Mark Lowell Ordesky (born April 22, 1963) is an American

film producer A film producer is a person who oversees film production. Either employed by a production company or working independently, producers plan and coordinate various aspects of film production, such as selecting the script, coordinating writing, di ...

television producer A television producer is a person who oversees one or more aspects of video production on a television show, television program. Some producers take more of an executive role, in that they conceive new programs and pitch them to the television net ...

and

studio executive A studio executive is an employee of a film studio or a corporation doing business in the entertainment industry. A studio executive may be a chief executive officer (CEO), a chief financial officer (CFO), or a chief operating officer (COO), or be ...

. He is best known for executive producing the

Oscar winning The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

''The Lord of the Rings'' film trilogy.

Career

New Line Cinema

During 20 years at

New Line Cinema New Line Cinema is an American film production studio owned by Warner Bros. Discovery and is a film label of Warner Bros. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye as an independent film distribution company; later becoming a film studio after acq ...

(and prior to that

Republic Pictures Republic Pictures Corporation (currently held under Melange Pictures, LLC) was an American motion picture production-distribution corporation in operation from 1935 to 1967, that was based in Los Angeles. It had studio facilities in Studio City an ...

), Ordesky acquired or executive produced over 60 films, including New Line's first Best Picture Oscar nominee (''

Shine Shine may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Shine'' (film), a 1996 Australian film based on the life of David Helfgott, a pianist * Shine, a fictional character in the American animated TV series ''Shimmer and Shine'' Lite ...

''), its first major category Oscar winner (

Geoffrey Rush Geoffrey Roy Rush (born 6 July 1951) is an Australian actor. He is known for his Eccentricity (behavior), eccentric leading man roles on stage and screen. He is among 24 people who have won the Triple Crown of Acting, having received an Academy ...

Academy Award for Best Actor The Academy Award for Best Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role in a film released that year. The ...

, ''

''), and its first Palme d'Or at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...

(

Lars von Trier Lars von Trier (''né'' Trier; 30 April 1956) is a Danish filmmaker, actor, and lyricist. Having garnered a reputation as a highly ambitious, polarizing filmmaker, he has been the subject of several controversies: Cannes, in addition to nominat ...

's ''

Dancer In The Dark ''Dancer in the Dark'' is a 2000 musical drama film written and directed by Danish filmmaker Lars von Trier. It stars Icelandic musician Björk as a factory worker who suffers from a degenerative eye condition and is saving for an operation to p ...

'').

The Lord of the Rings trilogy

While at New Line, Ordesky executive produced the entire ''The Lord of the Rings'' film trilogy. The final film of the trilogy, '' The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King'', made history by winning every Oscar for which it was nominated, including the

Academy Award for Best Picture The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) since the awards debuted in 1929. This award goes to the producers of the film and is the only category ...

and

Academy Award for Best Director The Academy Award for Best Director (officially known as the Academy Award of Merit for Directing) is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given in honor of a film director who has exhibi ...

. Collectively, the trilogy earned 17 Oscars from a total of 30 nominations, including three Best Picture nominations.

Fine Line Features

For

Fine Line Features Fine Line Features (often spelled as FineLine Features) was the specialty films division of New Line Cinema. From 1991 to 2005, under founder and president Ira Deutchman, Fine Line acquired, distributed and marketed films of a more "indie" flavor ...

(a specialty films division of New Line), Ordesky acquired acclaimed films such as ''

Once Were Warriors ''Once Were Warriors'' is New Zealand author Alan Duff's bestselling first novel, published in 1990. It tells the story of an urban Māori family, the Hekes, and portrays the reality of domestic violence in New Zealand. It was the basis of a 199 ...

'', '' Saving Grace'', '' Trick'', '' State and Main'', and ''

Ripley's Game ''Ripley's Game'' (1974) is a psychological thriller by Patricia Highsmith, the third in her series about the con artist and murderer Tom Ripley. Plot summary Tom Ripley continues enjoying his wealthy lifestyle in Villeperce, France, with his w ...

