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Steve Tisch, born on February 14, 1949, in Lakewood Township, New Jersey, is an American film and television producer and sports executive.
After attending Tufts University, Tisch began his career as a producer for Columbia Pictures. In 1971, he worked as a production assistant on two films: Cry Uncle for Troma and Such Good Friends for Otto Preminger and Paramount. He served as associate producer on the 1975 telemovie The Missing Are Deadly and produced the 1977 film Outlaw Blues. During this period, he partnered with producer Jon Avnet to form Tisch/Avnet Productions, debuting with the telemovie No Other Love in 1979. The company expanded to include Tisch/Avnet Pictures and Tisch/Avnet Television, releasing titles such as Homeward Bound (1980). They secured a syndication deal with Novacom, Inc. (later King Features Entertainment).
Under Tisch/Avnet Pictures, they produced Coast to Coast (1980), Deal of the Century (1983)—which failed at the box office—and the successful Risky Business (1983), which launched Tom Cruise’s first leading role. Tisch/Avnet Television produced two 1982 telemovies: Prime Suspect and Something So Right, the latter starring Patty Duke and developed with writers Shelley List and Jonathan Estrin.
In 1983, the Tisch/Avnet Pictures and Television brands were consolidated under Tisch/Avnet Productions. They continued producing telemovies including Calendar Girl Murders (1984), which underperformed, and The Burning Bed (1984), a major success starring Farrah Fawcett that earned 11 Emmy nominations. Later that year, they produced Silence of the Heart (1984), featuring Charlie Sheen in his first acting role. Tisch and Avnet ventured into television series with Call to Glory (1984), which was canceled after one season due to poor ratings. They also produced telemovies Triplecross (1986) and In Love and War (1987) before ending their partnership.
In 1985, Tisch founded The Steve Tisch Company to produce feature films, beginning with Soul Man (1986) for New World Pictures. The company expanded into television movies, producing titles such as Evil in Clear River (1988), Whisper Kill (1988), Out on the Edge (1989), Judgment (1990) for both HBO and CBS. In 1989, Tisch joined producers Leonard Hill, Robert Greenwald, Frank von Zerneck, Robert M. Sertner, Michael Jaffe, Frank Konigsberg, Larry Sanitsky, Jon Avnet, Steve White, and Spectacor’s film unit to launch Allied Communications Inc., a television movie syndication company. During this period, Tisch produced several theatrical films including the box office success Big Business (1988) and underperformers Hot to Trot (1988), Heart of Dixie (1989), Heart Condition (1990), and Bad Influence (1990). He also produced the television series Dirty Dancing (1988), which was canceled after one season due to poor ratings.
Tisch achieved major success with Forrest Gump (1994), directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Tom Hanks. The film was a box office hit and won multiple Academy Awards, including Best Picture, cementing Tisch’s reputation as a leading producer. In 1994, he secured a production deal with New Line Cinema. Subsequent films included Corrina, Corrina (1994), Dear God (1996), Wild America (1997), and The Postman (1997), which received negative reviews and performed poorly at the box office. The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996) received mixed reviews but was a modest box office success. Tisch was executive producer for American History X (1998), which, despite box office struggles, was critically acclaimed. In 1996, he produced the telemovie The People Next Door. As his company shifted focus to theatrical films, Tisch produced Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998), which was both a critical and box office success. He was also a minority investor in Classic Media at its inception in 2000.
In 2001, Tisch merged his company with Todd Black and Jason Blumenthal’s Black & Blu to form Escape Artists. The company produced A Knight's Tale (2001), which was a box office success. Subsequent films Alex & Emma (2003) and The Weather Man (2005), released by Warner Bros. and Paramount Pictures respectively, underperformed and received mixed reviews. Escape Artists then produced a series of box office hits, starting with The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) and Seven Pounds (2008), both directed by Gabriele Muccino and starring Will Smith, who also produced through his Overbrook Entertainment company.
In 2005, Tisch was appointed chairman and Executive Vice President of the New York Giants football team. He accepted the Vince Lombardi Trophy twice as the Giants won Super Bowl XLII and Super Bowl XLVI. On April 30, 2008, Tisch and the Giants organization were honored at the White House by President George W. Bush for their Super Bowl victory. In 2007, Tisch received Tufts University’s P.T. Barnum Award for his outstanding contributions to media and entertainment.
Tisch continued producing successful films through Escape Artists, including Knowing (2009) for Summit Entertainment; The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009) and Hope Springs (2012) for MGM/Sony/Columbia; and The Back-up Plan (2010) for CBS Films. In 2014, Escape Artists and Columbia Pictures co-produced The Equalizer, which spawned a sequel, The Equalizer 2 (2018), along with Sex Tape (2014). Between 2015 and 2016, Escape Artists produced two films directed by Antoine Fuqua for The Weinstein Company and The Magnificent Seven (2016) for MGM/Sony/Columbia. The company expanded into television production in 2019 with series such as Perpetual Grace, LTD for Epix and Servant. Tisch also ventured into documentaries, producing Why We Hate (2019).
Most recently, Tisch was in post-production on The Man from Toronto (2022) for Columbia Pictures.
