Ashok Amritraj

Ashok Amritraj
Country (sports)  India
Born (1956-02-22) 22 February 1956
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

Ashok Amritraj (born 22 February 1956)[1] is an Indian American film producer, former tour professional tennis player, chairman and CEO of Hyde Park Entertainment. He is also the former CEO of National Geographic Films.

Career

Professional tennis

Amritraj is also a former tennis player and has represented India on an international level. During his nine-year career, he competed in doubles at Wimbledon, the US Open, and won the World Team Tennis Championship title with the L.A. Strings in 1978 where he was voted Most Valuable Player. As a junior, he reached the finals of the Junior Singles at Wimbledon in 1974. Both his brothers, Vijay and Anand Amritraj, are accomplished tennis players, together reaching the Davis Cup final in 1987.

Film production

Ashok Amritraj at the launch function of his Auto-Biography: Advantage Hollywood in Chennai.

An internationally renowned Award-winning Producer, Ashok Amritraj has produced or executive produced over 100 films during the span of his 30-year career, with worldwide revenues in excess of $2 billion. He has partnered with every major studio in Hollywood, and produced films starring the likes of Bruce Willis, Sandra Bullock, Sylvester Stallone, Angelina Jolie, Cate Blanchett, Dustin Hoffman, Steve Martin, Antonio Banderas, Robert DeNiro, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Kate Hudson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Aniston, Nicolas Cage and many more.

As Chairman and CEO of the Hyde Park Entertainment Group, Amritraj has grown the company into a cutting-edge independent alternative to the traditional Hollywood studio system, fully realizing his vision of a progressive global company that incorporates the most essential elements of a full-fledged studio. Hyde Park’s offerings encompass feature films, television, digital, animation and cross-cultural cinema, and is capable of developing, producing and financing projects, as well as handling international sales and marketing.

Currently in production is PREY, a co-production with Blumhouse Productions. Amritraj’s recent releases include critically acclaimed film 99 HOMES starring Andrew Garfield, Michael Shannon and Laura Dern which recently won the top prize at the Deauville Film Festival and received rave reviews from critics worldwide as it premiered at the Venice, Telluride, and Toronto Film Festivals and THE YOUNG MESSIAH, adapted from Anne Rice’s best-selling novel Christ the Lord, released by Focus Films earlier this year.

Amritraj’s box office hits include GHOST RIDER: SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE, starring Nicolas Cage, BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE, starring Steve Martin, PREMONITION, starring Oscar Winner Sandra Bullock, the Golden Globe-nominated comedy BANDITS, starring Cate Blanchett, Bruce Willis and Billy Bob Thornton, WALKING TALL, starring The Rock, and many more. Hyde Park’s critically acclaimed films include the award-winning drama BLUE VALENTINE, starring Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams, SHOPGIRL, with Steve Martin and Claire Danes, and MOONLIGHT MILE, starring Dustin Hoffman, Susan Sarandon and Jake Gyllenhaal. Amritraj is as comfortable in front of the camera as behind. He recently hosted “Chance of a Lifetime” in partnership with the United Nations which spotlights the Millennium Goals of the UN. He has also hosted various critically acclaimed television shows in India, including “Gateway to Hollywood” for Sony, and “Hollywood Heroes” for the History Channel.

Amritraj’s various awards include a Certificate of Special Recognition from the United States Congress for Exemplary Public Service to the People of the United States of America, the prestigious Producer of Vision Award from the Hollywood community, and a special award from the American Indian Foundation (chaired by President Bill Clinton) for “making India and Indians proud”. Amritraj was named “Producer of the Decade” by the Spirit of India Foundation, and the Indian International Film Festival awarded Amritraj for his “extraordinary contribution by an Indian in international cinema.” Amritraj was recently honored with the “Soul of India Award” by the Indian Journalists’ Association of Great Britain.

Amritraj served on the Foreign Film Board of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, was a member of Los Angeles Board for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts and the International Council for the Emmy Awards. He currently serves on the advisory board for the Dodge Film School at Chapman University.

Amritraj recently launched his best-selling autobiography “Advantage Hollywood”, published by Harper Collins, chronicling his extraordinary career from a professional tennis player, having played in every major tennis event including Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, to a multi-billion dollar Hollywood producer. In 2015, he was also bestowed an honorary Doctorate of the Arts from the University of East London. In addition to his work in the entertainment business, Amritraj spends much of his time on his philanthropic endeavors worldwide.

Personal life

Amritraj lives in Los Angeles with his 2 children, Priya and Milan, along with his wife, Chitra.

Filmography

As Producer

As Executive Producer

References

  1. ↑ Roy, Amit (21 February 2009). "Slumdog will sweep". The Telegraph. Calcutta, India.
  2. ↑ "Hyde Park Hunts Latest 'Killer'".

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/2/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.