Arnold Kopelson has had a distinguished career in the film industry, producing 29 motion pictures. He has received numerous accolades, including a Best Picture Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and an Independent Spirit Award, all for his production of the 1986 film Platoon. This film was also responsible for 17 Academy Award nominations and over $3 billion in worldwide receipts.
Kopelson has been honored with several other awards for his work, including the Producer of the Year award from the National Association of Theatre Owners, a Lifetime Achievement in Filmmaking Award from Cinema Expo International, and the Motion Picture Showmanship Award from the Publicist Guild of America. He has also been inducted into Variety's Show Biz Expo Hall of Fame.
In addition to his individual awards, Kopelson's films have been collectively responsible for numerous other accolades. His production of Outbreak (1995) earned several Academy Award nominations, while his production of Se7en (1995) was a critical and commercial success. His production of The Devil's Advocate (1997) also earned several awards and nominations.
Kopelson's latest production was the 2004 film Twisted, starring Ashley Judd, Samuel L. Jackson, and Andy Garcia. He has also recently produced Don't Say a Word (2001),starring Michael Douglas, and Joe Somebody (2001),starring Tim Allen.
Kopelson's other notable films include A Perfect Murder (1998),starring Michael Douglas and Gwyneth Paltrow; U.S. Marshals (1998),starring Tommy Lee Jones; Mad City (1997),directed by Costa-Gavras and starring Dustin Hoffman and John Travolta; and Eraser (1996),starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Before becoming a producer, Kopelson earned a Doctorate in Jurisprudence from New York Law School and practiced entertainment and banking law. He later formed Inter-Ocean Film Sales, Ltd. with his wife, Anne Kopelson, to represent independent motion picture producers and finance motion picture production.
Kopelson has also served on the Executive Committee of the Producers Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and is a member of the Board of Mentors of the Peter Stark Motion Picture Producing Program at the University of Southern California. He has lectured on filmmaking at several institutions, including Harvard Business School, American Film Institute, and the University of California at Los Angeles.
