Jerry Bruckheimer

A former advertising executive who moved into film production in the early 1970s, Jerry Bruckheimer has given audiences movies, videos and soundtracks that have topped $11 billion in grosses to date. Together with the late Don Simpson, with whom he formed Simpson-Bruckheimer Productions in 1983, the producer set the trend for the big-budget, action/adventure films that dominated Hollywood's output throughout the 1980s and 90s. Their joint ventures included "Beverly Hills Cop" (1984) and "Top Gun" (1986), both among the 20 highest-grossing features of all time and both produced via the company's long-term deal with Paramount Pictures. Their pictures were honored with 15 Academy Award nominations, two Oscars for Best Song, four Grammys, and three Golden Globes. But after Simpson's death in 1996, Bruckheimer ventured out on his own, scoring huge hits at the box office and in a new medium for the powerful film director- television.