'', as well as award contenders ''

'', ''

Before Night Falls ''Before Night Falls'' ( es, Antes que anochezca: autobiografía) is the 1992 autobiography of Cuban writer Reinaldo Arenas, describing his early life in Cuba, his time in prison, and his escape to the United States in the Mariel Boatlift of 1 ...

'', ''

Tumbleweeds A tumbleweed is a kind of plant habit or structure. Tumbleweed, tumble-weed or tumble weed may also refer to: Films * ''Tumbleweeds'' (1925 film), William S. Hart film * ''Tumbling Tumbleweeds'' (1935 film), Gene Autry film * ''Tumbleweed'' (1 ...

'', '' The Sweet Hereafter'' and '' American Splendor''. Eight Oscar nominations and two Golden Globe nominations in total. Ordesky was Fine Line's president from 1998 to 2005.

Jackie Chan

In 1996, Ordesky helped introduce U.S. audiences to

Jackie Chan Fang Shilong (born 7 April 1954), known professionally in English as Jackie Chan and in Chinese as Cheng Long ( zh, c=成龍, j=Sing4 Lung4; "becoming the dragon"), is a Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and stuntman known for ...

with the break-out hit ''

Rumble in the Bronx ''Rumble in the Bronx'' (Chinese title: 紅番區, ''Hong Faan Kui'' (transl. ''Red Turn District'') is a 1995 American-Hong Kong martial arts film starring Jackie Chan, Anita Mui and Françoise Yip. It was directed by Stanley Tong, with action ...

''.

Court Five

Ordesky is a founding partner with former New Line Cinema executive Jane Fleming of Court Five, a media company focused on developing and converting intellectual property and brands into filmed entertainment for distribution worldwide.

Personal life

Ordesky was born in Sacramento County, California. In 1985, he graduated from the

USC Annenberg School for Communication The USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism comprises a School of Communication and a School of Journalism at the University of Southern California (USC). Starting July 2017, the school’s Dean is Willow Bay, succeeding Ernest J. ...

with a

degree Degree may refer to: As a unit of measurement * Degree (angle), a unit of angle measurement ** Degree of geographical latitude ** Degree of geographical longitude * Degree symbol (°), a notation used in science, engineering, and mathematics ...

in print journalism. He was editor of the university newspaper, the Daily Trojan,Editors in Chief, Daily Trojan
/ref> and joined the

Chi Phi Fraternity Chi Phi () is considered by some as the oldest American men's college social fraternity that was established as the result of the merger of three separate organizations that were each known as Chi Phi. The earliest of these organizations was for ...

. In 2008, he was honored with Chi Phi's Walter Cronkite Congressional Award. Ordesky supports the

American Cinematheque The American Cinematheque is an independent, nonprofit cultural organization in Los Angeles, California, United States dedicated exclusively to the public presentation of the moving image in all its forms. The Cinematheque was created in 1981 as ...

as a board member and is also a member of the

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization with the stated goal of advancing the arts and sciences of motio ...

, Producers Guild of America, and

Academy of Television Arts & Sciences The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), also colloquially known as the Television Academy, is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the television industry in the United States. It is a 501(c)(6) non-prof ...

. In 2004, he married Rachel O'Connell of

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

Filmography

FILM ''PRODUCER'' * Critters 3 (1991): Associate producer * Critters 4 (1991): Associate producer * Sunset Grill (1993): Executive producer *

The Hidden II ''The Hidden II'' (styled as The Hidden 2) is a 1993 American direct-to-video science fiction crime horror film and the sequel to the 1987 film '' The Hidden''. Plot The alien criminal from the first movie is dead, but he left a few eggs which ...

(1994): Executive producer *

Mother Night (film) ''Mother Night'' is a 1996 American romantic war drama film produced and directed by Keith Gordon. It is based on Kurt Vonnegut's 1961 novel of the same name. Nick Nolte stars as Howard W. Campbell, Jr., an American who moves with his family to ...

