Mike Medavoy

Morris Mike Medavoy (born January 21, 1941) is an American film producer and business executive. He co-founded Orion Pictures and currently serves as chairman and CEO of Phoenix Pictures. He previously held leadership roles at TriStar Pictures and United Artists.

Early life Morris Mike Medavoy was born in Shanghai on January 21, 1941, to Michael Medavoy, a garage mechanic, and Dora Medavoy, a dress shop owner whose clientele included Chinese actresses. His parents were Russian-speaking Ukrainian Jews; his mother was born in Harbin to immigrants from Odesa, and his father was originally from Ukraine. He has a younger sister named Ronnie.

The Medavoy family lived in Chile from 1947 to 1957, where Medavoy attended the Liceo Valentín Letelier de Santiago. Medavoy became a U.S. citizen in 1963, the same year he graduated from UCLA. He joined the U.S. Army Reserve in 1963 and served at Fort Ord in California until 1969.

Career Early work In 1964, Mike Medavoy began his career in the mailroom at Universal Studios.

In 1974, Medavoy joined United Artists as senior vice president of production.

Medavoy is a member of the advisory committee of the Baryshnikov Arts Center in New York and serves on the advisory board of the USC Center on Public Diplomacy.

Political views Medavoy has supported the Democratic Party in various capacities. He served as co-finance chair for Gary Hart's 1988 presidential campaign and was involved in Bill Clinton’s presidential campaigns in 1992 and 1996. He also supported Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign, during which his wife, Irena Medavoy, served as co-finance chair.

Medavoy was a close friend of actor Marlon Brando and serves as a co-executor of Brando’s estate. In addition to his native Russian, he speaks Spanish, which he learned while living in Chile, and English, which he acquired after immigrating to the United States.

Awards In 2011, UNICEF and Oscar winner Sean Penn presented the Medavoy family a humanitarian award.

1980 - Honored by the Society of Fellows of the Anti-Defamation League 1992 - Motion Picture Pioneer of the Year Award 1997 - UCLA Career Achievement Award 1998 - The Cannes Film Festival Lifetime Achievement Award 1999 - UCLA Neil H. Jacoby Award for Exceptional Contributions to Humanity 2002 - Israeli Film Festival's Lifetime Achievement Award 2004 - Florida Atlantic University's Louis B. Mayer Motion Picture Business Leader of the Year Award 2004 - UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television Honorary Member Award 2005 - Producers Guild of America Vision Award 2005 - Inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame and received a star on Hollywood Blvd. 2007 - Stella Adler Actors Studio Marlon Brando Award 2008 - Jerusalem Film Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award 2008 - International Student Film Festival Hollywood Lifetime Achievement Award 2009 - Declared the honorary Doctorate at the Academy of Art in San Francisco 2009 - Declared Chevalier of the French Government's Legion of Honor. 2009 - Independent Spirit Award 2010 - Bernardo O'Higgins award from the Chilean government 2011 - The Locarno Film Festival Raimondo Rezzonico Prize (Locarno, Switzerland) 2011 - Hebrew University Award 2011 - Danny Kaye Humanitarian Award 2012 - Shanghai International Film Festival – Outstanding Achievement Award 2014 - Satellite Awards Mary Pickford Award - Outstanding Artistic Contribution to the Entertainment Industry 2015 - Cinequest Maverick Spirit Award 2016 - Peabody Award - Listen to Me Marlon 2019 - RiverRun International Film Festival - Master of Cinema Award 2019 - Beverly Hills Film Festival - Legends Award

Membership in film organizations Mike had membership in several film organizations, including:

In 2009, Medavoy co-authored American Idol After Iraq: Competing for Hearts and Minds in the Global Media Age with Nathan Gardels, editor of The National Political Quarterly.

Filmography Medavoy was a producer on the following films unless otherwise noted.

Film Year Film Credit 1997 U Turn CEO of Phoenix Pictures 1998 Urban Legend The Thin Red Line 2000 The 6th Day 2003 Basic Holes 2004 In My Country 2005 Stealth 2006 All the King's Men Miss Potter 2007 Pathfinder Resurrecting the Champ Zodiac License to Wed 2010 Shutter Island Shanghai Black Swan 2012 What to Expect When You're Expecting 2015 The 33 Absolutely Anything Executive producer 2016 The Promise 2023 The Last Voyage of the Demeter Ozi: Voice of the Forest 2026 I, Object Executive producer

As an actor Year Film Role 1971 The Christian Licorice Store Hollywood Party Guest

Thanks Year Film Role 2007 The Diving Bell and the Butterfly Special thanks 2011 Homecoming Thanks

Television Year Title Credit Notes 1996 Soul of the Game Executive producer Television film 1999 Shake, Rattle and Roll: An American Love Story Executive producer 2001 In the Time of the Butterflies Executive producer Television film 2002 The Outsider Executive producer Television film 2001−04 The Chris Isaak Show Executive producer 2011 The Dreamsters: Welcome to the Dreamery Executive producer Television film The Dreamsters Executive producer 2012 Shushybye Baby Executive producer 2017 The Long Road Home Executive producer 2018 Altered Carbon Executive producer

Thanks Year Title Role 1998 Stories from My Childhood Special thanks