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Andrew G. Vajna
Andrew G. Vajna (born András György Vajna; 1 August 1944 – 20 January 2019) was a Hungarian film producer. He produced films including the first three entries in the Rambo series, Total Recall, Tombstone, Die Hard with a Vengeance, Evita, and Terminator 3. Vajna founded the now-defunct production companies Carolco Pictures, Cinergi Pictures, and C2 Pictures, frequently in collaboration with Mario Kassar.
Andrew G. Vajna was born in Budapest to merchant György Vajna (born Weidmann) and his wife Klára. His family was Jewish. In 1956, at the age of 12, he fled Hungary and with the support of Red Cross made his way alone to Canada. He arrived having no friends and speaking no English. He would reunite with his parents in Los Angeles after they fled Hungary separately. He studied cinematography at University of California, Los Angeles, then joined the university's Educational Motion Picture Department, where he worked on various projects.
Preferring independence, Vajna left UCLA to establish a photo studio, but that venture soon came to end when he broke his leg in a ski accident and the business could not operate for nine months. After his recovery, he became a hairdresser and teamed up with a boyhood friend, Gábor Koltai, a wig stylist in Hollywood, to produce high-quality wigs. Vajna moved to Hong Kong, where he established a wig-manufacturing company, Gilda Fashion. When Vajna sold the firm in 1973, it employed more than 3,000 people.
Vajna launched his career in the entertainment industry by buying cinemas in the Far East. He founded Panasia Films Limited in Hong Kong, which became a highly profitable venture in the distribution, acquisition, and representation of films. Vajna sold Panasia to Raymond Chow's Golden Harvest Company in 1976.
The previous year, he met film producer and industry executive Mario Kassar at the 1975 Cannes Film Festival. The duo founded Carolco to finance, sell, and distrubute films worldwide. They rented a small office on Melrose Avenue where their desks faced each other; their secretaries were Vajna's wife and Kassar's girlfriend. In less than four years, Carolco became one of the top three foreign sales organizations in motion pictures industry.
In 1982, Vajna helped establish the American Film Marketing Association, and Vajna and Kassar made their film production debut with Rambo: First Blood, starring Sylvester Stallone. First Blood was a success, grossing $120 million internationally. Rambo: First Blood Part II was released in 1985, generating more than $300 million worldwide.
Vajna was executive producer with Mario Kassar on such films such as Alan Parker's Angel Heart, and Rambo III. Other projects include Music Box, Mountains of the Moon, Total Recall, Air America, Narrow Margin and Jacob's Ladder.
In December 1989, Vajna sold all his interest in Carolco for $106 million and formed Cinergi Productions, Inc. to engage in the financing, development, production and distribution of major event motion pictures. As part of its business plan, Cinergi formed an alliance with The Walt Disney Company for distribution of Cinergi motion pictures in the United States, Canada and Latin America. Vajna's strategy was to develop long-term relationships with certain talent and produce a steady supply of two to four event motion pictures per year. John McTiernan directed Cinergi's first production, Medicine Man. Christmas 1993 saw the release of Tombstone, the Wyatt Earp/Doc Holliday legend. In 1994, Cinergi released Renaissance Man and Color of Night.
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Andrew G. Vajna
Andrew G. Vajna (born András György Vajna; 1 August 1944 – 20 January 2019) was a Hungarian film producer. He produced films including the first three entries in the Rambo series, Total Recall, Tombstone, Die Hard with a Vengeance, Evita, and Terminator 3. Vajna founded the now-defunct production companies Carolco Pictures, Cinergi Pictures, and C2 Pictures, frequently in collaboration with Mario Kassar.
Andrew G. Vajna was born in Budapest to merchant György Vajna (born Weidmann) and his wife Klára. His family was Jewish. In 1956, at the age of 12, he fled Hungary and with the support of Red Cross made his way alone to Canada. He arrived having no friends and speaking no English. He would reunite with his parents in Los Angeles after they fled Hungary separately. He studied cinematography at University of California, Los Angeles, then joined the university's Educational Motion Picture Department, where he worked on various projects.
Preferring independence, Vajna left UCLA to establish a photo studio, but that venture soon came to end when he broke his leg in a ski accident and the business could not operate for nine months. After his recovery, he became a hairdresser and teamed up with a boyhood friend, Gábor Koltai, a wig stylist in Hollywood, to produce high-quality wigs. Vajna moved to Hong Kong, where he established a wig-manufacturing company, Gilda Fashion. When Vajna sold the firm in 1973, it employed more than 3,000 people.
Vajna launched his career in the entertainment industry by buying cinemas in the Far East. He founded Panasia Films Limited in Hong Kong, which became a highly profitable venture in the distribution, acquisition, and representation of films. Vajna sold Panasia to Raymond Chow's Golden Harvest Company in 1976.
The previous year, he met film producer and industry executive Mario Kassar at the 1975 Cannes Film Festival. The duo founded Carolco to finance, sell, and distrubute films worldwide. They rented a small office on Melrose Avenue where their desks faced each other; their secretaries were Vajna's wife and Kassar's girlfriend. In less than four years, Carolco became one of the top three foreign sales organizations in motion pictures industry.
In 1982, Vajna helped establish the American Film Marketing Association, and Vajna and Kassar made their film production debut with Rambo: First Blood, starring Sylvester Stallone. First Blood was a success, grossing $120 million internationally. Rambo: First Blood Part II was released in 1985, generating more than $300 million worldwide.
Vajna was executive producer with Mario Kassar on such films such as Alan Parker's Angel Heart, and Rambo III. Other projects include Music Box, Mountains of the Moon, Total Recall, Air America, Narrow Margin and Jacob's Ladder.
In December 1989, Vajna sold all his interest in Carolco for $106 million and formed Cinergi Productions, Inc. to engage in the financing, development, production and distribution of major event motion pictures. As part of its business plan, Cinergi formed an alliance with The Walt Disney Company for distribution of Cinergi motion pictures in the United States, Canada and Latin America. Vajna's strategy was to develop long-term relationships with certain talent and produce a steady supply of two to four event motion pictures per year. John McTiernan directed Cinergi's first production, Medicine Man. Christmas 1993 saw the release of Tombstone, the Wyatt Earp/Doc Holliday legend. In 1994, Cinergi released Renaissance Man and Color of Night.