James L. Brooks

St. James Encyclopedia of Pop Culture, Jan 29, 2002 by Robyn Karney

Emmy Award-winning television writer-producer, James L. Brooks made an extraordinary feature film debut in 1983 with Terms of Endearment, winning five Academy Awards, including Best Screenplay, Director, and Picture. Three further films (including the Oscar-nominated Broadcast News, 1987) followed at wide intervals, while Brooks confined himself to wielding his considerable influence on popular movie and television culture behind the scenes. As a producer of such hits as Big (1988), The War of the Roses (1989), and Jerry Maguire (1996), he confirmed his acute instinct for material with strongly defined characters and popular appeal. Born in New Jersey and educated at New York University, the former television newswriter made his major breakthrough with the creation of The Mary Tyler Moore Show before producing such high-rating series as Taxi, Cheers, Lou Grant, and Rhoda. In 1997, he returned to filmmaking, writing, producing, and directing the Oscar-nominated As Good as it Gets.