(1996): Executive producer * Mr. Nice Guy (1997): Production Executive * Pecker (1998): Executive producer *

Roseanna's Grave ''Roseanna's Grave'' (also known as ''For Roseanna'') is a 1997 American romantic dramedy film directed by Paul Weiland. In his review, Roger Ebert concludes that ''Roseanna's Grave'' "isn't of much consequence, perhaps, and the gears of the plot ...

(1998): Executive producer * State and Main (2000): Co-producer * The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001): Executive producer *

(2002): Executive producer * The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002): Executive producer * The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003): Executive producer *

The Sleeping Dictionary ''The Sleeping Dictionary'' is a 2003 British-American romantic drama film written and directed by Guy Jenkin and starring Hugh Dancy, Jessica Alba, Brenda Blethyn, Emily Mortimer, and Bob Hoskins. The film is about a young Englishman who is sent ...

(2003): Executive producer * A Dirty Shame (2004): Executive producer * Birth (2004): Executive producer *

The New World The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. 3 ...

(2005): Executive producer * The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006): Executive producer * The Golden Compass (2007): Executive producer * Inkheart (2008): Executive producer *

Paris Connections ''Paris Connections'' is a 2010 British film directed by Harley Cokeliss. The script was written by Michael Tupy, based on a thriller by Jackie Collins. The film was the first direct to DVD film that the British supermarket firm Tesco produced, ...

(2010): Executive Producer * The Long, Slow Death Of A Twenty Something (2011): Co-Executive Producer *

Tiger Eyes (film) ''Tiger Eyes'' is a 2012 film directed by Lawrence Blume based on the 1981 young adult novel of the same name, written by Judy Blume, and stars Willa Holland, Amy Jo Johnson and Tatanka Means. It follows the story of Davey, a young girl attempt ...

(2012): Producer *

Lovely Molly ''Lovely Molly'' is a 2011 American supernatural horror film directed by Eduardo Sánchez. The film initially had a working title of ''The Possession'' but was later changed to ''Lovely Molly''. The plot follows newlyweds Molly and Tim as they m ...

(2012): Producer * The Frozen Ground (2013): Producer *

Exists (film) ''Exists'' is a 2014 American found footage monster horror film, directed by Eduardo Sánchez. The film had its world premiere on March 7, 2014 at South by Southwest and stars Chris Osborn and Samuel Davis. The story revolves around a group of f ...

(2014): Producer * The Murders Of Brandywine Theater (2014): Executive Producer * ''

Reality High ''#RealityHigh'' (stylized as ''#REALITYHIGH'') is a 2017 American teen comedy film directed by Fernando Lebrija. It was released on Netflix on September 8, 2017. Plot Dani Barnes, the protagonist of the movie, is an excellent high-school stude ...

'' (2017): Producer TELEVISION *

The Quest (2014 TV series) ''The Quest'' is an American fantasy-based competition series that aired on the network ABC that premiered on July 31, 2014, at 8:00 p.m. EST. Filmed on a castle estate outside Vienna, Austria, contestants face a variety of fantasy-themed ...

: Executive Producer MISCELLANEOUS CREW * Poison Ivy: The New Seduction (1997): Special thanks *

Man of the Century ''Man of the Century'' is a 1999 American comedy film directed by Adam Abraham and written by Abraham and Gibson Frazier. The film stars Frazier, Cara Buono, Susan Egan, Dwight Ewell and Anthony Rapp. It is a farce about the attitudes, values, ...

(1999): Thanks * The Anniversary Party (2001): Special Thanks * Searching For Angela Shelton (2004): Very Special Thanks SECOND UNIT DIRECTING *

The Long and Short of It Sean Patrick Astin ( né Duke; February 25, 1971) is an American actor. His acting roles include Samwise Gamgee in ''The Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (2001–2003), Mikey Walsh in ''The Goonies'' (1985), Daniel Ruettiger in ''Rudy'' (1993), Dou ...

(2003): Second unit director