James Lawrence Brooks is an American director, producer and screenwriter. Growing up in North Bergen, New Jersey, Brooks endured a fractured family life and passed the time by reading and writing. After dropping out of New York University, he got a job as an usher at CBS, going on to write for the CBS News broadcasts. He moved to Los Angeles in 1965 to work on David L. Wolper’s documentaries. After being laid off he met producer Allan Burns who secured him a job as a writer on the series My Mother the Car.
Brooks wrote for several shows before being hired as a story editor on My Friend Tony and later creating the series Room 222. Grant Tinker hired Brooks and Burns at MTM Productions to create The Mary Tyler Moore Show in 1970. The show, one of the first to feature an independent working woman as its lead character, was critically acclaimed and won Brooks several Primetime Emmy Awards. Brooks and Burns then created two successful spin-offs from Mary Tyler Moore in the shape of Rhoda (a comedy) and Lou Grant (a drama). Brooks left MTM Productions in 1978 to co-create the sitcom Taxi which, despite winning multiple Emmys, suffered from low ratings and was canceled twice.
He moved into feature film work when he wrote and co-produced the 1979 film Starting Over. His next project was the critically acclaimed film Terms of Endearment, which he produced, directed and wrote, winning an Academy Award for all three positions. Basing his next film, Broadcast News, on his journalistic experiences the film earned him a further two Academy Award nominations. Although his 1994 work I’ll Do Anything was hampered by negative press attention due to the cutting of all of its recorded musical numbers, As Good as It Gets (co-written with Mark Andrus) earned further praise. It was seven years until his next film, which came in the shape of 2004’s Spanglish. His sixth film, How Do You Know, was released in 2010. Brooks also produced and mentored Cameron Crowe on Say Anything… (1989) and Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson on Bottle Rocket (1996).
Although he did not intend to do so, Brooks returned to television in 1987 as the producer of The Tracey Ullman Show. He hired cartoonist Matt Groening to create a series of shorts for the show, which eventually led to The Simpsons in 1989. The Simpsons won numerous awards and is still running after 20 years. Brooks also co-produced and co-wrote the 2007 film adaptation of the show, The Simpsons Movie. In total, Brooks has received 47 Emmy nominations, winning 20 of them.
James L. Brooks Biography / Wiki
| Name | James L. Brooks |
| Also Know | |
| Gender | Male |
| Known For | Production |
| Place of Birth | North Bergen, New Jersey, USA |
| Date of Birth | May 09, 1940 |
| Age(as in 2023 Feb) | 82 |
| Deathday |
James L. Brooks Acting Movies
| Movie Name | Character | Release Date | Overview |
| Hans Zimmer – Der Sound für Hollywood | Himself | 2011-03-14 | Documentary about Hans Zimmer…. |
| The Making of ‘Bottle Rocket’ | Self | 2008-12-16 | Interviews with individuals involved in the making of Wes Anderson’s 1996 film “Bottle Rocket.”… |
| The Process | The Process, a documentary film that takes the audience for an inside, behind the scenes look of world renowned acting and directing coach, Larry Moss… | ||
| Audience Research | Paul Reynold | 1976-01-10 | Albert Brooks goes to a research institute to find out why people don’t like him and how he can change that. Saturday Night Live, Season 1 Episode 9… |
| Being Mary Tyler Moore | Self | 2023-03-13 | With unprecedented access to the Mary Tyler Moore Estate, friends, family, and colleagues, Being Mary Tyler Moore constructs an intimate mosaic of Mar… |
| Harry Benson: Shoot First | Self | 2016-11-04 | What we know today about many famous musicians, politicians, and actresses is due to the famous work of photographer Harry Benson. He captured vibrant… |
| Dreams on Spec | Himself | 2007-03-23 | “Dreams on Spec” takes an intimate look at how far people will go – and how much they will sacrifice – for the chance to pursue their dreams. This fea… |
| James L. Brooks – A Singular Voice | Self (archive footage) | 2011-01-25 | A new documentary on Brooks’s career in television and film, featuring actresses Marilu Henner and Julie Kavner, among other collaborators…. |
