Former record company entrepreneur turned major Hollywood feature producer. Linson assisted Lou Adler, record producer of the Mamas and the Papas, with the management of several rock bands and the production of Robert Altman's "Brewster McCloud" (1970). On his own, he managed such rock acts as Spirit and Nils Lofgren before starting his own record company, Spin Dizzy Records. Linson's music industry background made him well-suited for work on teen-oriented movies ("Car Wash" 1976, "American Hot Wax" 1978, "The Wild Life" 1984 and "Singles" 1992). Described by former Columbia Picture president Dawn Steel as "a filmmaker's producer", Linson produced Amy Heckerling's feature directorial debut, "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" (1982) and Jonathan Demme's breakthrough film, "Melvin and Howard" (1980). Linson has also enjoyed productive creative relationships with Cameron Crowe, Brian De Palma, Robert De Niro, Bill Murray, and Sean Penn. Penn has claimed that for actors, Linson is "as good as a producer gets." Linson graduated to blockbusters when he commissioned David Mamet to write a screenplay based on "The Untouchables" TV series (1959-63). The resulting film was released in 1987 to critical acclaim, providing director Brian De Palma his biggest hit to date and netting a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Sean Connery. Kevin Costner became a star and De Niro added the colorful role of Al Capone to his resume. Linson and De Palma joined forces again with mixed results on the controversial Vietnam War drama "Casualties of War" (1989) starring Michael J. Fox and Sean Penn. Linson also produced Mamet's screenplay for "We're No Angels" (1990), a disappointing remake starring Penn and De Niro, directed by Neil Jordan.
"Scrooged" (1988), Linson's second project with Bill Murray (whom he had directed as gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson in "Where the Buffalo Roam" 1980), became the top grossing comedy of its year. He scored again as the executive producer of Warren Beatty's ode to childhood heroes, "Dick Tracy" (1990). More recently, Linson has collaborated with ace commercial filmmaker, John Badham, to concoct "The Point of No Return" (1993), an American remake of Luc Besson's popular "La Femme Nikita" (1990). He also produced the coming-of-age drama "This Boy's Life" (1993), starring Robert De Niro.
Profession(s):
producer, director, screenwriter, record company owner
Sometimes Credited As:
Arthur L Linson
Education
University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, California
School of Law, University of California at Los Angeles Los Angeles, California 1967
1997 Renewed three-picture deal with Fox 2000
1994 Signed a three-year picture deal with Fox
1993 First TV credit, executive producer of the syndicated TV revival of "The Untouchables"
1993 Wrote first book, "A Pound of Flesh: Perilous Tales of How to Produce Movies in Hollywood"
1991 Signed a three-year exclusive agreement with Warner Bros
1990 First credit as executive producer, "Dick Tracy"
1987 First collaborations with David Mamet, Brian De Palma, and Robert De Niro as producer of "The Untouchables"
1982 First collaboration with Sean Penn as producer of "Fast Times at Ridgemont High"
1980 Film directing debut with "Where the Buffalo Roam"; first collaboration with Bill Murray
1978 Wrote screenplay for "American Hot Wax" (also produced)
1975 First film as producer, "Rafferty and the Gold Dust Twins"
Graduated from UCLA Law School but chose not to practice law
Worked for record producer Lou Adler, managing rock bands
Founded own record company, Dizzy Spin Records
