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Neal H. Moritz (born June 6, 1959) is an American film producer and founder of
Original Film Original Film is an American film and television production company founded by Neal H. Moritz. Notable films the company has produced include the '' Fast & Furious'' franchise. History Original Film was started out in the early 1990s by Nea ...
. He has produced over 70 major motion pictures which have grossed a total of over $11 billion worldwide as of 2021. He is best known for the ''
Fast & Furious ''Fast & Furious'' (also known as ''The Fast and the Furious'') is a media franchise centered on a series of action films that are largely concerned with street racing, heists, spies, and family. The franchise also includes short films, a ...
'' franchise, the '' Jump Street'' and ''
Sonic the Hedgehog is a Japanese video game series and media franchise created by Sega. The franchise follows Sonic the Hedgehog (character), Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battles the evil Doctor Eggman, a mad scientist. The main ''Sonic the Hedg ...
'' films, as well as the television series ''
Prison Break ''Prison Break'' is an American serial drama television series created by Paul Scheuring for Fox. The series revolves around two brothers, Lincoln Burrows ( Dominic Purcell) and Michael Scofield ( Wentworth Miller); Burrows has been senten ...
'' and Emmy-nominated '' The Boys''. His early credits include teen classics ''
I Know What You Did Last Summer ''I Know What You Did Last Summer'' is a 1997 American slasher film directed by Jim Gillespie, written by Kevin Williamson, and starring Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe and Freddie Prinze Jr. It is loosely based on ...
'', ''
Urban Legend An urban legend (sometimes contemporary legend, modern legend, urban myth, or urban tale) is a genre of folklore comprising stories or fallacious claims circulated as true, especially as having happened to a "friend of a friend" or a family m ...
'' and ''
Cruel Intentions ''Cruel Intentions'' is a 1999 American teen romantic drama film written and directed by Roger Kumble and starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, Reese Witherspoon, and Selma Blair. The film is a modern retelling of Pierre Choderlos de ...
''.


Life

Neal H. Moritz was born in
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
, California, to Milton Moritz and Barbara (''née'' Levin). His paternal grandfather, Joseph Moritz, owned movie theaters in
Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
and was an early investor in
American International Pictures American International Pictures (AIP) is an American motion picture production label of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. In its original operating period, AIP was an independent film production and distribution company known for producing and releasing fil ...
(AIP). Milton Moritz was born in Pittsburgh and moved to California after falling ill with
rheumatic fever Rheumatic fever (RF) is an inflammatory disease that can involve the heart, joints, skin, and brain. The disease typically develops two to four weeks after a streptococcal throat infection. Signs and symptoms include fever, multiple painful jo ...
at age eight, when his doctor suggested the family move to a better climate. He was head of marketing at AIP and was later CEO and president of the National Association of Theatre Owners of California/Nevada. Moritz is from a
Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...
family. Moritz grew up in Westwood and graduated from
UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
, where he participated in a Semester at Sea program. When he came back, he gave away several backpacks that were popular with Chinese students. He had so many requests for the backpacks that he and a friend began a company importing purses and bags from Taiwan. He sold the company to an investor, and returned to school. He earned a master's degree from the Peter Stark Producing Program at the
University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $ ...
's School of Cinema-Television in 1985. He is a member of the school's Alumni Development Council. As of 2021, Moritz has been married for 20 years and has two children, aged 19 and 16.


