Zvi Howard Rosenman - short biography and CV

Zvi Howard Rosenman was born in Brownsville, Broooklyn, in New York State on February 1, 1945.   Mr.  Rosenman began his career working on Broadway for Katherine Hepburn and Sir Michael Benthall, who was directing Miss Hepburn in the Andre Previn musical of “COCO”, the story of Coco Chanel, in 1968.   He also assisted Mr. Benthall when he directed “I’M SOLOMON” with Dick Shawn, Carmen Mathews and Salome Jens. “I’M SOLOMON” was based on the Israeli play “SHLOMO HA’MELECH VE’SHALMAI HA’ SANDLAR” which played in Jaffa in August of 1967.  Mr. Rosenman saw the play in Israel that summer, after having volunteered in the Six Day War of 1967, as an extern.  Ernest Gold, who composed the score for the movie “EXODUS,” wrote the score.  Mr. Rosenman’s first job in show business was as a “gopher” on a documentary that Mike Mindlin produced, called “JOURNEY TO JERUSALEM,” chronicling Leonard Bernstein conducting the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra for the Israel Defense Force (TZAHAL) soldiers in Judea and Samaria in July of 1967.  Maestro Bernstein met Mr. Rosenman, as a volunteer during the Six Day War, and offered him the job, after recognizing Mr. Rosenman as his waiter at Sybil Burton’s discotheque ARTHUR in New York, where Mr. Rosenman worked, serving the celebrity table in the Winter and Spring of 1967, to make extra money for his medical school studies.

Mr. Rosenman was also Mr. Benthall’s assistant on “HER FIRST ROMAN” starring Richard Kiley and Leslie Uggams.  In that year he also worked on the movie, “THE TREE,” as a driver and "gofer," a small independent black and white film, directed by Robert Guenette, starring Eileen Heckart, George Rose, Ruth Ford and Jordan Christopher.   He soon became a Producer of Television Commercials at Benton and Bowles where he won many Clios for such accounts as Cool Whip, Cool ‘n Creamy, Texaco’s Havoline Oil, Pampers, Vick’s Nyquil and Prell Shampoo.

Mr. Rosenman went to Hollywood in 1973 where he produced a TV movie for ABC under the aegis of the legendary film unit created by Barry Diller and run by Michael Eisner and Deanne Barkley.   Mr. Rosenman, along with Ron Bernstein, then founded RSO Films with Robert Stigwood, brought Ms. Barkley into the company, where they made many Movies of the Week for Television.  Among them were the first movies of John Badham (“ISN’T IT SHOCKING?”), Randall Kleiser (“ALL TOGETHER NOW”) and Joel Schumacher (“VIRGINIA HILL”).  In those movies he worked with Harvey Keitel, Gloria Swanson, Alan Alda, Louise Lasser, Kate Jackson, Edward Albert, Jr., Ruth Gordon, Robbie Benson, John Rubinstein, Raul Julia, Tina Louise, Lucie Arnaz and the first appearances on television of Helen Hunt and Dyan Cannon.  He produced “DEATH SCREAM” a back-door pilot for Raul Julia, for ABC, based on the famous murder of Kitty Genovese on the streets of New York City.

In 1976, he went to Warner Brothers and produced “SPARKLE,” written by Joel Schumacher and starring Philip Michael Thomas, Irene Cara, Dorian Harewood and Lonette McKee.  This was the first appearance of each of these actors in a movie.  He then formed a company with Renee Missel and together they developed, and were the Executive Producers on “THE MAIN EVENT,” starring  Barbra  Streisand and Ryan O'Neal and directed by Howard  Zieff.  The album of the movie sound track became a huge hit, especially the song "THE MAIN EVENT" written by the Oscar-winning duo,  Paul  Jabara and Bruce Roberts.  In 1978, through a deal at Universal Pictures, Ms. Missel and Mr. Rosenman produced “RESURRECTION” starring Sam Shepard, Ellen Burstyn, and Eva Le Gallienne, earning the respected actresses Academy Award nominations for Best Actress and  Best Supporting Actress, respectively.  The film was directed by Dan Petrie.

