Mark Canton

Mark Canton (born June 19, 1949) is an American film producer and executive.

Early life and education Canton was born to a Jewish family in Queens, New York City, the son of Shirley and Arthur Canton, who worked in the film industry on marketing and publicity, including such films as Lawrence of Arabia. As a young adult, he met well-known movie personalities like Alfred Hitchcock, David Lean, and Doris Day when they visited the family's apartment.

After working in the mail room of Warner Bros. while studying at the University of California, Los Angeles, Canton started working for 20th Century Fox and later had jobs with film director Franklin Schaffner, with producer Jon Peters, and in the 1970s as executive assistant to Mike Medavoy at United Artists. but also notorious box office failures like The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990), a picture he described as "the best movie I ever saw" at its first screening.

In 1991, Canton quit Warner Bros., where he was executive vice president of the Worldwide Motion Picture Production unit. Warner Bros. let him out of his contract fifteen months early, with studio head Bob Daly saying, "from our standpoint this was a job that was going to be eliminated." He then became chairman of Sony's Columbia Pictures (later Columbia-TriStar Pictures), where he was involved with some failures like Geronimo: An American Legend, but also with blockbusters such as Men in Black, Air Force One, and My Best Friend's Wedding. ) and The Cable Guy, before his final string of movies could become blockbusters. Described at the time as both "known for enthusiasm, rapid-fire talk, a sleek Italian wardrobe and a youthful style" Canton was in those years "one of the most powerful executives in Hollywood". Backed by the German company Senator Entertainment from August 2000 onwards, he struck a first-look deal with Warner Bros. By the end of 2001, the shares of Senator had dropped substantially, and Canton had to close down his production company.

In 2002, he was the chief executive of Artists Production Group, the movie branch of Artist Management Group. With this company, he produced blockbusters such as 300, Immortals, and The Spiderwick Chronicles.

In 2014, Canton co-created the show Power alongside Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson and Courtney Kemp, which earned numerous NAACP Image Awards, including multiple Outstanding Drama Series awards, National Film & Television Awards, People's Choice Awards, and BET Awards. This series was the number-one show on premium cable for its six-year run from 2014-2020.

In 2026, Canton joined forces with Peter Guber at Mandalay Entertainment as a managing partner for a new wave of feature films while continuing to develop television independently.

In his roles as executive, chairman, and producer, Canton has been involved in over 300 major Hollywood productions.

Other activities and roles , Canton is a vice-president on the board of the Ischia Global Film & Music Festival, an international film festival held on the Italian island of Ischia.

Personal life Canton was married to Oscar-winning producer Wendy Finerman, with whom he has three children.

Production manager

Year Film Role Box Office 1980 Caddyshack Executive in charge of production $39.8 million

Miscellaneous crew

Year Film Role 1974 The Taking of Pelham One Two Three Production aide

Thanks

Year Film Role 2000 Preston Tylk Thanks 2013 Getaway Special thanks

Television Year Title Credit Award 1999−2001 Jack & Jill Executive producer 2014–20 Power Executive producer Nominated - NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Drama Series 2020 The Freak Brothers Executive producer 2020−21 Power Book II: Ghost Executive producer 2021 Power Book III: Raising Kanan Executive producer 2022 Power Book IV: Force Executive producer 2024 The Spiderwick Chronicles Executive producer