Bob Weinstein Biography

(Film Producer)

Birthday: October 18, 1954 (Libra)

Born In: Flushing, New York, United States

Bob Weinstein is an American film producer, better known as the co-founder of film companies like Miramax and The Weinstein Company. He was also the founder and the head of the Dimension Films. From the very childhood, he and his elder brother Harvey were regularly taken to cinemas, which developed a passion for film in them. While still in college, they began arranging concerts and showing films and saved enough money to launch their own film distribution company, Miramax, by 1970s. They had their first hit within a period of three years. By early 1990s, they had grown so big that Miramax was bought over by The Walt Disney Company for $60 million. However, they continued to operate the company until they launched The Weinstein Company in 2005. It too continued to grow, soon becoming one of the largest mini-major film studios in the country. However, they had to close down the company and declare bankruptcy in 2018 because of a scandal involving Harvey Weinstein.

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Quick Facts

Also Known As: Robert Weinstein

Age: 70 Years, 70 Year Old Males

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Annie Clayton (m. 2000–2012)

father: Max Weinstein

mother: Miriam Postel

siblings: Harvey Weinstein

children: Nicole Weinstein, Sarah Weinstein

Born Country: United States

T V & Movie Producers American Men

Height: 5'10" (178 cm), 5'10" Males

U.S. State: New Yorkers

  • 1

    What is Bob Weinstein's role in the film industry?

    Bob Weinstein is a film producer and former co-chairman of The Weinstein Company.
  • 2

    What are some movies produced by Bob Weinstein?

    Bob Weinstein has produced movies like "Scream," "Good Will Hunting," and "Shakespeare in Love."
  • 3

    What is Bob Weinstein's involvement in the Harvey Weinstein scandal?

    Bob Weinstein has faced scrutiny for his association with his brother Harvey Weinstein, who was accused of sexual misconduct.
  • 4

    How did Bob Weinstein contribute to the success of Miramax Films?

    Bob Weinstein, along with his brother Harvey, co-founded Miramax Films, which became a successful independent film studio.
  • 5

    What is Bob Weinstein's current role in the entertainment industry?

    Bob Weinstein continues to be involved in film production and has recently launched a new production company called Watch This Entertainment.
Childhood & Early Life
Bob Weinstein was born on born October 18, 1954, in Flushing, New York into a Jewish family. His father, Max Weinstein, was a diamond cutter while his mother, Miriam (née Postel), was a homemaker.
Born younger of his parents’ two children, he has an elder brother named Harvey. They grew up in a small two-bedroom apartment in a lower-middle-class housing cooperative called Electchester. They shared the same bedroom and both of them attended the John Bowne High School.
Every Saturday, their father took them to movies, which ranged from adventures and thrillers to comedies and romances. They also saw a lot of foreign films and while watching them, they developed a passion for movies and a desire to enter the film industry.
After graduating from school, Bob entered State University of New York at Fredonia, where he spent more time watching movies and listening to music, hardly attending classes. By then, Harvey had entered University of Buffalo, where he had established Harvey & Corky Productions with his friend Corky Burger.
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Career
Sometime in early 1970s, Bob Weinstein dropped out of college to join Harvey Weinstein at Buffalo. Initially they arranged concerts at Century Theater, bringing in well-known artists like Frank Sinatra, the Rolling Stones, and Stephen Stills. They soon found holding concerts was not very profitable and therefore started showing movies as well.
By 1979, the brothers had gathered enough profit to form an independent film distribution company, naming it ‘Miramax’ after their parents, Miriam and Max Weinstein. Their idea was to distribute independent films, which were rejected by the major studios as commercially unfeasible.
In the beginning, they dealt primarily with music oriented films, releasing 'Rockshow', a concert film by Paul McCartney and Wings, in 1980. In the following year, Bob debuted in writing, co-writing the screenplay for ‘The Burning’ with Peter Lawrence.
In 1982, they bought the rights of two films, produced by Martin Lewis for Amnesty International, and turned them into one, cleverly editing them to suit the American market. Titled ‘The Secret Policeman's Other Ball’, the film was successfully released in May 1982, giving them their first hit.
All through 1980s, they continued to build up their company, successfully releasing art-house films that not only earned critical attention, but also modest profit. While Harvey bought and produced the films, Bob concentrated mainly on finance and administration, thus earning a lower profile than his brother.
In 1988, Miramax gained nationwide publicity with the release of ‘The Thin Blue Line’, a documentary based on Randall Adams’ wrongful conviction. The film became very popular, resulting in Randall’s release.
In 1989, Miramax became the most successful independent studio with the release of ‘Sex, Lies, and Videotape’. It was followed in the same year by another hit, ‘Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!’ Also in the same year, Bob debuted as co-executive producer with ‘Scandal’ and ‘The Lemon Sisters’.
In early 1990s, they began to suffer from financial crunch because of competitions in the independent film sector. In 1992, Bob founded a new label, Dimension Film, in order to distribute those films deemed unsuitable for release under the Miramax title.
On June 30, 1993, Miramax was bought over by The Walt Disney Company for $60 million. Although it now became a Walt Disney subsidy, Harvey and Bob continued to run the company with some degree of autonomy until 2005, when they left Walt Disney to form The Weinstein Company (TWC).
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On March 15, 2005, they launched The Weinstein Company (TWC), which grew up to be one of the largest mini-major film studios in North America. In February 2006, they announced a distribution pact with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and in July announced creation of ‘Our Stories Films’.
In August 2006, they purchased Ovation TV with Hubbard Media Group; launched three direct-to-video labels in 2007 and a film distributer company called ‘Third Rail Releasing’ in 2008. Thereafter, they had a brief period of financial trouble, but by 2011, they were able to regain their position.
TWC continued to grow, building up their library, making many more successful deals until New York Times published sexual harassment charge against Harvey on October 5, 2017. The news created havoc with number of company directors resigning from their posts. Harvey was fired on October 8, 2017.
Although Bob Weinstein tried his best to save the company he failed to win the trust of the company’s business associates including the financial institutions, leading to deep debt. Finally on March 19, 2018, they decided to file bankruptcy and the company was declared defunct on May 1, 2018.
Family & Personal Life
Bob Weinstein is believed to have been married twice. However, nothing is known about his first wife. He has three children, two daughters and one son from his first wife.
On April 29, 2000, Bob Weinstein married Annie Clayton, a former book editor. They have two daughters, Sara and Nicole. In April 2012, Annie filed for divorce.
Facts About Bob Weinstein
Bob Weinstein is known for his love of classic cars and has an impressive collection of vintage vehicles.
He is a dedicated supporter of various charitable causes, particularly those focused on children's education and the arts.
Bob Weinstein is an avid collector of movie memorabilia, with a particular interest in items from classic Hollywood films.
He is a talented cook and enjoys experimenting with new recipes in his free time.
Bob Weinstein has a passion for music and is known to be a skilled guitar player, often jamming with friends and family members.

See the events in life of Bob Weinstein in Chronological Order

How To Cite

Article Title
- Bob Weinstein Biography
Author
- Editors, TheFamousPeople.com
Website
- TheFamousPeople.com
URL
https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/bob-weinstein-48843.php

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