Following that, he produced “LOST ANGELS,” based on a draft of Hilary Henkin's “LUNATICS,” directed by Hugh Hudson, starring Donald Sutherland and Adam Horovitz, of Beastie Boys fame, for Orion Pictures and Vestron.   Based on his own years in medical school, Mr. Rosenman produced “GROSS ANATOMY,” written by Ron Nyswaner, starring Matthew Modine, Christine Lahti and Daphne Zuniga, at the beginning of Michael Eisner's and Jeffrey Katzenberg's winning streak at the newly reconfigured Disney at Touchstone Pictures. 

Also at Disney, he developed several movies, which he took with him to Sandollar Productions, where he served as Co-President with Carol Baum.   He Executive Produced the acclaimed documentary “COMMON THREADS: TALES FROM THE QUILT,” which won both an Academy Award for Best Documentary and a George Foster Peabody Award for Outstanding Journalism.  “COMMON THREADS” was written and directed by Jeffrey Friedman and Rob Epstein, who also directed the acclaimed Oscar-winning documentary “HARVEY MILK.”  Mr. Rosenman, with Ms. Baum, also produced “TIDY ENDINGS” starring Harvey Fierstein (based on the last act of his Broadway play “SAFE SEX”) and Stockard Channing for HBO.  “TIDY ENDINGS” garnered four ACE Awards, including one for Best Dramatic or Theatrical Special.

At Sandollar, Mr. Rosenman, with Ms. Baum, also produced “SHINING THROUGH,” based on the best selling novel by Susan Isaacs, for Dawn Steel at Columbia Pictures, starring Melanie Griffith, Michael Douglas and Liam Neeson; written and directed by David Seltzer.  In succession, he produced “STRAIGHT TALK,”  starring Dolly Parton at Touchstone, and with Propaganda Films produced “A STRANGER AMONG US,” starring Melanie Griffith and directed by Sidney Lumet, for Touchstone.  “TRUE IDENTITY,” starring Lenny Henry, was Mr. Rosenman’s next movie, again for Touchstone. He then went on to make “FATHER OF THE BRIDE,” starring Steve Martin, Diane Keaton and Martin Short for Touchstone Pictures followed by Joss Whedon's “BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER,” starring Kristi Swanson and Luke Perry, for Twentieth Century Fox.  “BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER” was not only a huge hit television series produced by Fox for the Warner Brothers Network, but a cultural phenomenon, as well.

In 1993, Bernie Brillstein and Brad Grey asked Howard Rosenman to run their fledgling motion picture company.  At Brillstein-Grey Entertainment, he became President of Motion Pictures, and again served as the Executive Producer on Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman's next documentary, Vito Russo's “CELLULOID CLOSET,” based on his landmark book, which was immediately invited to debut in the U.S. at the prestigious New York Film Festival.  Russo's “CELLULOID CLOSET” played at the Venice Film Festival, the Toronto Film Festival, the London Film Festival, the Jerusalem Film Festival, the Berlin Film Festival, the Thessaloniki Film Festival, Robert Redford's Sundance Film Festival and the Prague Film Festival.  Because of the great reception accorded “CELLULOID CLOSET” at all of the above mentioned Film Festivals, SONY CLASSICS distributed the film theatrically  in March of 1996.  In an unprecedented departure for HBO, the movie played on HBO for one night, as a national sneak preview, on January 30, 1996, before its’ theatrical release.  It then ran on Cinemax for a month after its' theatrical and video releases.  “CELLULOID CLOSET” garnered five EMMY nominations, one of them for the prestigious PRESIDENT’S AWARD, awarded for a Made-for-TV-Movie, television series (whole series or individual episode), miniseries, animation or informational program in prime time that best explores social or educational issues and encourages and promotes, directly or indirectly, changes that help society to become familiar with - and more effectively deal with - the situation.  “CELLULOID CLOSET” also won a George Foster Peabody Award for Outstanding Journalism. 

While he was at BGE, in less than two years, Mr. Rosenman put more than twenty projects into development at the major studios.  Mr. Rosenman and Brillstein-Grey Entertainment are now partnered, and will produce together, the projects they developed while Mr. Rosenman ran BGE Motion Pictures.  Mr. Rosenman then made an over-all first-look deal with Columbia Pictures.