| Hans Zimmer: Hollywood Rebel | Self | 2022-10-16 | An in-depth look of the 40 year journey, from post-war Germany to Hollywood royalty, of Hans Zimmer, the man who’s become the dominant force in the … |
| Alan Pakula: Going for Truth | Self | 2019-10-12 | “Alan Pakula: Going for Truth” encompasses the personal and professional life of Alan J. Pakula, a lauded filmmaker and extremely private man, who was… |
| Mike Nichols: An American Master | 2016-01-29 | With charm and wit, Nichols discusses his life and 50-year career as a performer and director…. | |
| Modern Romance | David | 1981-03-13 | A film editor breaks up with his girlfriend, unsure if he is in love…. |
| Real Life | Driving Evaluator | 1979-03-02 | A pushy, narcissistic filmmaker persuades a Phoenix family to let him and his crew film their everyday lives, in the manner of the ground-breaking PBS… |
| Lost in America | Party Guest (uncredited) | 1985-02-08 | David and Linda Howard are successful yuppies from LA. When he gets a job disappointment, David convinces Linda that they should quit their jobs, liqu… |
| Misery Loves Comedy | Self | 2015-01-23 | Do you have to be miserable to be funny? More than sixty comedians—including stand-ups, writers, actors, and directors from the US, Canada, and abro… |
James L. Brooks Directing Movies
| Movie Name | Job | Release Date | Overview |
| Spanglish | Director | 2004-12-17 | Mexican immigrant and single mother Flor Moreno finds housekeeping work with Deborah and John Clasky, a well-off couple with two children of their own… |
| As Good as It Gets | Director | 1997-12-19 | Melvin Udall, a cranky, bigoted, obsessive-compulsive writer of romantic fiction, is rude to everyone he meets, including his gay neighbor, Simon. Aft… |
| Terms of Endearment | Director | 1983-11-20 | Aurora, a finicky woman, is in search of true love while her daughter faces marital issues. Together, they help each other deal with problems and find… |
| Broadcast News | Director | 1987-12-16 | Basket-case network news producer Jane Craig falls for new reporter Tom Grunnick, a pretty boy who represents the trend towards entertainment news she… |
| How Do You Know | Director | 2010-12-17 | After being cut from the USA softball team and feeling a bit past her prime, Lisa finds herself evaluating her life and in the middle of a love triang… |
| I’ll Do Anything | Director | 1994-02-04 | Matt Hobbs is a talented but unsuccessful actor. When estranged (and strange) ex-wife Beth dumps their daughter Jeannie on Matt, father and daughter h… |
James L. Brooks Production Movies
| Movie Name | Job | Release Date | Overview |
| The Simpsons Movie | Producer | 2007-07-25 | After Homer accidentally pollutes the town’s water supply, Springfield is encased in a gigantic dome by the EPA and the Simpsons are declared fugitive… |
| The War of the Roses | Producer | 1989-12-08 | The Roses, Barbara and Oliver, live happily as a married couple. Then she starts to wonder what life would be like without Oliver, and likes what she … |
| Say Anything… | Executive Producer | 1989-04-14 | Lloyd, an eternal optimist, seeks to capture the heart of Diane, an unattainable high school beauty and straight-A student. He surprises just about ev… |
| Big | Producer | 1988-06-03 | When a young boy makes a wish at a carnival machine to be big—he wakes up the following morning to find that it has been granted and his body has gr… |
| As Good as It Gets | Producer | 1997-12-19 | Melvin Udall, a cranky, bigoted, obsessive-compulsive writer of romantic fiction, is rude to everyone he meets, including his gay neighbor, Simon. Aft… |
| Terms of Endearment | Producer | 1983-11-20 | Aurora, a finicky woman, is in search of true love while her daughter faces marital issues. Together, they help each other deal with problems and find… |
| Jerry Maguire | Producer | 1996-12-13 | Jerry Maguire used to be a typical sports agent: willing to do just about anything he could to get the biggest possible contracts for his clients, plu… |
| Broadcast News | Producer | 1987-12-16 | Basket-case network news producer Jane Craig falls for new reporter Tom Grunnick, a pretty boy who represents the trend towards entertainment news she… |
