Rob Cohen is a renowned American film director, producer, and screenwriter, hailed as one of the "baby moguls" of the 1970s. He began his career as a producer, building a thriving reputation before focusing exclusively on directing from the 1990s. His impressive filmography boasts high-octane action blockbusters such as xXx (2002) and Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (1993),as well as the iconic franchise, The Fast and the Furious (2001),which has become Universal Pictures' biggest franchise of all time.
Born on March 12, 1949, in Cornwall, New York, USA, Cohen attended Harvard University, graduating magna cum laude in the class of '71 with a cross major in anthropology and visual studies. His early foray into filmmaking was a commissioned recruiting film for Harvard's Admissions Office in 1970.
With a career spanning over 40 years, Cohen has established himself as a celebrated screenwriter, producer, and director. In 1973, he became Fox's Vice President of TV Movies, before being recruited by Gordon L. Berry to head Motown Records' production department at the age of 24. He went on to produce and direct some of the most influential films and television series of the 1980s, including Miami Vice (1984),The Witches of Eastwick (1987),Ironweed (1987),and The Wiz (1978).
From 1990 onwards, Cohen dedicated himself to directing full-time. His early 1990s hits include Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (1993),DragonHeart (1996),Daylight (1996),and the Golden Globe-winning film, The Rat Pack (1998). At 52, Cohen had solidified his reputation as a hit action director, directing the 2001 blockbuster, The Fast and the Furious (2001). He partnered with Vin Diesel again the following year to direct the box office hit, xXx (2002).
Cohen's subsequent projects include The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008),which grossed $405 million worldwide, and Blumhouse Production's The Boy Next Door (2015),starring Jennifer Lopez, which went on to gross five times its budget. Currently, he is filming his next project, The Hurricane Heist (2018),an action-adventure starring Toby Kebbell, Maggie Grace, Ryan Kwanten, and Ralph Ineson, about a $600 million heist of a U.S. treasury facility during a devastating storm.
In addition to his film work, Cohen is also an accomplished commercials director, having created over 150 spots for prominent brands such as Disney's Star Wars, Verizon, Ford, GM, Mercedes, Chevy, Saab, and Burger King, among many others.
