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Casey Silver
View on WikipediaCasey Silver (born Andrew Silver; May 5, 1955) is an American film executive and producer. Formerly the chairman and chief executive officer of Universal Pictures, he began his career in the motion picture industry as a screenwriter. After serving as an assistant to director Adrian Lyne on Flashdance, he became the director of development and production for Simpson-Bruckheimer Productions, where he was instrumental in the development of the original Beverly Hills Cop and Top Gun.[1]
In his role at Universal, Silver was responsible for all divisions of Universal Pictures including its production, marketing and distribution operations.[2] He supervised all activities worldwide concerning Universal's partnerships with United International and domestic distribution activities through its partnership with October Films. Additionally, Silver was in charge of Universal Studios Home Video, Universal Pictures Animation and Visual Effects, and Universal Family & Home Entertainment Production which included Universal Cartoon Studios.
During his tenure at Universal, the studio developed, produced and released the award winning films Schindler's List, Shakespeare in Love, Apollo 13, Casino, Jurassic Park, Out of Sight, Field of Dreams, Twelve Monkeys, In the Name of the Father, Do the Right Thing, Scent of a Woman, Born on the Fourth of July, Dazed and Confused, Midnight Run, American Pie, and Gladiator.
Prior to joining Universal, Silver was the vice president of production for TriStar Pictures and then promoted to senior vice president of production. He served as executive producer on Netflix's first original limited series Godless, a seven-part series from screenwriter and director Scott Frank.[3] Nominated for eleven Primetime Emmy Awards, the series won in three categories including both the Best Supporting Actress and Actor categories for Merritt Wever and Jeff Daniels respectively.[4] Godless aired on Netflix in 2017.
Through his own company, Casey Silver Productions, Silver produced The Highwaymen starring Kevin Costner, Hidalgo starring Viggo Mortensen, Ladder 49 starring Joaquin Phoenix, Leatherheads starring George Clooney, and The Forbidden Kingdom starring Jackie Chan. Silver is also a founding member and CEO of the start-up PodOp. The company's first transmedia project, Mosaic, was executive produced by Silver.[5] Directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring Sharon Stone, Mosaic aired on HBO in 2017.[6] In 2021, Silver completed production on Steven Soderbergh's No Sudden Move for HBO Max. The cast includes Don Cheadle, Benicio del Toro, and Brendan Fraser.
Filmography
[edit]He was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.
Film
[edit]| Year | Film |
|---|---|
| 2003 | Gigli |
| 2004 | Hidalgo |
| Ladder 49 | |
| 2008 | Leatherheads |
| The Forbidden Kingdom | |
| 2019 | The Highwaymen |
| 2021 | No Sudden Move |
| 2025 | Black Bag |
- Miscellaneous crew
| Year | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Foxes | Production assistant |
| 1982 | Movie Madness | |
| 1983 | Flashdance | Assistant: Adrian Lyne |
| 2008 | The Forbidden Kingdom | Presenter |
- Thanks
| Year | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | The Mighty | Thanks |
| Shakespeare in Love |
Television
[edit]| Year | Title | Credit |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Godless | Executive producer |
| 2018 | Mosaic | Executive producer |
| Curious George | Line producer |
- Thanks
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Obsessed with Vertigo | Thanks | Documentary |
References
[edit]- ^ Dutka, Elaine (October 20, 1995). "Company Town: Casey Silver Is on Deck : Low-Profile Executive May Be Next to Step Up to MCA's Plate". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-11-18.
- ^ Busch, Anita M. (November 26, 1995). "Silver Tapped Chair At MCA Motion Pix". Variety. Retrieved 2024-11-18.
- ^ Stuever, Hank (November 22, 2017). "Netflix's gory but glorious 'Godless' is the Western we've all been waiting for". TV. The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2017-11-22. Retrieved 2024-11-18.
- ^ Huver, Scott (August 2, 2018). "Emmys: 'Godless' Producer on Why the Series Didn't Work as a Feature". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-11-18.
- ^ Brodeur, Michael Andor (2017-11-10). "Mosaic and the new frontiers of narrative". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2024-11-18.
- ^ Schager, Nick (2018-01-16). "Steven Soderbergh's 'Mosaic' Is the Most Innovative TV Series Maybe Ever". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2024-11-18.