| Bottle Rocket | Executive Producer | 1996-02-21 | Upon his release from a mental hospital following a nervous breakdown, the directionless Anthony joins his friend Dignan, who seems far less sane than… |
| How Do You Know | Producer | 2010-12-17 | After being cut from the USA softball team and feeling a bit past her prime, Lisa finds herself evaluating her life and in the middle of a love triang… |
| Thursday’s Game | Producer | 1974-04-14 | Harry Evers and Marvin Ellison have been playing poker Thursday nights with their friends for years. When a disagreement breaks up the game, they deci… |
| Spanglish | Producer | 2004-12-17 | Mexican immigrant and single mother Flor Moreno finds housekeeping work with Deborah and John Clasky, a well-off couple with two children of their own… |
| The Best of the Tracey Ullman Show | Executive Producer | 1990-05-26 | … |
| The Edge of Seventeen | Producer | 2016-11-18 | Two high school girls are best friends until one dates the other’s older brother, who is totally his sister’s nemesis…. |
| I’ll Do Anything | Producer | 1994-02-04 | Matt Hobbs is a talented but unsuccessful actor. When estranged (and strange) ex-wife Beth dumps their daughter Jeannie on Matt, father and daughter h… |
| Cindy | Producer | 1978-03-24 | A revisionist twist on Cinderella with an all-black cast and set in Harlem during WWII. Cindy is a country bumpkin who moves from South Carolina to li… |
| Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. | Producer | 2023-04-27 | When her family moves from the city to the suburbs, 11-year-old Margaret navigates new friends, feelings, and the beginning of adolescence…. |
| Riding in Cars with Boys | Producer | 2001-10-19 | In 1965, a young woman with dreams of becoming a writer has a son at the age of 15 and struggles to make things work with the drug-addicted father…. |
| Starting Over | Producer | 1979-10-05 | After divorcing his ambitious singer wife, a middle-aged man begins a new relationship with a teacher…. |
| Maggie Simpson in Playdate with Destiny | Producer | 2020-02-29 | It seemed like just another day at the park for Maggie Simpson. But when Maggie faces playground peril, a heroic young baby whisks her from danger and… |
| Maggie Simpson in The Force Awakens from Its Nap | Producer | 2021-05-04 | In a daycare far, far away… but still in Springfield, Maggie is on an epic quest for her stolen pacifier. Her adventure brings her face-to-face with… |
| The Simpsons: The Good, the Bart, and the Loki | Producer | 2021-07-07 | Loki is banished from Asgard once again and must face his toughest opponents yet: the Simpsons and Springfield’s mightiest heroes. The God of Mischi… |
| Maggie Simpson in The Longest Daycare | Producer | 2012-07-12 | In this Oscar-nominated short from The Simpsons, Maggie must navigate an eventful first day in daycare. At the Ayn Rand School for Tots, Maggie is dia… |
| The Simpsons in Plusaversary | Producer | 2021-11-12 | The Simpsons host a Disney+ Day party and everyone is on the list… except Homer. With friends from across the service and music fit for a Disney Pri… |
| The Simpsons: When Billie Met Lisa | Producer | 2022-04-22 | Lisa Simpson is discovered by chart-topping artists Billie Eilish and FINNEAS while searching for a quiet place to practice her saxophone. Billie invi… |
| Welcome to the Club | Producer | 2022-09-08 | Heart set on becoming a princess, Lisa Simpson is surprised to learn being bad might be more fun…. |
| The Simpsons – Balenciaga | Producer | 2021-10-02 | Based on the television series The Simpsons, the production staff collaborated with French luxury fashion house Balenciaga to produce this short film … |
| Producer | The trials of a former television station manager turned newspaper city editor, and his journalist staff…. | ||
| Executive Producer | The Tracey Ullman Show is an American television variety show, hosted by British-born comedian and onetime pop singer Tracey Ullman. It debuted on Apr… | ||
| Producer | The Critic is an American prime time animated series created by writing partners Al Jean and Mike Reiss, who had previously worked as writers and show… | ||
