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Tom Rothman
American film executive (born 1954) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Thomas Edgar Rothman (born November 21, 1954) is an American film executive and producer. He is best known as former CEO of Fox Filmed Entertainment, and founder of Fox Searchlight Pictures.[1] He currently serves as chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group.
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As chairman/CEO, Rothman is in charge of various motion picture operations, including Columbia Pictures, TriStar Pictures, Screen Gems, Sony Pictures Animation, and Sony Pictures Classics.[2][3] He executive produced titles such as Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Venom, Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, Peter Rabbit, and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.[4][5][6][7] During Rothman's tenure, the Motion Picture Group experienced several profitable years with films such as Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Little Women, and Spider-Man: Far From Home.[8][9]
Fox films were nominated for over 150 Academy Awards during Rothman's time there and won three Best Picture Academy Awards.[10] The company earned over $30 billion at the box office and made the then two highest-grossing films, Titanic and Avatar.[11][12][13][14]
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Early life and education
Rothman was born in to a Jewish family[15][16][17] in Baltimore, Maryland.
In 1972, he graduated from the Park School of Baltimore prior to entering college. Rothman graduated from Brown University with Honors in English and American Literature. In 1977, he worked as an English Teacher at the Salisbury School in Connecticut and coached varsity soccer.[14] He graduated from Columbia Law School in 1980.[12][14][18] In 1981, he served on The United States Court of Appeals Second Circuit as a law clerk for the Honorable Walter Mansfield.[14][19][18] From 1982 to 1986, he worked as an attorney at Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz.[14][19][20]
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Film career
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In 1986, Rothman co-produced Jim Jarmusch's Down by Law and Robert Frank's Candy Mountain.[12][14][20]
In 1987, he began working as an executive vice president of Columbia Pictures on all aspects of film development and production.[13][14][19][18][21]
In 1989, he served as president of Worldwide Production for the Samuel Goldwyn Company.[13][14][18] He supervised landmark independent films such as Henry V, Much Ado About Nothing, Longtime Companion, Truly Madly Deeply, Wild At Heart, and The Madness of King George.[12][13][19] He discovered and championed numerous young filmmakers who went on to become successful, including Ang Lee, Anthony Minghella, and Kenneth Branagh.[12][13][19] During this time, the company's films won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival three times.[22]
For 18 years, Rothman worked at Fox Filmed Entertainment (now Fox Entertainment Group).[13][18][21] In 1994, he founded and was the first president of Fox Searchlight Pictures (now Searchlight Pictures), one of the first specialty film divisions linked to a major studio.[19][18][21] Fox Searchlight went on to distribute multiple Oscar-winning films, including Slumdog Millionaire, which won the Best Picture Oscar in 2008.[13][21] Rothman was president of production for 20th Century Fox where he oversaw the majority of the company's film development and production from 1996 to 1998 and was president of Twentieth Century Fox Film Group from 1998 to 2000.[13][19][18][21]
From 2000 to 2012, Rothman served as chairman and CEO of Fox Filmed Entertainment (FFE), overseeing operations at 20th Century Fox, Fox Searchlight Pictures, Blue Sky Studios, and Twentieth Century Fox Television.[6][13][19][18] Some of the successful films and television series produced over Rothman's tenure include: Lincoln, Life of Pi, The Descendants, Cast Away, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, Black Swan, Walk the Line, Juno, The Devil Wears Prada, The X-Men series, the Ice Age series, Rio, Modern Family, Glee, and Homeland.[23]
During this time, the studio was nominated for over 150 Academy Awards (including three Best Picture wins), and earned over $30 billion in worldwide box office sales.[13][18][21] Fox had the best profit margins of any film studio.[24]
From 2007 to 2010, Tom Rothman hosted Fox Legacy, a television series in which he provided background and behind-the-scenes information regarding the making of films.[24] As Fox chairman, he became known for rejecting the idea behind Deadpool, claiming it wouldn't be successful, and making the decision to have the character (whose nickname is "The Merc With a Mouth") have his mouth sewn shut for the majority of his first film appearance in X-Men Origins: Wolverine.[25][26][27] In September 2012, Tom Rothman resigned as chairman and chief executive of Fox Filmed Entertainment.[28] That same month, Steven Spielberg announced that Rothman would produce Spielberg's Robopocalypse, for DreamWorks.[29]
Rothman served on the U.S. Dramatic Jury for the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, where he presented the Grand Jury prize to Fruitvale Station.[10]
Initially responsible for the re-launch of the Tristar Productions studio, it was announced in February 2015 that Rothman would replace Amy Pascal as chairman of Sony Pictures' Motion Picture Group and would continue to oversee the projects he greenlit at TriStar.[30] In September 2018, Sony Pictures extended their contract with Rothman following the release of Spider-Man: Far From Home.[31][32]
In August 2025, in an interview with Le Point, Rothman said streaming can be a partner to cinema if films are released in theaters first. He criticized shortening the exclusivity window from over 100 days to as few as 17 and praised the French model, stressing that the shared theater experience is irreplaceable[33][34].