At Columbia Pictures, BGE and Mr. Rosenman are working on several motion pictures.  These include: “AMERICAN NEUROTIC” written by Jon Tolins, Seth Bass, Randy Mayem Singer, Michael White and Steve Chboskey (“RENT”).  Jim Carey has committed to play the lead, with Anthony Hopkins committing to play the psychiatrist, and Kate Beckinsale the romantic interest.  Tolins & Bass are re-writing the screenplay.  Sid Ganis of Blue Sky Productions is co-producing with Revolution Pictures.

“FAMILY MAN” produced by Mr. Rosenman was released Christmas 2000 (December 17, 2000).  His partner was Beacon Pictures and the screenplay was written by David Diamond and David Weissman, with Tony Ludwig and Alan Riche co producing along with Mr. Rosenman.  Brett Ratner (“MONEY TALKS”; “RUSH HOUR”) directed.  Nicolas Cage, Tea Leoni, Jeremy Piven, Amber Valletta, Paul Sorvino, Don Cheadle, Josef Sommers and Mary Beth Hurt starred.   The movie started principal photography in New York on November 22, 1999 and just finished Principal Photography.  Dante Spinotti (“THE INSIDER”; “LA CONFIDENTIAL”) was the Cinematographer.  Kristi Zea (“CASINO”) was the Production Designer.  Betsy Heiman did the costumes.  Andy Davis line produced.  Matt Barry & Nancy Green-Keys (“MONEY TALKS”; “RUSH HOUR”) cast the movie.  Marc Abraham and Armyan Bernstein are the executives at Beacon, who financed the picture.  Marc Abraham produced along with Riche, Ludwig & Rosenman.  Universal Pictures distributed.

Mr. Rosenman Executive Produced the documentary “BOND GIRLS ARE FOREVER” for AMC with MGM. James Watkins and Eamon Harrington of Planet Grande Pictures directed.  It aired on the night of November 6th, 2002 on AMC.  Maryam D’Abo narrates, stars in and produced.                                 
Mr. Rosenman’s next movie is “NOEL” by David Hubbard.  A Christmas story about four alienated, lonely people whose lives intersect on Christmas Eve with each experiencing a true miracle.  It’s a post-modern take on “IT”S A WONDERFUL LIFE.” Susan Sarandon, Robin Williams, Paul Walker, Penelope Cruz, Dan Sunjata, Alan Arkin and Chazz Palminteri are set to star in this $8.5 million independent feature.  Chazz Palminteri the noted actor who also directed “WOMEN & MEN” for Showtime, is directing.  The movie is being financed by Al Corley and Bart Rosenblatt’s Neverland Films.  The movie will be going before the cameras November 10, 2003 in Montreal and NYC.

Mr. Rosenman, BGE and Andy Licht and Jeff Mueller are producing “CAT AND MOUSE,” at Twentieth Century Fox, a comedy combining live action and animation in an original and wry mixture.  The screenplay was written by Neil Tolkin, and bought by Tom Rothman at Fox.  Vanessa Morrison, at Fox, is the executive in charge.  Karey Kirkpatrick (“CHICKEN RUN”) just rewrote the draft and the movie is expected to start pre-production in the Fall of 2003.  Kevin Lima (“101 DALMATIANS”; “ELOISE AT THE PLAZA”) is set to direct.

Mr. Rosenman is also producing “THE MONSTER OF LONGWOOD” starring Al Pacino as Napoleon.  Storyopolis (Paul Allen’s film company) acquired Staton Rabin’s book “BETSY AND THE EMPEROR.”  Rebecca Belfield wrote the first draft and Jean Claude Carriere wrote the next one and Michael Tolkin (“THE PLAYER”) wrote the third draft. Paul Auster is currently rewriting with Mr. Chereau.  The distinguished French director Patrice Chereau (“LA REINE MARGOT”; “L’HOMME BLAISE”; “INTIMACY”) is directing.  “INTIMACY” won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. Colleen Camp and Fonda Snyder are co-producing.

Mr. Rosenman and Ms.  Baum sold “PARK AVENUE GHOST” to Bob Weinstein, Michael Zoumas and Robbie Brenner at Dimension Films.  Peter Wortman and Bob Conte (“DUDLEY DORIGHT”; “LA CHEVRE”) wrote the first draft. LL Cool J and Rupert Everett are attached to star.