| Executive Producer | 30-year-old single Mary Richards moves to Minneapolis to start a new life after a romantic break-up. There she reacquaints with Phyllis who rents her … | ||
| Producer | A teenage tennis prodigy tries to balance a social life with her ambition for stardom, under constant pressure from her driven coach, but with lots … | ||
| Producer | The Associates is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from 1979–1980. The series starred Martin Short and was cancelled after nine of its thirteen … | ||
| Producer | Rhoda is an American television sitcom, starring Valerie Harper, which aired 109 episodes over five seasons, from 1974 to 1978. The show was a spin-of… | ||
| Executive Producer | Louie De Palma is a cantankerous, acerbic taxi dispatcher in New York City. He tries to maintain order over a collection of varied and strange charact… | ||
| Producer | Sibs is an American sitcom broadcast by ABC from September 17, 1991 until May 6, 1992. The series chronicled the relationship of three sisters, and th… | ||
| Producer | The life of a high school teacher who depends on the daily support, counsel, and friendship of her two best friends…. | ||
| Executive Producer | Set in Springfield, the average American town, the show focuses on the antics and everyday adventures of the Simpson family; Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa … | ||
| Development Manager | Set in Springfield, the average American town, the show focuses on the antics and everyday adventures of the Simpson family; Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa … | ||
Writing
| Movie Name | Job | Release Date | Overview |
| The Simpsons Movie | Screenplay | 2007-07-25 | After Homer accidentally pollutes the town’s water supply, Springfield is encased in a gigantic dome by the EPA and the Simpsons are declared fugitive… |
| As Good as It Gets | Screenplay | 1997-12-19 | Melvin Udall, a cranky, bigoted, obsessive-compulsive writer of romantic fiction, is rude to everyone he meets, including his gay neighbor, Simon. Aft… |
| Terms of Endearment | Screenplay | 1983-11-20 | Aurora, a finicky woman, is in search of true love while her daughter faces marital issues. Together, they help each other deal with problems and find… |
| Broadcast News | Screenplay | 1987-12-16 | Basket-case network news producer Jane Craig falls for new reporter Tom Grunnick, a pretty boy who represents the trend towards entertainment news she… |
| How Do You Know | Writer | 2010-12-17 | After being cut from the USA softball team and feeling a bit past her prime, Lisa finds herself evaluating her life and in the middle of a love triang… |
| Starting Over | Writer | 1979-10-05 | After divorcing his ambitious singer wife, a middle-aged man begins a new relationship with a teacher…. |
| I’ll Do Anything | Writer | 1994-02-04 | Matt Hobbs is a talented but unsuccessful actor. When estranged (and strange) ex-wife Beth dumps their daughter Jeannie on Matt, father and daughter h… |
| Maggie Simpson in The Longest Daycare | Writer | 2012-07-12 | In this Oscar-nominated short from The Simpsons, Maggie must navigate an eventful first day in daycare. At the Ayn Rand School for Tots, Maggie is dia… |
| Thursday’s Game | Writer | 1974-04-14 | Harry Evers and Marvin Ellison have been playing poker Thursday nights with their friends for years. When a disagreement breaks up the game, they deci… |
| Cindy | Writer | 1978-03-24 | A revisionist twist on Cinderella with an all-black cast and set in Harlem during WWII. Cindy is a country bumpkin who moves from South Carolina to li… |
| Spanglish | Writer | 2004-12-17 | Mexican immigrant and single mother Flor Moreno finds housekeeping work with Deborah and John Clasky, a well-off couple with two children of their own… |
| The Simpsons: Too Hot For TV | Scenario Writer | 1999-03-08 | A collection of episodes that was released on 1 October 1999 on VHS and on 8 September 2003 at DVD as part of the series The Simpsons Classics…. |
| Maggie Simpson in Playdate with Destiny | Writer | 2020-02-29 | It seemed like just another day at the park for Maggie Simpson. But when Maggie faces playground peril, a heroic young baby whisks her from danger and… |
