Famous 20th Century T V & Movie Producers

Walt Disney is considered to be the forerunner of the American animation industry. He has won 22 Oscars and holds the record for most Academy Awards earned by an individual as a film producer. His The Walt Disney Company‍ has produced many successful animation films. He later established amusement theme park, Disneyland, in 1955, which has since grown manifold.

Actor-producer, Tom Cruise, is an international superstar, heartthrob of millions and is a recipient of numerous awards. The Mission: Impossible star has been one of the most bankable and versatile Hollywood actors since 1980s. Interestingly, he once aspired to be a priest but is now amongst the highest paid actors in the world.

Film director, producer, and screenwriter Steven Spielberg is one of the most popular directors and producers in film history. A pioneer of the New Hollywood era, he popularized the genre of escapist films. As of 2020, he is the highest-grossing film director in history. He has won the Academy Award for Best Director twice.

New Zealand director/producer Peter Jackson is best known for his three-time Academy Award-winning work in The Return of the King, the third part of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The third-highest-grossing director ever, he is also the man behind The Hobbit trilogy and the 2005 film King Kong. 

Actor, director, and producer, Denzel Washington, is famous for portraying strong real-life characters like anti-apartheid activist, Steve Biko, and human rights activist, Malcolm X, in films. Well-built and ruggedly handsome, he became the first black star to be named the Sexiest Man Alive in 1996. 

An award-winning actor, Danny DeVito overcame a rare genetic disorder called Fairbank's disease to become an influential figure in the American film industry. Along with Michael Shamberg, he founded a production company called Jersey Films, which went on to produce films like Pulp Fiction. He was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2011.

Gerard Butler is one of the most popular and successful actors from Scotland. He came into prominence with the portrayal of King Leonidas in the fantasy war film 300. Apart from acting, he participates in fundraising events and charity programs. Interestingly, Butler tried his hand at acting only after being fired a week before becoming a qualified lawyer!

Seth MacFarlane is best known as the creator of animated television series Family Guy and American Dad. He won many awards for Family Guy, including couple of Emmys. He also created and starred in the sci-fi comedy-drama television series The Orville. He’s worked in films too and acted in and directed Ted and Ted 2. He is also an accomplished singer.

Ron Howard started his career in the show business as an actor, but it was in direction that he found his true calling. He is highly respected for his craft and films like Solo: A Star Wars Story, Apollo 13 and A Beautiful Mind. He won the Academy Award for the Best  Director for A Breautiful Mind.

Akshay Kumar is one of the most popular and successful actors of Hindi cinema. He has been honored with several prestigious awards, such as Filmfare Awards, a National Film Award, and Padma Shri. Dubbed Indian Jackie Chan, Akshay Kumar is renowned for performing dangerous stunts in films.

Highly renowned Welsh actor, Anthony Hopkins is best known for his portrayal of a cannibalistic serial killer in the movie The Silence of the Lambs. The portrayal earned him prestigious awards and also a place in the list of best villains of all time. Other notable films of the celebrated character actor include Remains of the Day, Nixon and Amistad.

Martin Scorsese is widely considered one of the most influential and significant film directors in the history of the American film industry. One of the most decorated film directors, Scorsese has nine Oscar nominations, the most for any living director. He has also founded many non-profit organizations like The Film Foundation and World Cinema Foundation.

Ray Liotta was an American actor who voiced the central character, Tommy Vercetti, in one of the most popular video games of all time, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Ray Liotta's incredible journey from being an abandoned child, who was adopted from an orphanage, to becoming a popular actor is a ray of hope for many people.

A man of many talents, Steve Martin is a successful comedian, actor, and musician. In 2004, he was ranked sixth in Comedy Central's 100 greatest stand-up comics list. Despite achieving great fame and success as a comedian and actor, Steve decided to pursue a career in music and began appearing seldom in films to record and tour with bluegrass acts.

Best known for playing real-life black women in biopics, Angela Bassett does not mind being typecast as someone who often plays biographical roles. She has portrayed prominent personalities like Tina Turner, Betty Shabazz, Katherine Jackson, and Coretta Scott King. Also a director, producer, and activist, Angela Bassett works toward bettering the lives of African-Americans.

Swedish actor, Dolph Lundgre,n is mainly known as an action hero. He gained recognition with the 1985 Hollywood film Rocky IV and then went on to do many action and thriller movies like Joshua Tree, Showdown in Little Tokyo, Bridge of Dragons, Universal Soldier, Diamond Dogs and The Expendables. He has also directed several films like Missionary Man and Icarus.

Considered one of the most celebrated actors of his generation, Jeff Bridges is known for his natural acting and his versatility. He has starred in acclaimed films like Fat City, Starman, Tron, Jagged Edge, Fearless, Against All Odds, The Big Lebowski, True Grit and Hell or High Water. He received a Best Actor Oscar for the 2009 film Crazy Heart.

The son of famous Canadian actors, Shirley Douglas and Donald Sutherland, Kiefer Sutherland followed in his parents' footsteps to become a famous actor. Apart from being a respected and decorated actor, Kiefer is also one of the controversy's favorite children, having been on the wrong side of the law several times.

The amazingly talented, Tyler Perry, is an American actor who topped Forbes list of highest-paid man in entertainment in 2011. Perry is most known as the creator of the boisterous, African-American grandmother character, Madea, which he himself performs with great skill and artistry. From a homeless playwriter to having his own studio, Perry has surely achieved the evasive American dream.