Mr. Rosenman sold “ON EAGLES’ WINGS,” the story of the formation if the Israeli Air Force by several rakish American, Canadian and Israeli young men, in 1947.  ImageMovers’ Jack Rapke and Bob Zemeckis’s company bought the project at DreamWorks.  Dan Gordon wrote the first several drafts. We are currently looking for a director.  Dan Gordon (“HURRICANE”) wrote the first two drafts.  Steven Spielberg is attached as a Producer as are Jack Rapke, Steve Starkey and Bob Zemeckis along with myself.

Mr. Rosenman is also developing “WHISPERS” by Gerald DiPego (“PHENOMENON”; “ISHMAEL”; “MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE”) & John Herzfeld (“TWO DAYS IN THE VALLEY”; “THE DON KING STORY”), based on the beloved Irwin Shaw short story “WHISPERS IN BEDLAM.” This project was just set up at Universal Pictures with Tom Jacobson’s company also producing.   Steven Falk (“THE PROM”) is writing.

Mr. Rosenman and Ms. Baum sold “TEN GOOD MEN,” a mystical action thriller.  Wolfgang Petersen’s new company, Red Cliff, is developing the material.  The first draft of “TEN GOOD MEN” was written by Douglas Cook & David Weisberg (“THE ROCK”) and will be co-produced with Wolfgang Petersen (“IN THE LINE OF FIRE”; “AIR FORCE ONE”) and Gail Katz. Wayne Beech (“1600 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE”; “SLOW BURN”) is writing the next draft.

Mr. Rosenman and Ms. Baum also have “CRIM LAW” in development. “CRIM LAW” is a thriller set in the highly competitive world of law school.  Steven Peters (“WILD THINGS”) is writing the screenplay.

Mr. Rosenman is also developing “FENWICK’S SUIT“ by David Small, a Farrar Straus Giroux book, published in 1997.  The project was brought to him by David Michaels. John August (“GO”; “A WRINKLE IN TIME”) wrote the first draft of the screenplay.  We are talking to Nickolodeon to finance.

Mr. Rosenman and Ms. Baum also are developing “GLORIA AND DORIA GRAY” to David Matalon at New Regency at Twentieth Century Fox, an original story by Mr. Rosenman and Ms. Baum.  This wicked high school gothic drama is a riff on Oscar Wilde’s “THE PORTRAIT OF DORIAN GRAY” about two sisters, one extremely popular, the other, her diametric opposite who makes a “deal with the devil”.   Ben Queen (“ONE TRACK MIND”) wrote the first draft.  We are currently looking for a writer to re-write the draft. Kara Francis and Sanford Panitch are overseeing the development of this movie.

“GHETTO FABULOUS!” with a first-draft script by supermodel Veronica Webb, from an idea by Rosenman about a rising singer and her ambitious and complicated relationship with a famous rapper who is on his way down. Mr. Rosenman is producing. It will star Eve.  Mr. Rosenman, as noted above, has a lot of experience with this genre as he was involved as the producer of “SPARKLE”, Joel Schumacher’s first screenplay, which has since gone on to become a classic about a trio of African American women singers in the ‘50’s in Harlem.  It, too, combined drama and music.  The Platinum selling album’s score was written by Curtis Mayfield with Aretha Franklin covering all the songs on the album.

Mr. Rosenman, Mr. Ahrenberg are producing “LIFE OF AN HONEST MAN,” a comedic drama about a dysfunctional family, based on the classic French movie by Sacha Guitry.  Leon Capitanos (“DOWN AND OUT IN BEVERLY HILLS”) wrote the first draft of the screenplay.  Adam Brooks (‘FRENCH KISS”; “INVISIBLE CIRCUS”) rewrote.  We are co-producing with Hyde Park Entertainment.  We are looking for a new writer.

“YOU & ME AND YOU” aka  “RUNAROUND SUE” by Katherine Reback, is another project being produced by Mr. Rosenman This movie is about a young woman, who is involved romantically with a father and his son, without realizing that the two men are related. We are currently talking to directors.