| Planet of the Couches | Writer | 2016-10-16 | To celebrate the series’ 600th episode, The Simpsons and Google have come together to create a special Virtual Reality experience. Produced with Goo… |
| Writer | The trials of a former television station manager turned newspaper city editor, and his journalist staff…. | ||
| Writer | Louie De Palma is a cantankerous, acerbic taxi dispatcher in New York City. He tries to maintain order over a collection of varied and strange charact… | ||
| Writer | That Girl is an American sitcom that ran on ABC from 1966 to 1971. It stars Marlo Thomas as the title character Ann Marie, an aspiring actress, who mo… | ||
| Writer | 30-year-old single Mary Richards moves to Minneapolis to start a new life after a romantic break-up. There she reacquaints with Phyllis who rents her … | ||
| Writer | The Doris Day Show is an American sitcom that was originally broadcast on the CBS network from September 1968 until March 1973, remaining on the air f… | ||
| Writer | Accidental Family is an American sitcom broadcast on NBC during the first part of the 1967-68 U.S. television season…. | ||
| Writer | The Andy Griffith Show is an American sitcom first televised on CBS between October 3, 1960 and April 1, 1968. Andy Griffith portrays the widowed sher… | ||
| Writer | Rhoda is an American television sitcom, starring Valerie Harper, which aired 109 episodes over five seasons, from 1974 to 1978. The show was a spin-of… | ||
| Writer | The Tracey Ullman Show is an American television variety show, hosted by British-born comedian and onetime pop singer Tracey Ullman. It debuted on Apr… | ||
| Writer | The story of the relationship between a man and his mother, the latter having been reincarnated as a 1928 Porter automobile…. | ||
| Writer | Set in Springfield, the average American town, the show focuses on the antics and everyday adventures of the Simpson family; Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa … | ||
Other Info
| Movie Name | Job | Release Date | Overview |
| 50/50 | Thanks | 2011-09-30 | Inspired by a true story, a comedy centered on a 27-year-old guy who learns of his cancer diagnosis and his subsequent struggle to beat the disease…. |
| My Own Private Idaho | Thanks | 1991-02-01 | In this loose adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Henry IV,” Mike Waters is a gay hustler afflicted with narcolepsy. Scott Favor is the rebellious son of a m… |
| A Terrifying Message from Al Gore | Thanks | 2007-11-27 | Al Gore attempts to promote his film, An Inconvenient Truth (2006)…. |
| Jumpin’ Jack Flash | Thanks | 1986-04-23 | Terry works for a bank, and uses computers to communicate with clients all over the world. One day, she gets a strange coded message from an unknown s… |
| Ride | Thanks | 2014-11-08 | Overbearing mom, Jackie, travels cross-country to be with her son, Angelo, after he drops out of college to become a surfer. She meets a surf instruct… |
| Creator | The trials of a former television station manager turned newspaper city editor, and his journalist staff…. | ||
| Creator | Rhoda is an American television sitcom, starring Valerie Harper, which aired 109 episodes over five seasons, from 1974 to 1978. The show was a spin-of… | ||
| Creator | The Tracey Ullman Show is an American television variety show, hosted by British-born comedian and onetime pop singer Tracey Ullman. It debuted on Apr… | ||
| Creator | Louie De Palma is a cantankerous, acerbic taxi dispatcher in New York City. He tries to maintain order over a collection of varied and strange charact… | ||
| Creator | 30-year-old single Mary Richards moves to Minneapolis to start a new life after a romantic break-up. There she reacquaints with Phyllis who rents her … | ||
| Creator | Room 222 is an American comedy-drama television series produced by 20th Century Fox Television. The series aired on ABC for 112 episodes from Septembe… | ||
| Creator | The Associates is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from 1979–1980. The series starred Martin Short and was cancelled after nine of its thirteen … | ||
| Creator | Paul Sand in Friends and Lovers is a 1974-1975 United States comedic television series starring Paul Sand which centers around a musician in Boston, M… | ||
Credit: TMDB
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