Mexican-American actress, producer and director, Eva Longoria gained global recognition after portraying Gabrielle Solis in the ABC’s hit series Desperate Housewives. Prior to this, she was also a part of the popular series, The Young and the Restless. A multitalented personality, Eva has also been a face of L'Oreal Paris, has written a cookbook and participates in numerous philanthropic activities.

Will Arnett is widely regarded as one of the most handsome and best-looking comedians of all time; he has been named in lists like Top 15 Sexiest Nerd Boys and The 20 Hottest New Faces in Comedy. Famous for his smooth baritone voice, Will is also a popular voice actor. In 2019, he became a Canada Walk of Fame inductee.

Born to lawyer parents, Puerto Rican actor-producer Benicio del Toro had initially taken up a business degree course in university. He later dropped out and joined a New York theater school. Known for his Academy Award-winning role in Traffic, del Toro is also an avid environmental activist.

Known for his Emmy-nominated performance as Eric Brady in Days of Our Lives, Jensen Ackles had initially wished to study sports medicine. He appeared in the series Supernatural, Dark Angel, and Smallville, and the film My Bloody Valentine 3D. He also voiced Jason Todd in Batman: Under the Red Hood.

American filmmaker, Orson Welles, acted in and directed the 1941 film, Citizen Kane, which is considered to be one the greatest movies ever made. Though hailed as a genius, many of his films didn’t work at the box office. The Stranger, Macbeth, Chimes at Midnight, Touch of Evil and The Trial are some of the other films that he directed.

Comedian, writer, actor, director, and television producer Larry David is best known as the co-creator of the television series Seinfeld. He discovered his talent for comedy as a college student and began his career as a stand-up performer. After a few years of struggle, he achieved success and went on to become an accomplished actor, director, and producer.

Adrien Brody is best known for his Academy Award-winning performance as Polish pianist Władysław Szpilman in The Pianist. He also invited controversy for kissing Halle Berry on stage. Fans loved him in the Wes Anderson films The Darjeeling Limited and The Grand Budapest Hotel, and the series Peaky Blinders.

John Cusack started his career as a teen actor. He is known for his unconventional choice of films. Grosse Pointe Blank, Being John Malkovich, High Fidelity, The Raven and The Grifters are some of his notable films. He is also known as an activist and has often taken a strong stand on issues like war, drone usage, civil liberties, press freedom and whistleblowers.

Actress and producer, Mary Tyler Moore, was well known for appearing in popular sitcoms in the 1960s and 1970s. She also appeared in a few movies and was nominated for an Academy Award. She advocated for animal rights and diabetes prevention and was the international chairman of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Desi Arnaz was born wealthy but lost everything in the 1933 Cuban Revolution. He paired up with his first wife, Lucille Ball, in I Love Lucy, thus inventing the modern sitcom/syndicated show format, with live audiences. He owned a production company and was the bandleader of the Desi Arnaz Orchestra.

American actor Elijah Wood is credited with bringing the iconic character Frodo Baggins to life with his portrayal of Frodo in the Lord of the Rings film trilogy. He is also the founder of the production company SpectreVision, which predominantly produces horror films. Wood touched the lives of many when he visited Curepto after it was struck by an earthquake.

The recipient of two Golden Globes and two Academy Awards, Hilary Swank is known for her dedication to her craft. To prepare for her role in Boys Don't Cry, she reduced her body fat and pretended to be a man for a month. Later, she gained 19 pounds of muscle and underwent extensive training to play a boxer in Million Dollar Baby.

An Academy Award-winning actress, Geena Davis is also known for her work to fight gender bias, for which she was presented with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. An ardent archer, who vied for a semifinals spot in the U.S. Olympic archery team for the 2000 Summer Olympics, Geena supports the Women's Sports Foundation among other initiatives that support women.

American actress, Kerry Washington, attained fame when she starred in the television series, Scandal, which ran from 2012 to 2018. She was also commended for her role in the television film, Confirmation, and for the miniseries, Little Fires Everywhere. She has also acted in films like The Last King of Scotland, Django Unchained, Our Song, The Dead Girl and American Son.

Actress and producer, Lori Loughlin, has been active in the entertainment world for over four decades. Beginning her career as a print model at the age of 11, she started acting as a teenager. With time, she moved on to play more mature roles. In 2020, she was sentenced to two months in prison after she pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud.

Paula Patton is an American actress best known for her portrayal of Jane Carter in the 2011 film Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. She is also famous for playing Ms.Blu Rain in the 2009 American drama film Precious, for which she was honored at the Boston Society of Film Critics Award. 

The son of actor Stephen Macht, Gabriel Macht followed in his father's footsteps to become a popular actor and film producer in his own right. A vegetarian who practices green living, Gabriel Macht was one of the guests at Prince Harry's wedding to Meghan Markle at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.

Mimi Rogers is an American actress and producer. She is credited with introducing Scientology to her ex-husband Tom Cruise, which later on to had a major impact on Tom's life. Also a former poker player, Mimi Rogers has competed in several poker tournaments and is currently on the board of directors of the World Poker Tour.

Frances McDormand has earned the "Triple Crown of Acting," with two Academy Awards, a Tony, and two Primetime Emmys. She is best known for her roles of headstrong women in Coen brothers’ films, such as Fargo. She has also been vocal about the Me Too and Time's Up movements.

Christian Slater serves as an inspiration to many people who are trying to live sober. For someone who had difficulties with alcoholism and substance abuse, Christian Slater has come a long way as he now solely focuses on his career as an actor, producer, and voice actor. He also focuses on charity work.

Six-time Emmy Award-winner Johnny Carson was known for hosting NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. After serving in World War II, Carson started hosting radio shows and then graduated to TV. He also won the Presidential Medal of Freedom and is said to have inspired David Letterman.