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NOVEMBER 9, 2009
Jerry, Jerry Who?

Bruckheimer, Bruckheimer, Bruckheimer, that is!

I can hardly watch tv or even movie credits these days without seeing his name, Jerry Bruckheimer. Executive producer, Jerry Bruckheimer. Who is this guy?. So off to the net I go. I start my search in the place I begin most of my searches, no not Google, but www.iconn.org, our state's research engine. A power search across the databases for his name resulted in these hits:

iCONN Newsstand 486
Biography and Genealogy Master Index 4
Biography Resource Center 6
Discovering Collection 1
History Resource Center - U.S. 40
History Resource Center - World 32

way more than I need. I should refine my search a bit but before I do I decide to take a look at the Biography Resource Center 6 hits. This should give me a good overview about Jerry. I'm in luck. The very first article is an update from 10/5/2009. At my first click I'm getting the lowdown on ol' Jerry. He was born September 21, 1945 in Michigan (that makes him what, 64). Occupation film producer, television producer. Well, no revelations there. Ah, the biographical essay says he's one the most powerful producers in Hollywood and has been making blockbuster films since the 80's. He formed his own company in 1996 and by 2006 his films had made 6 billion (not bad). And then he branched out to tv, having at least 10 shows in 2005 (ah, now I know why I see his name everywhere).Still, no real dirt. Reading on I find out that he's an only child (does that explain his success?). A tad more interesting is that he studied psychology, earned a BA in '65 and upon moving to New York got a job working in advertising at the international firm of BBD&O, starting in the mail room of all places. Moving on...he later formed a company with Don Simpson. Their first smash hit was Flashdance in 1983, then Beverly Hills Cop in '84, Top Gun in '86. Now we're getting somewhere. People thought Bruckheimer was focused on the productions and that Simpson was the creative member of the team. Not so says Bruckheimer in this quote to the Daily Telegraph's Sheldon, "Don's ego made him think that he was the creative guy, and he was. But it was never the case that I was just the numbers guy. I knew it was a real partnership, and that I had contributed to all aspects of it." Don and Jerry continue their formula to success into the mid 90's when Simpson dies.

On his own, his first big hit is 1998's Armageddon. In 2001 he was chosen to produce the mega-hit for Disney, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Didn't know that! I'm finding out I haven't been reading all the credits.

Jerry Bruckheimer Television ~ He tells Michael Schneider of Variety, "We approach TV as a serious business; it's not just a sideline for us. We're passionate about it; we put enormous energy in it." First out is Soldier of Fortune (never watched it) and then the program that changed police procedurals forever, C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation, which airs on CBS and is a major hit, and its spin offs, CSI: Miami and CSI: NY. Without a Trace and The Amazing Race (now I'm remembering, that's where I saw his name first).

Not all of Bruckheimer's show were successes as evidenced by some I've never heard of, E-Ring, Just Legal, Skin and a comedy, Modern Men.

A private person, Bruckheimer keeps a low profile in Hollywood. According to this bio he likes to play Ice Hockey as he has since he was a kid. He has never appeared in any of his productions unlike some other Hollywood egos.

Not bad for one brief article from Thomson Gale, available at www.iconn.org and free to Connecticut residents. With just a few clicks I know more about Jerry Bruckheimer than when I started. One more click on the magazine tab nets me a new article mentioning one of Bruckheimer's latest ventures, my favorite new program of the season, The Forgotten. There's still more I'd like to know but that's enough for today. I can save my search and pick it up anytime.

If you've made it to the very end, a question. Do you have a favorite movie or tv program produced by Jerry Bruckheimer? My vote's for Without a Trace, which was not renewed this season. I sure miss Jack Malone, Samantha, Danny and Elena.

Sources used for this blog entry:

"Jerry Bruckheimer." Newsmakers, Issue 2. Thomson Gale, 2007.

Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 2009. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/BioRC

Add a comment  (1 comment) posted by CarolK

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Biography Resource Center said, on Nov. 12 at 8:40AM
Thanks for using us!

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