Soul Men

Above the Line

« Back to Above the Line

Producer

David T. Friendly

Bio

Academy Award® nominated producer DAVID T. FRIENDLY (Producer) is a 20-year veteran of the film business. In recent years Friendly has become one of Hollywood’s most prolific producers, known for his ability to identify, develop and nurture a wide range of material, including comedies, action-adventures, dramas, thrillers, family and urban films. For Friendly, every genre is an opportunity to explore fresh new cinematic approaches. Friendly most recently produced and sold to Fox Searchlight Pictures the awardwinning breakout hit, “Little Miss Sunshine,â€� starring Steve Carell, Greg Kinnear, Toni Collette and Alan Arkin. The film came out of the 2006 Sundance Film Festival and went on to be one of the most recognized films of the year, winning a Producer’s Guild Award for Friendly. That same year, in January 2006, Friendly and Twentieth Century Fox Films released the box office hit, “Big Momma’s House 2,â€� the sequel to the hugely successful summer comedy, “Big Momma’s House,â€� which he also produced. “Big Momma’s House,â€� which stars Martin Lawrence, Nia Long and Paul Giamatti, has grossed over $200 million worldwide to date. Both films reiterate the wide range of Friendly’s films. Under his new Fox-based production banner, Friendly Films, Friendly re-teamed with Twentieth Century Fox on “Meet Dave,â€� starring Eddie Murphy and directed by Brian Robbins. The film was released in July. Friendly’s other production credits include the worldwide blockbuster “Doctor Dolittle,â€� also starring Eddie Murphy and directed by Betty Thomas, which grossed over $200 million; “Courage Under Fire,â€� starring Denzel Washington and Meg Ryan, directed by Ed Zwick; and “Out to Sea,â€� starring Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon. Under his independent Friendly Productions banner he also produced the drama “Here on Earth,â€� starring Leelee Sobieski, Chris Klein and Josh Hartnett, directed by Mark Piznarski. His producing credits also include “Laws of Attraction,â€� starring Pierce Brosnan and Julianne Moore, “Daylightâ€� and “My Girlâ€� and its sequel, which he executive produced. After three years with a first-look deal at 20th Century Fox, Friendly teamed with financier Marc Turtletaub in September 2000 to form Deep River Productions. A graduate of Northwestern University, Friendly began his career as a journalist and at 22 was named staff writer at Newsweek. Following that, he specialized in entertainment journalism at the Los Angeles Times where he worked until 1987. After being approached by Imagine Entertainment co-founders Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, he joined Imagine as vice president of motion pictures. 25 During his seven years at Imagine, Friendly was involved in all aspects of development and production and eventually rose to president of production. He was integral to many of the company’s biggest hits, including “Backdraft,â€� “Kindergarten Cop,â€� “The Dream Teamâ€� and “The ‘Burbsâ€� and served as executive producer on “My Girl,â€� “Greedyâ€� and “The Chamber,â€� among others. In 1994, Friendly joined Davis Entertainment as president, where he oversaw all aspects of development and production. Friendly’s family roots run deep in the entertainment business. His father was the legendary journalist/news producer, Fred Friendly, President of CBS News from 1964 to 1966, whom George Clooney portrays in the critically acclaimed Focus Feature film, “Good Night and Good Luck.â€� Friendly is married to well-known film editor Priscilla Nedd-Friendly (“Pretty Woman,â€� “Dead Poets Society,â€� “American Pieâ€�).

Producer- Job Description

The chief of a movie production in all matters save the creative efforts of the director. A producer is responsible for raising funding, hiring key personnel, and arranging for distributors.