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Awards and recognition
- 1995: The first Fox Searchlight Pictures movie The Brothers McMullen wins the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.[11]
- 1997: Titanic is nominated for a record 14 Academy Awards, winning 11, including Best Picture.[35]
- 1998: Columbia University awards Rothman the Arthur B. Krim Award for Outstanding Leadership in Entertainment.
- 2003: Premiere's Power List ranks Tom Rothman #7.[36]
- 2004: The Saturn Rings, an award presented annually by The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, awarded Tom Rothman The Life Career Award.[37]
- 2004: The National Multiple Sclerosis Society honors Tom Rothman at its 30th Annual Dinner of Champions.[38]
- 2005: Variety awards Tom Rothman and Jim Gianopulos the Showman of the Year Award.[39]
- 2007: Entertainment Weekly ranks Tom Rothman #19 on their list of "The 50 Smartest People in Hollywood."[36]
- 2009: Mentor L.A. honors Tom Rothman for his commitment to public education.[40]
- 2011: The Gotham Independent Film Awards award Rothman the Industry Tribute, a lifetime achievement award for independent film.[21]
- 2012: MSN Entertainment lists Tom Rothman leaving 20th Century Fox as one of the "Biggest Movie Bummers of 2012".[41]
- 2012: The American Jewish Committee awards Tom Rothman the Dorothy & Sherrill Corwin Award for Human Relations.[42]
- 2017: Tom Rothman is honored with the Producers Guild of America Milestone Award.[43]
- 2019: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awards Sony Pictures Entertainment's Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.[44]
- 2020: Sony Pictures Entertainment receives a total 20 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture nominations for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Little Women.[45]
Philanthropy
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Rothman is active in the nonprofit arts and education arenas.[12][14][46] In December 2013, President Obama nominated Rothman to serve on the 18-member National Council on the Arts. The Council advises on the National Endowment for the Arts's policies and programs and makes recommendations on grant applications.[47] He is a member of the Board of the Corporation of Brown University, where he serves on the Academic Affairs Committee.[14][46] He has worked as a teacher and fundraiser for Mentor L.A. Partner Schools.[14][46] Rothman is an emeritus member of the board of directors of the Sundance Institute, which he served for 20 years, and the American Film Institute, a top film graduate school.[12][46] Tom Rothman has been involved in fundraising activities for The Jewish Home for the Aging, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and the American Jewish Committee.[46] He serves on the board of New York's Art Therapy Outreach Center (ATOC), an organization that uses art therapy to help at risk groups.[46] He serves on the board of trustees for California Institute of the Arts.[48]
Politics
In July 2022, Rothman contributed $25,000 to The Next 50, a liberal political action committee (PAC).[49]
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Personal life
Rothman is married to actress, singer, and author Jessica Harper. The couple have two daughters.[14][46] Rothman is the brother of actor John Rothman.[50][51] In 2012, he was appointed as a director of Priceline.com Inc.[52]
References
External links
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