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James L. Brooks

Wikisimpsons - The Simpsons Wiki
Revision as of 17:37, November 8, 2019 by Solar Dragon (talk | contribs)
This article is about series executive producer. For For the character, see James L. Brooks (character).
James L. Brooks
James L. Brooks.jpg
Crew Information
Gender:
Male ♂
Job: Producer
Writer
Birth date: May 9, 1940 (1940-05-09) (age 83)
Status:
Active
Number of episodes: 763
Seasons active: Season 1 - Present
First episode: "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire"
Most recent episode: "Clan of the Cave Mom"
First game: The Simpsons: Hit & Run
Most recent game: The Simpsons Game
Song: Sibling Rivalry"
First album: The Simpsons Sing the Blues
Latest album: The Simpsons: Testify


James Lawrence Brooks (born May 9, 1940), known professionally as James L. Brooks, is a producer, writer, and film director.

He is best known for producing classic TV shows like The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Simpsons, Rhoda, Taxi, and The Tracey Ullman Show. His best-known film is his directorial debut, Terms of Endearment, for which he received three Academy Awards in 1984. He has also voiced himself in the episode "A Star Is Born Again". He was also interviewed in The Simpsons: Celebrity Friends, The Simpsons: Mischief & Mayhem, The Simpsons: Access All Areas, The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special – In 3-D! On Ice!, and The Simpsons: America's First Family. He will get a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame in 2015.[1]

Biography

James L. Brooks was raised in a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York. Brooks began his television career as a writer for CBS News from 1964 to 1966. After working for the ABC television series Room 222 as executive story editor, Brooks was hired along with writing partner Allan Burns by television executive Grant Tinker to create a show that would later become The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

The Mary Tyler Moore Show became a critical and commercial success and spawned other television shows created by Brooks and Burns such as Rhoda, Paul Sand in Friends and Lovers, Taxi, The Associates, and Lou Grant.

In 1978, Brooks began work on feature motion films. His first project was being writer and co-producer on the film Starting Over and later wrote, produced, and directed Terms of Endearment in 1983.

Brooks later started his own film and television production company, Gracie Films, in 1984. Gracie Films would produce the television series The Tracey Ullman Show and its spin-off, The Simpsons. He also produced the Jon Lovitz animated series The Critic. Gracie Films' notable film productions were Jerry Maguire, As Good as It Gets, Bottle Rocket, and Broadcast News.

Brooks had a cameo in the The Simpsons episode "A Star Is Born Again". He also played a semi-fictional version of himself in friend Albert Brooks' comedy Modern Romance as an opinionated film director.

Trivia

Brooks was well known for being in the studio audience of many shows that he produced in the mid 70s. Viewers can usually tell whether Brooks was in the audience by his distinctive loud guffaw. He would also make an occasional uncredited cameo appearance.

Brooks was a producer in the 1989 film War of the Roses, which Dan Castellaneta appeared in. This marked the first time a producer and actor worked on a project together outside of The Simpsons.

Credits

Developer

Executive producer

Executive creative consultant

Special thanks to

Creative consultant

The Simpsons executive producer

Written by

For The Simpsons

Executive soundtrack album producer

Parody lyrics by

Hans Zimmer would like to thank

Interviewee

Commentary

References


External links