGlory2003Ken WatanabeThe Last Samurai2006Djimon HounsouBlood Diamond
Books
References
Further reading Review of Defiance.
External links