Eric Fellner

The partner with Tim Bevan in Working Title Films, Eric Fellner and Bevan have the distinction of having produced or executive produced three consecutive nominees for the Academy Award for best picture -- "Four Weddings and a Funeral" (1994), "Dead Man Walking" (1995), and "Fargo" (1996), and their work with directors working outside the Hollywood system both in the U.S. and their native Britain has made their company a role model in the 90s. Fellner began his career for Zoetrope, a music video production outfit in Britain, and eventually produced videos for Duran Duran, Fleetwood Mac, The Rolling Stones, Elton John, and Rod Stewart, among others. Fellner founded the Initial Pictures company with partner Scott Millaney in 1985, and they produced their first feature film, "Sid and Nancy" about the singer of the Sex Pistols, released in 1986. This was followed by the "B movie" homage, "Straight to Hell" (1987), as well as "Pascali's Island" (1988), starring Ben Kingsley. Fellner and Initial Pictures executive produced "A Kiss Before Dying" and "Year of the Gun" (both 1991) before he split with Millaney and joined Bevan in Working Title. Bevan had already split from his original partner, Sarah Radclyffe, having established himself with such projects as "My Beautiful Laundrette" (1985), and "A World Apart" (1988). Fellner and Bevan plunged the newly-vitalized Working Title into cutting-edge filmmaking, executive producing Tim Robbins' directorial debut, "Bob Roberts" (1992), then producing Vincent Ward's "Map of the Human Heart" (1993). That same year, 1993, they executive produced Mario Van Peebles' "Posse". "Four Weddings and a Funeral," which starred Hugh Grant in a look at love and commitment, followed in 1994, the same year Working Title first associated with the Coen Brothers with Fellner and Bevan and executive producers of "The Hudsucker Proxy". In 1995, they worked again with Van Peebles, and his father, Melvin Van Peebles as well, as executive producers of "Panther," and also produced "French Kiss," a comedy starring Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline, and "Moonlight and Valentino," which while focusing on women and their need for love and relationships, may someday be best recalled as the film debut of Jon Bon Jovi. Also in 1995, Working Title associated anew with Tim Robbins for "Dead Man Walking". In 1996, came The Coen Brothers' "Fargo," on which Fellner and Bevan were executive producers. They again worked with the Coens in 1997 on "The Big Lebowski". Also in 1997, came the slapstick "Bean," "The Strangest Places," and a big-screen version of "The Borrowers," based on the novels for children by Mary Norton about a tiny human family living in the cracks of a house. Working Title had previously produced "The Borrowers" in two TV versions, both seen on TNT. Their other TV work includes the acclaimed miniseries "Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City" for PBS, and Fellner produced the movie "Frankie's House" for A & E, about journalists in Vietnam (1993).

  • Born:
    in England, United Kingdom
  • Job Titles:
    Executive, Producer
Education
  • Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London, England, 1979
Milestones
  • 1983 Founded Direct Productions
  • 1985 Founded Initial Pictures (with Scott Millaney)
  • 1986 Produced first feature film, Sid and Nancy
  • 1991 Joined with Tim Bevan in Working Title Films
  • 1992 Executive produced Tim Robbins directorial debut, Bob Roberts
  • 1994 Executive produced Armisted Maupin s Tales of the City for PBS
  • 1994 First worked with the Coen brothers as executive producer of The Hudsucker Proxy
  • 1994 Served as executive producer on the Oscar-nominated Best Picture Four Weddings and a Funeral
  • 1995 Re-teamed with Tim Robbins as executive producer of Dead Man Walking
  • 1995 Served as executive producer on Panther, directed by Mario Van Peebles
  • 1996 Second teaming with the Coen brothers on the award-winning Fargo
  • 1997 Executive produced The Big Lebowski for the Coens
  • 1997 Had international hit with the comedy Bean, starring Rowan Atkinson
  • 1998 Established special effects subsidiary Double Negative
  • 1998 Executive produced the period drama Elizabeth ; earned first Academy Award nomination for Best Picture
  • 1999 Signed five-year deal with Universal
  • 1999 Working Title released Notting Hill teaming Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts
  • 2001 Co-Produced the romantic comedy Bridget Jones Diary
  • 2003 Produced Richard Curtis directorial debut Love Actually ; received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Comedy or Musical Picture
  • 2004 Produced the sequel Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason
  • 2006 Produced the controversal United 93
  • 2007 Again collaborated with Atkinson for Mr. Bean s Holiday
  • 2007 Earned second Academy Award nomination for Best Picture for producing Atonement
  • 2008 Co-produced with Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, “Frost/Nixon”; earned an Academy Award nomination for Best motion picture of the year
  • 2009 Produced the Richard Curtis directed, Pirate Radio
  • First job in industry, as a runner for Zoetrope, a music video company; eventually began producing videos

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