Career

Moritz has more than 70 films to his credit, including ''Juice'' starring Tupac Shakur, ''
I Know What You Did Last Summer ''I Know What You Did Last Summer'' is a 1997 American slasher film directed by Jim Gillespie, written by Kevin Williamson, and starring Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe and Freddie Prinze Jr. It is loosely based on ...
'', the first two films of the ''
Urban Legend An urban legend (sometimes contemporary legend, modern legend, urban myth, or urban tale) is a genre of folklore comprising stories or fallacious claims circulated as true, especially as having happened to a "friend of a friend" or a family m ...
'' franchise, ''
Cruel Intentions ''Cruel Intentions'' is a 1999 American teen romantic drama film written and directed by Roger Kumble and starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, Reese Witherspoon, and Selma Blair. The film is a modern retelling of Pierre Choderlos de ...
'', ''The Skulls'', the ''
Fast & Furious ''Fast & Furious'' (also known as ''The Fast and the Furious'') is a media franchise centered on a series of action films that are largely concerned with street racing, heists, spies, and family. The franchise also includes short films, a ...
'' franchise, ''
Not Another Teen Movie ''Not Another Teen Movie'' is a 2001 American teen parody film directed by Joel Gallen and written by Mike Bender, Adam Jay Epstein, Andrew Jacobson, Phil Beauman, and Buddy Johnson. It features an ensemble cast including Chyler Leigh, Chris Ev ...
'', the first two films of the '' XXX'' film series, being '' XXX'' and '' XXX: State of the Union'', '' ''S.W.A.T.'''', ''
Evan Almighty ''Evan Almighty'' is a 2007 American comedy film, and a spin-off of '' Bruce Almighty'' (2003). The film was directed by Tom Shadyac, written by Steve Oedekerk, based on the characters created by Steve Koren and Mark O'Keefe from the origina ...
'', ''I Am Legend'', ''
Made of Honor ''Made of Honor'' (''Made of Honour'' in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, and Australia) is a 2008 American romantic comedy film directed by Paul Weiland and written by Adam Sztykiel, Deborah Kaplan, and Harry Elfont. The film stars Patric ...
'', ''
Sweet Home Alabama "Sweet Home Alabama" is a song by American southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, released on the band's second album ''Second Helping'' (1974). It was written in response to Neil Young's 1970 song " Southern Man", which the band felt blamed the ...
'', ''Total Recall'' and the '' Jump Street'' films, being ''
21 Jump Street ''21 Jump Street'' is an American police procedural television series that aired on the Fox network and in first run syndication from April 12, 1987, to April 27, 1991, with a total of 103 episodes. The series focuses on a squad of youthful-look ...
'' and ''
22 Jump Street ''22 Jump Street'' is a 2014 American satirical buddy cop action comedy film directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, written by Jonah Hill, Michael Bacall, Oren Uziel and Rodney Rothman and produced by and starring Hill and Channing Tat ...
''. Recent credits include ''
Sonic the Hedgehog is a Japanese video game series and media franchise created by Sega. The franchise follows Sonic the Hedgehog (character), Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battles the evil Doctor Eggman, a mad scientist. The main ''Sonic the Hedg ...
'', '' Spenser Confidential'', '' Bloodshot'', ''
Escape Room An escape room, also known as an escape game, puzzle room, exit game, or riddle room is a game in which a team of players discover clues, solve puzzles, and accomplish tasks in one or more rooms in order to accomplish a specific goal in a limite ...
'', ''
Goosebumps ''Goosebumps'' is a series of children's horror fiction novels by American author R. L. Stine, published by Scholastic Corporation, Scholastic Publishing. The protagonists in these stories are tweens or young teens who find themselves in scary ...
'' and '' Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween''. He has also produced the television series '' The Boys'', '' S.W.A.T.'', ''
Preacher A preacher is a person who delivers sermons or homilies on religious topics to an assembly of people. Less common are preachers who preach on the street, or those whose message is not necessarily religious, but who preach components such as a ...
'', '' Happy'', ''
Prison Break ''Prison Break'' is an American serial drama television series created by Paul Scheuring for Fox. The series revolves around two brothers, Lincoln Burrows ( Dominic Purcell) and Michael Scofield ( Wentworth Miller); Burrows has been senten ...
'', and '' The Big Break''. In September 2017, Moritz and
Original Film Original Film is an American film and television production company founded by Neal H. Moritz. Notable films the company has produced include the '' Fast & Furious'' franchise. History Original Film was started out in the early 1990s by Nea ...
signed a first-look deal for
Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production and distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldest film studio in the world, the second-olde ...
that began on January 1, 2019, leaving his longtime home,
Sony Pictures Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Sony Pictures or SPE, and formerly known as Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc.) is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio Conglomerate (company), conglom ...
, after over 20 years. However, he still maintains his overall deal at
Sony Pictures Television Sony Pictures Television Inc. (abbreviated as SPT) is an American television production and distribution studio. Based at the Sony Pictures Studios complex in Culver City, it is a division of Sony Entertainment's unit Sony Pictures Entertainm ...
.   In October 2018, Moritz filed a lawsuit against Universal Pictures for breach of oral contract and committing promissory fraud after the distributor removed him as lead producer on '' Hobbs & Shaw''. His lawsuit was settled in September 2020 and he received producer credit for the 2021 film '' F9''.


