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Robert Zemeckis

Directing

Born May 14, 1951 · Chicago, Illinois, USA

Also known as Bob Zemeckis · Robert Lee Zemeckis

Biography

Robert Lee Zemeckis (born May 14, 1952) is an American filmmaker known for directing and producing a range of successful and influential movies. He often blends cutting-edge visual effects with storytelling. He has received several accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award, as well as nominations for five British Academy Film Awards and a Daytime Emmy Award. Zemeckis started his career directing the comedy films I Wanna Hold Your Hand (1978), Used Cars (1980), and Romancing the Stone (1984). He gained prominence directing the science-fiction comedy Back to the Future trilogy (1985–1990), the fantasy comedy Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), and the comedy-drama Forrest Gump (1994), the latter of which won Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Director. He has also directed the satirical black comedy Death Becomes Her (1992), the science fiction film Contact (1997), and the drama films Cast Away (2000), Flight (2012), The Walk (2015), and Allied (2016). His exploration of motion capture techniques can be seen in the animated films The Polar Express (2004) and A Christmas Carol (2009), as well as the action fantasy drama Beowulf (2007) and the drama Welcome to Marwen (2018). He has collaborated with film composer Alan Silvestri since 1984 and directed Tom Hanks in five films. Description above from the Wikipedia article Robert Zemeckis, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Awards & recognition

  • Officer of Arts and Letters · 2016
  • Hugo AwardBest Dramatic Presentation · 1998
  • Academy AwardBest Director · 1995
  • Golden Globe AwardBest Director · 1995
  • Hugo AwardBest Dramatic Presentation · 1989
Show all 16 awards →
  • Hugo AwardBest Dramatic Presentation · 1986
  • Academy Awards
  • Directors Guild of America Award
  • Golden Globe Awards
  • National Board of Review AwardBest Film
  • Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
  • Saturn Awards
  • star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
  • The George Pal Memorial Award
  • Academy AwardBest Director · 1995 · nominated
  • Academy AwardBest Writing, Original Screenplay · 1986 · nominated

Filmography50+ titles

Forrest Gump

1994Director

Back to the Future

1985Director, Writer

Tales from the Crypt

1989Director, Producer

Light & Magic

2022as Self - Director, Back to the Future

Finch

2021Executive Producer

Tales from the Cryptkeeper

1993Producer

Back to the Future Part II

1989Characters, Director, Story

Cast Away

2000Director, Producer

Manifest

2018Executive Producer, Producer

Spielberg

2017as Self

Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story

2025as Self

Back to the Future Part III

1990Characters, Director, Story

Who Framed Roger Rabbit

1988Director

Amazing Stories

1985Director

Contact

1997Director, Producer

Parker Lewis Can't Lose

1990as Robert Zemeckis

Last Holiday

2006Executive Producer

Waking Sleeping Beauty

2009as Self (archive footage)

Milius

2013as Self

Real Steel

2011Executive Producer

Mad TV

1995as Self

The Walk

2015Director, Producer, Screenplay

The Director's Chair

2014as Self

The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing

2004as Self

Matchstick Men

2003Executive Producer

Flight

2012Director, Producer

A Christmas Carol

2009Director, Producer, Screenplay

The Frighteners

1996Executive Producer

Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight

1995Executive Producer

Allied

2016Director, Producer

Death Becomes Her

1992Director, Producer

Romancing the Stone

1984Director

Monster House

2006Executive Producer

The Polar Express

2004Director, Producer, Screenplay

The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio

2005Producer

Here

2024Director, Producer, Screenplay

I'm Thinking of Ending Things

2020Thanks

Welcome to Marwen

2018Director, Producer, Screenplay, Story

Back in Time

2015as Self

What/If

2019Executive Producer

What Lies Beneath

2000Director, Producer

Used Cars

1980Director, Writer

Pinocchio

2022Director, Producer, Screenplay

The Witches

2020Director, Producer, Screenplay

Thir13en Ghosts

2001Producer

Trespass

1992Executive Producer, Writer

The Public Eye

1992Executive Producer

Back to the Future

1991Characters

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

2015as Self

Gothika

2003Producer