Leonard Goldberg
Encyclopedia
Leonard J. Goldberg is an American
film producer
and television producer
. He has his own production company, Mandy Films. He served as head of programming for ABC
, and was president of 20th Century Fox
. Goldberg is currently executive producer of the CBS series Blue Bloods
, starring Tom Selleck, Donnie Wahlberg, and Bridget Moynahan.
As a television producer he is known for producing several highly acclaimed television films, including the Peabody Award
-winning Brian's Song
(1971) and The Boy in the Plastic Bubble
(1976); the latter helping to launch John Travolta
's career. He also produced a string of hit television series while in partnership with Aaron Spelling
; the best-known being Charlie's Angels
, Hart to Hart
, Starsky and Hutch
, and Family
. He produced the Oscar-nominated movie WarGames
.
He also produced the Emmy
-winning television film Something About Amelia
, which aired on ABC in 1984. It was one of the highest-rated television films, watched by around 60-70 million people.
Goldberg served as president of Twentieth Century Fox where under his aegis the studio produced such critically acclaimed hit films as Broadcast News
, Big
, Die Hard
, Wall Street, and Working Girl
. Under his own banner Leonard Goldberg produced the successful motion picture features WarGames
, Sleeping with the Enemy
, Double Jeopardy
, and Charlie's Angels
. Most recently, he produced Unknown, starring Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger, January Jones, and Frank Langella, released in theaters in February 2011.
He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
at 6901 Hollywood Boulevard and was inducted into the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
Hall of Fame in 2007.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
and television producer
Television producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
. He has his own production company, Mandy Films. He served as head of programming for ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
, and was president of 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
. Goldberg is currently executive producer of the CBS series Blue Bloods
Blue Bloods (TV series)
Blue Bloods is an American police procedural/drama series on CBS, filmed on location in New York City. The show premiered on September 24, 2010, with episodes airing on Fridays at 10:00 pm Eastern and Pacific/9:00 PM Central and Mountain....
, starring Tom Selleck, Donnie Wahlberg, and Bridget Moynahan.
As a television producer he is known for producing several highly acclaimed television films, including the Peabody Award
Peabody Award
The George Foster Peabody Awards recognize distinguished and meritorious public service by radio and television stations, networks, producing organizations and individuals. In 1939, the National Association of Broadcasters formed a committee to recognize outstanding achievement in radio broadcasting...
-winning Brian's Song
Brian's Song
Brian's Song is a 1971 ABC Movie of the Week that recounts the details of the life of Brian Piccolo , a Wake Forest University football player stricken with terminal cancer after turning pro, told through his friendship with Chicago Bears running back teammate and Pro Football Hall of Famer Gale...
(1971) and The Boy in the Plastic Bubble
The Boy in the Plastic Bubble
The Boy in the Plastic Bubble is a 1976 made-for-TV movie inspired by the lives of David Vetter and Ted DeVita, who lacked effective immune systems. It stars John Travolta, Glynnis O'Connor, Diana Hyland, Robert Reed, and P.J. Soles...
(1976); the latter helping to launch John Travolta
John Travolta
John Joseph Travolta is an American actor, dancer and singer. Travolta first became known in the 1970s, after appearing on the television series Welcome Back, Kotter and starring in the box office successes Saturday Night Fever and Grease...
's career. He also produced a string of hit television series while in partnership with Aaron Spelling
Aaron Spelling
Aaron Spelling was an American film and television producer. As of 2009, Spelling's eponymous production company Spelling Television holds the record as the most prolific television writer, with 218 producer and executive producer credits...
; the best-known being Charlie's Angels
Charlie's Angels
Charlie's Angels is a television series about three women who work for a private investigation agency, and is one of the first shows to showcase women in roles traditionally reserved for men...
, Hart to Hart
Hart to Hart
Hart to Hart is an American television series, starring Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers as Jonathan and Jennifer Hart, a wealthy couple who also moonlighted as amateur detectives. The series was created by writer Sidney Sheldon and produced by Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg...
, Starsky and Hutch
Starsky and Hutch
Starsky and Hutch is a 1970s American cop thriller television series that consisted of a 90-minute pilot movie and 92 episodes of 60 minutes each; created by William Blinn, produced by Spelling-Goldberg Productions, and broadcast between April 30, 1975 and May 15, 1979 on the ABC...
, and Family
Family (TV series)
Family is an American television drama series that aired on ABC from 1976 to 1980. Creative control of the show was split between executive producers Leonard Goldberg, Aaron Spelling and Mike Nichols...
. He produced the Oscar-nominated movie WarGames
WarGames
WarGames is a 1983 American Cold War suspense/science-fiction film written by Lawrence Lasker and Walter F. Parkes and directed by John Badham. The film stars Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy....
.
He also produced the Emmy
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
-winning television film Something About Amelia
Something About Amelia
Something About Amelia is a 1984 TV movie exploring the drama to a family caused by incest.Starring Ted Danson, Glenn Close, Missy Francis and Roxana Zal. Zal became the youngest primetime Emmy winner in history for her work.-External links:...
, which aired on ABC in 1984. It was one of the highest-rated television films, watched by around 60-70 million people.
Goldberg served as president of Twentieth Century Fox where under his aegis the studio produced such critically acclaimed hit films as Broadcast News
Broadcast News (film)
Broadcast News is a 1987 romantic comedy-drama film written, produced and directed by James L. Brooks. The film concerns a virtuoso television news producer , who has daily emotional breakdowns, a brilliant yet prickly reporter and his charismatic but far less seasoned rival...
, Big
Big
Big is a 1988 romantic comedy film directed by Penny Marshall and stars Tom Hanks as Josh Baskin, a young boy who makes a wish "to be big" to a magical fortune-telling machine and is then aged to adulthood overnight...
, Die Hard
Die Hard
Die Hard is a 1988 American action film and the first in the Die Hard film series. The film was directed by John McTiernan and written by Jeb Stuart and Steven E. de Souza. It is based on a 1979 novel by Roderick Thorp titled Nothing Lasts Forever, itself a sequel to the book The Detective, which...
, Wall Street, and Working Girl
Working Girl
Working Girl is a 1988 romantic comedy film written by Kevin Wade and directed by Mike Nichols. It tells the inspiring story of a Staten Island-raised secretary, Tess McGill , working in the mergers and acquisitions department of a Wall Street investment bank...
. Under his own banner Leonard Goldberg produced the successful motion picture features WarGames
WarGames
WarGames is a 1983 American Cold War suspense/science-fiction film written by Lawrence Lasker and Walter F. Parkes and directed by John Badham. The film stars Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy....
, Sleeping with the Enemy
Sleeping with the Enemy (1991 film)
Sleeping with the Enemy is a 1991 psychological thriller film directed by Joseph Ruben and starring Julia Roberts. The film is based on Nancy Price's 1987 novel of the same name...
, Double Jeopardy
Double Jeopardy (film)
Double Jeopardy is a 1999 thriller film directed by Bruce Beresford and starring Tommy Lee Jones and Ashley Judd. The film is about a woman who is framed for the murder of her husband.-Plot:...
, and Charlie's Angels
Charlie's Angels (film)
Charlie's Angels is a 2000 American action comedy film directed by McG, starring Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, and Lucy Liu as three women working for a private investigation agency...
. Most recently, he produced Unknown, starring Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger, January Jones, and Frank Langella, released in theaters in February 2011.
He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
at 6901 Hollywood Boulevard and was inducted into the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences was founded in 1946, just one month after network television was born. It is a nonprofit organization devoted to the advancement of telecommunications arts and sciences and to fostering creative leadership in the telecommunications industry...
Hall of Fame in 2007.