In addition to those projects, Mr. Rosenman, along with producer Staffan Ahrenberg, have recently announced that Joe Eszterhas is writing a cunning cat-&-mouse thriller called “TRAPPED” for Andy Vajna’s Cinergi.  It has previously been reported in the press, that when the movie is made, Mr. Eszterhas will earn $5 million - the single most lucrative writer’s deal ever made.  John McTiernan (“DIE HARD”; “DIE HARD 3”; LAST ACTION HERO”; “ROLLERBALL”) is attached to direct.  Doug Richardson is rewriting.

Mr. Rosenman Executive Produced “MY FIRST MISTER” by Jill Franklyn.  Suki Chew and Ann Kurtzman, Carol Baum and Jane Goldenring are producing.  Bob Kurtzman co-Executive Produced with Gerald Green of Total Films.  Total Films’ Patricia Green & Hannah Hempstead were involved in financing the production.  Christine Lahti directed.  Albert Brooks and Leelee Sobieski starred.  Film Roman (“THE SIMPSONS”) was our partner.  The picture started shooting on January 24, 2000. It was screened as the Premiere of the entire Sundance Film Festival 2001, to great acclaim.  Paramount Classics distributed.  It opened in the Fall of 2001.

Mr. Rosenman also co-produced, with Mr. Friedman, Mr. Epstein, Mr. Michael Ehrenzweig and Ms. Pam Cole, “PARAGRAPH 175,” a documentary depicting homosexuals who were victimized and murdered by the infernal Nazi machine.  Rupert Everett narrated.  HBO funded the documentary and it aired in the Spring of 2001.  We are releasing the documentary theatrically through Dan Talbot’s New Yorker Films.  “PARAGRAPH 175” won the best directed documentary at the Sundance Film Festival.   It played the Berlin Film Festival sand we screened the documentary in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and OUTFEST in Los Angeles, to great acclaim.

Mr. Rosenman and Ms. Baum are also producing “DOWNSIZING” at Paramount Pictures.  Rob Cohen (“GREEN ACRES”; “AUSTIN POWERS II”; “THE BETTE MIDLER SHOW”) wrote the movie.   We are currently lookinhg for a new writer.  Mr. Rosenman and Ms. Baum, along with Robert Evans and Cristine Peters, are going to produce a movie inspired by “FOUL PLAY.”  Jon Bernstein (“BEAUTIFUL”; “VALLEY OF THE DOLLS”) wrote the first draft and we are currently looking for a new writer.

Mr. Rosenman and Ms. Baum are involved in producing “FAIRHOPE” by Anthony Di Pietro.  Harold Becker (“ONION FIELDS”) is directing and James Woods and Christian Slater are starring. Barry Katz and Brian Volk-Weiss of Barry Katz Productions are producing with us.

Mr. Rosenman and Ms. Baum are involved in producing “GRACE AND KITTY” about the legendary relationship between Grace Metallious and her mentor Kitty Messner, who published Ms. Metallious’s Peyton Place. The notorious book blew the lid off the conservative facade of her tiny New Hampshire town when she published the book, which became a gigantic best seller and put Grace Metallious on the cover of TIME and NEWSWEEK.  Our movie is the odd couple relationship between the tough-talking Grace and her elegant, sophisticated New York editor.  Sandra Bullock is attached to star. The movie is set up at Fox.

Mr. Rosenman and Ms. Baum are involved in producing “SLAMMER.”  We just st this up with Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas at Revolution Films. Sarah Goodman is set to rewrite Tim Metcalf’s draft. It’s “Private Benjamin goes to jail and puts on a Beauty Pageant.”   Sarah Goodman is rewriting.

Mr. Rosenman is also putting together a Broadway musical based on Anne Rice’s “THE SEVENTH SONG,” a treatment based on a dream of Mr. Rosenman’s. Mr. Rosenman is currently speaking to several noted Broadway musical directors, composers and lyricists.

Mr. Rosenman is Co-Founder of Project Angel Food in LA, which provides Meals-on-Wheels for terminally ill AIDS patients, and has served on the Board of Directors of the AIDS ReSearch Alliance, Bet Tzedek Legal Services, DIFFA, Youth Aids Services & the Advisory Board of GLAAD.

He resides in Los Angeles with Bernstein, his brilliant and peerless Boston Terrier, and his three very articulate, and prolix parrots: Tucker, a yellow-naped Amazon, and Butch and Feiden, a pair of African Greys.