Filmography

He was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.


Film


Sony Pictures


NBCUniversal


Lionsgate


The Walt Disney Studios


Warner Bros. Discovery


Paramount Global


Other studios


Direct-to-video

* ''
Cruel Intentions 2 ''Cruel Intentions 2'' (also known as ''Cruel Intentions 2: Manchester Prep'' or simply as ''Manchester Prep'') is a 2000 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Roger Kumble, starring Robin Dunne, Sarah Thompson, Keri Lynn Pratt ...
'' (2000) * '' The Skulls II'' (2002) (Executive producer) * '' The Skulls III'' (2004) * '' Cruel Intentions 3'' (2004) * '' Devour'' (2005) * '' I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer'' (2006) * '' Species: The Awakening'' (2007) * '' S.W.A.T.: Firefight'' (2011) * '' S.W.A.T.: Under Siege'' (2017)


As an actor


Thanks

* '' My Trip to the Dark Side'' (2011)


Television

''All works, he was executive producer unless otherwise noted.'' * '' Shasta McNasty'' (1999) * ''Still Life'' (2003) * '' Greg the Bunny'' (2002–04) * ''
Tru Calling ''Tru Calling'' is an American Supernatural fiction, supernatural Drama (film and television), drama television series that aired on Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox. Original episodes aired between October 30, 2003, and April 21, 2005; however, the ...
'' (2003–05) * '' Point Pleasant'' (2005–06) * '' The Big C'' (2010–13) * '' Save Me'' (2013) * ''
Prison Break ''Prison Break'' is an American serial drama television series created by Paul Scheuring for Fox. The series revolves around two brothers, Lincoln Burrows ( Dominic Purcell) and Michael Scofield ( Wentworth Miller); Burrows has been senten ...
'' (2005–17) * '' Happy!'' (2017–19) * '' The Boys'' (2019–present) * '' Fast & Furious Spy Racers'' (2019–2021) * ''
Preacher A preacher is a person who delivers sermons or homilies on religious topics to an assembly of people. Less common are preachers who preach on the street, or those whose message is not necessarily religious, but who preach components such as a ...
'' (2016–19) * '' S.W.A.T.'' (2017–present) * ''
I Know What You Did Last Summer ''I Know What You Did Last Summer'' is a 1997 American slasher film directed by Jim Gillespie, written by Kevin Williamson, and starring Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe and Freddie Prinze Jr. It is loosely based on ...
'' (2021) * '' The Boys Presents: Diabolical'' (2022)


TV Movies

* '' Framed'' (1990) * '' Blind Justice'' (1994) * ''
The Rat Pack The Rat Pack was an informal group of entertainers, the second iteration of which ultimately made films and appeared together in Las Vegas casino venues. They originated in the late 1940s and early 1950s as a group of A-list show business frie ...
'' (1998) * ''Monster!'' (1999) * '' Cabin by the Lake'' (2000) * ''
Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...
'' (2000) * ''Electra's Guy'' (2000) * ''
Class Warfare Class conflict, also referred to as class struggle and class warfare, is the political tension and economic antagonism that exists in society because of socio-economic competition among the social classes or between rich and poor. The forms o ...
'' (2001) * '' Return to Cabin by the Lake'' (2001) * ''Shotgun Love Dolls'' (2001) * ''The Pool at Maddy Breaker's'' (2003) * ''Vegas Dick'' (2003) * ''Not Another High School Show'' (2007) * ''SIS'' (2008) * '' Prison Break: The Final Break'' (2009)


TV Pilots

* '' Mr. Ed'' (2004) * Untitled
Dave Caplan Dave Caplan (born May 6, 1959) is an American television writer and Executive Producer of prime-time comedies. He co-developed and serves as writer/executive producer of ABC's ''The Conners''. He was a writer/co-Executive on the reboot of ''Rosea ...
pilot (2008) * ''
Cruel Intentions ''Cruel Intentions'' is a 1999 American teen romantic drama film written and directed by Roger Kumble and starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, Reese Witherspoon, and Selma Blair. The film is a modern retelling of Pierre Choderlos de ...
'' (2016) * '' Roadside Picnic'' (2017)


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Moritz, Neal H. 1959 births Living people 20th-century American Jews American film producers Businesspeople from Los Angeles Film producers from California USC School of Cinematic Arts alumni 21st-century American Jews