Richard W. Cook is an American film entertainment executive, and has served on the Board of Directors of Legendary Pictures since 2011. Prior to joining Legendary Pictures, he was the Chairman of the Walt Disney Studios from 2002 to 2009. At the time of his separation from the company, he was the only remaining top

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

executive who had worked for the company since before

Michael Eisner Michael Dammann Eisner ( ; born March 7, 1942) is an American businessman and former chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Walt Disney Company from September 1984 to September 2005. Prior to Disney, Eisner was president of rival film ...

took charge in 1984. Cook holds a degree in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

from the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

(USC).

Career

Cook began his career with Disney in 1970 as a

monorail A monorail is a Rail transport, railway in which the track consists of a single rail or beam. Colloquially, the term "monorail" is often used to describe any form of elevated rail or people mover. More accurately, the term refers to the style ...

and

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, Fuel oil, oil or, rarely, Wood fuel, wood) to heat ...

amusement park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, and events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central theme, often fea ...

ride operator at

Disneyland Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It was the first theme park opened by the Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney, ...

Sellers, Patricia. (March 21, 2005)
Disney's Mr. Calm Unreels Miramax
''Fortune''. Accessed July 4, 2007. and moved to the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank in 1977 to manage

pay television Pay television, also known as subscription television, premium television or, when referring to an individual service, a premium channel, refers to Subscription business model, subscription-based television services, usually provided by multichan ...

and non-theatrical releases. In 1980, he moved to the company's film distribution department, eventually heading both its distribution and marketing efforts. He earned a reputation there by his marketing of Disney's

home video Home video is recorded media sold or Video rental shop, rented for home viewing. The term originates from the VHS and Betamax era, when the predominant medium was videotapes, but has carried over to optical disc formats such as DVD and Blu-ray. ...

collection and hosting media-worthy movie premieres, for example securing a

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and hangar facilities for supporting, arming, deploying and recovering carrier-based aircraft, shipborne aircraft. Typically it is the ...

based in

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Reci ...

to host the debut of the film ''

''. In 1994, Cook was promoted to president of Buena Vista Pictures Distribution. Cook was appointed in 1996 chairman of Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, tasked with domestic and international theatrical marketing and distribution, feature film acquisition, and worldwide home video. In February 2002, Eisner named him as Peter Schneider's replacement as chairman of studios, popularly called the studio chief. Cook, described by ''

BusinessWeek ''Bloomberg Businessweek'', previously known as ''BusinessWeek'' (and before that ''Business Week'' and ''The Business Week''), is an American monthly business magazine published 12 times a year. The magazine debuted in New York City in Septembe ...

'' in 2003 as "the nicest guy in Disney's jungle", is known for his down-to-earth personality and his good relations with Disney's partners, including Jerry Bruckheimer. In 2005, Cook negotiated the exit of Harvey and Bob Weinstein from Disney's

Miramax Miramax, LLC, formerly known as Miramax Films, is an American independent film and television production and distribution company owned by beIN Media Group and Paramount Global. Based in Los Angeles, California, it was founded on December 19, ...

unit. In 2005, Cook was awarded the ''Walt Disney Man of the Year Award'', in recognition of "inspiring and positive role models for young people" from within the entertainment community, by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles & the Inland Empire. On July 17, 2006, Cook fired Disney executive Nina Jacobson over the telephone, immediately after the birth of her third child, while she was still in the delivery room. On September 18, 2009, Cook stepped down as chairman of Walt Disney Studios, allegedly having been asked to do so by Bob Iger, president/CEO of the Walt Disney Company. He was then replaced by Disney Channel president Rich Ross. In April 2011, Cook joined the Board of Directors of Legendary Pictures, and served as one of the executive producers of Legendary Pictures' Jackie Robinson biographical film '' 42''. In August 2013, Cook was made Chairman of KCETLink's Board of Directors. On April 19, 2015, Cook announced the formation of Dick Cook Studios, with an expected investment of $150 million by Citic Guoan Group Co. Ltd., a Chinese state-owned company and the largest subsidiary of conglomerate

Citic Group CITIC Group Corporation Ltd., formerly the China International Trust Investment Corporation (CITIC), is a state-owned investment company of the People's Republic of China, established by Rong Yiren in 1979 with the approval of Deng Xiaoping. ...

. As of March 2016, the deal had closed, but no funding had yet been received under the arrangement. On the weekend of March 19, 2016, Cook Studios signed a production financing deal with Film Carnival, a Zhejiang, China-based company, for $500 million, covering 100% of movie costs. The announcement was made on March 29, after the Cook Studio and Film Carnival hosted the inaugural China–U.S. Motion Picture Summit on March 25 in Grand Epoch City, China. The first film using the financing is expected to be " Ranger's Apprentice" from director Paul Haggis, and the second, '' The Alchemyst''. Both are to be filmed at

Docklands Studios Melbourne Docklands Studios Melbourne is a major film and television production complex located in Melbourne’s redeveloped Docklands precinct. The site is approximately from Melbourne’s Central Business District. The complex opened in 2004 and its ...

, where its Asia-Pacific base would be set up under Melbourne-native managing director Kate McLean. The Australian and Victoria region governments granted incentives up to $20.5 million (AUS$30 million).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cook, Dick American film studio executives Disney executives Year of birth missing (living people) Living people University of Southern California alumni