External links
[edit]- Casey Silver at IMDb
Casey Silver
View on GrokipediaEarly life and education
Early years
Casey Silver was born Andrew Silver on May 5, 1955, in New York City, New York.[10] Public information regarding Silver's childhood and family background remains limited, with few details available about his early family life or specific influences that may have shaped his formative years. He later adopted the professional name Casey Silver, though the reasons for this change are not publicly documented.Education
Casey Silver attended Hampshire College, a progressive liberal arts institution in Amherst, Massachusetts, where he pursued a major in filmmaking.[2] The college's interdisciplinary curriculum emphasized hands-on creative projects and independent exploration, allowing Silver to develop his skills in visual storytelling and narrative construction through practical coursework and student-led productions.[11] Upon graduating in the late 1970s, Silver decided to relocate to Los Angeles with his wife to pursue opportunities in the film industry, driven by his longstanding passion for filmmaking honed during his college years. This move marked the transition from academic training to professional aspirations in Hollywood.Professional career
Entry into the film industry
After graduating from Hampshire College with a major in filmmaking, Casey Silver moved to Los Angeles in the late 1970s with his wife, driven by a passion for storytelling and a desire to contribute to the creative aspects of cinema. He faced significant challenges in breaking into Hollywood, starting with low-level production jobs that involved menial tasks, such as wafting cigarette smoke to create atmospheric effects for camera shots during early 1980s film sets.[2] Silver initially pursued a career as a screenwriter, penning several unproduced scripts in his early attempts to establish himself in the industry. He later described himself as a "failed screenwriter," reflecting on the difficulties of crafting compelling narratives that could navigate the competitive and often misunderstood executive landscape of Hollywood.[2] His transition into production came through hands-on experience, including serving as a personal assistant to director Adrian Lyne on films such as Foxes (1980) and Flashdance (1983), where he gained insight into the filmmaking process from a key creative role.[2][10] This position marked his formal entry into the production side of the industry, building on his foundational interest in story-driven projects.Roles at Simpson-Bruckheimer Productions and TriStar Pictures
In the mid-1980s, following his experience as an assistant on Flashdance (1983), Casey Silver joined Simpson-Bruckheimer Productions as director of development and production.[2] In this role, he contributed to the oversight and development of key projects, including the original Beverly Hills Cop (1984) and Top Gun (1986), focusing on non-producing aspects such as script refinement and production coordination.[12] His work under Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer helped shape the company's output during a period of rising commercial success for action-oriented blockbusters.[1] Silver's tenure at Simpson-Bruckheimer positioned him for further advancement, leading to his move to TriStar Pictures where he was appointed vice president of production around 1986.[2] He was later promoted to senior vice president of production, a role he held until joining Universal Pictures in 1988.[12] During this time at TriStar, Silver's responsibilities encompassed evaluating scripts for viability, scouting emerging talent, and participating in decisions to greenlight projects, all of which honed his executive skills in navigating studio development pipelines.[2]Leadership at Universal Pictures
In 1994, Casey Silver was appointed president of Universal Pictures following the departure of longtime studio chief Tom Pollock, and by November 1995, he ascended to the role of chairman of the film division, overseeing the studio's motion picture operations.[2][13][14] His prior experience as senior vice president of production at TriStar Pictures provided a strong foundation for this executive leadership.[2] As chairman, Silver managed all major domestic and international divisions of Universal Pictures, including production, marketing, distribution, animation, visual effects, and home entertainment, while supervising partnerships with entities such as United International Pictures and CIC Video International.[14] Under his leadership, the studio expanded its annual film slate to emphasize diverse, high-profile projects, revamping the division with key hires like Marc Platt and Stacey Snider to strengthen creative and operational capabilities.[14] Silver's tenure focused on nurturing talent relationships and greenlighting ambitious releases, contributing to Universal's growth during a period of corporate transition after Seagram's 1995 acquisition of MCA.[15] Silver supervised the development and release of several acclaimed and commercially successful films that highlighted the studio's output in the mid-to-late 1990s, including Apollo 13 (1995), The Nutty Professor (1996), Liar Liar (1997), and The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), which collectively boosted Universal's earnings and reinforced its position as a leading Hollywood studio.[15][14] These projects exemplified his strategic oversight in shepherding high-impact films from pre-production through global distribution, prioritizing quality storytelling and blockbuster potential amid intensifying industry competition.[2] Silver's leadership ended abruptly in November 1998 when he resigned amid disappointing box office results for late-year releases such as Babe: Pig in the City and Meet Joe Black, which failed to meet expectations despite substantial production budgets.[15] The departure was part of broader executive shakeups at Universal following Seagram's ownership, with Silver transitioning to independent producing supported by a severance package.[15]Independent producing and other ventures
Following his departure from Universal Pictures in November 1998, Casey Silver transitioned to independent producing under a multi-year production deal with the studio, allowing him to develop projects independently while leveraging his established industry relationships.[15] This arrangement marked the beginning of his entrepreneurial phase, where he focused on selecting and nurturing film and television projects that highlighted strong storytelling and collaborations with acclaimed directors and writers.[16] In 1999, Silver formally launched Casey Silver Productions as his independent banner, emphasizing a curated approach to content creation driven by his keen eye for talent and narrative potential.[16] The company produced notable works, including the Netflix miniseries Godless (2017), for which Silver served as an executive producer and earned a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Limited Series in 2018. Silver expanded into media technology by co-founding PodOp, a startup aimed at innovating storytelling through interactive formats, where he assumed the role of CEO.[17] Launched around 2017, PodOp developed proprietary tools for nonlinear narratives, most prominently featured in the interactive app for HBO's Mosaic (2018), which allowed users to explore branching story paths in a thriller executive produced by Silver.[18] This project showcased PodOp's patented technologies for scalable, user-driven video experiences, blending traditional production with digital interactivity.[17] In recent years, Silver has forged a prominent creative partnership with director Steven Soderbergh, serving as producer on films and series such as The Laundromat (2019), The Highwaymen (2019), No Sudden Move (2021), Full Circle (2023), and the upcoming thriller Black Bag (2025).[7][8][9] Silver continues to produce through Casey Silver Productions, with upcoming projects including the spy thriller Black Bag (2025), directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender.[19]Filmography
Film
Casey Silver has served as a producer on the following films:- Gigli (2003) – producer[20]
- Hidalgo (2004) – producer[21]
- Ladder 49 (2004) – producer[22]
- Leatherheads (2008) – producer[23]
- The Forbidden Kingdom (2008) – producer[24]
- The Highwaymen (2019) – producer[25]
- No Sudden Move (2021) – producer[26]
- Black Bag (2025) – producer[27]
