Biographie
In 1976, Julius graduated from St. John's University with a Bachelor of Science in pharmacy. He then obtained an advanced Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Connecticut. While in college in 1974, he founded Universal Marine Medical Supply, Co. (UMMSC), now the largest international medical supply company serving cruise ships, oil rigs, super yachts, merchant vessels, tankers, and freighters. Julius serves as CEO of UMMSC, which operates offices in New York, Miami, Houston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Southampton (England), Singapore, and Athens.
In 1977, Julius partnered with his college professor Dr. Satish Patel to establish Tishcon Corporation, one of the nation's leading private-label vitamin and health supplement manufacturers, based in Westbury, New York. In 1978, alongside Xavier Roberts, he capitalized on the global Cabbage Patch craze by launching the Cabbage Patch Babyland General Hospital Store, formerly located at 41st Street and 5th Avenue in Manhattan. At Babyland General Hospital, Julius met Steve Ross, then CEO of Time Warner, who played a crucial role in Julius securing an overall production deal at Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank, California.
In 1980, while advancing his pharmaceutical distribution career, Julius took a position as personal assistant to director Sergio Leone. Under Leone, Julius contributed to the New York segment of Once Upon a Time in America (1984) and helped develop two films: In God's Name and Saint Peter's Banker. During this period, he attended film production courses and seminars at Cinecittà Studios in Rome, Italy. Between 1981 and 1983, while continuing to collaborate with Leone, Julius produced a television pilot for Fox TV titled "Behind the 8 Ball," starring Jerry Orbach, John Amos, and Jimmy Baio.
Julius then became Head of International Promotions for the action film Above the Law (1988), which led to a 17-year producing partnership with Warner Brothers Studios. There, he produced a series of action blockbusters including Hard to Kill (1990), Marked for Death (1990), Out for Justice (1991), Under Siege (1992), On Deadly Ground (1994), Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995), The Glimmer Man (1996), Fire Down Below (1997), and The Patriot (1998).
After his 17-year tenure at Warner Brothers Studios, Julius returned to New York and co-founded Manhattan Pictures. He produced and distributed Enigma (2001), starring Kate Winslet; The Secret Lives of Dentists (2002); and In Praise of Love (2001), a film by Jean-Luc Godard. Concurrently, Julius established Julius R. Nasso Productions, which produced award-winning films including Prince of Central Park (2000), featuring Kathleen Turner, Danny Aiello, Cathy Moriarty, Jerry Orbach, and Harvey Keitel; and One Eyed King (2001), starring William Baldwin, Dash Mihok, Armand Assante, Jason Gedrick, Connie Britton, and Chazz Palminteri.
Julius’s most notable accomplishment is producing Narc (2002), starring Jason Patric, Ray Liotta, and Busta Rhymes. The film was nominated for the Sundance Film Festival’s Grand Jury Award and won the Special Prize Policier Award at the Cognac Film Festival in France. Following Narc, he produced In Enemy Hands (2004), starring William H. Macy, Til Schweiger, Lauren Holly, and Scott Caan; and Hearts of War (2007), featuring Roy Schneider, Daryl Hannah, and Nina Dobrev.
Since 2006, Julius has collaborated with Harry Belafonte as a producer on several projects, including Sing Your Song (2011) and Another Night In The Free World. Sing Your Song is a biographical documentary exploring the life and activism of singer/actor Harry Belafonte. Another Night In The Free World will be Julius’s first documentary promoting nonviolence.
Julius produced several films premiering in 2013, including Accidental Love (2015), starring Academy Award nominee Jake Gyllenhaal and Jessica Biel; Squatters (2014), featuring Academy Award winner Richard Dreyfuss and Thomas Dekker; Breakout (2013), starring Brendan Fraser and Dominic Purcell; Pride of Lions (2014), with Louis Gossett Jr. and Bo Svenson; and Getaway (2013), inspired by the Steve McQueen classic of the same name, starring Ethan Hawke, Selena Gomez, and Jon Voight.
Recently, Julius partnered with Whoopi Goldberg to produce The Christmas Pearl, based on the bestselling novel by Dorothea Benton Frank, scheduled for release in Christmas 2014.
Julius has received numerous accolades, including the 2012 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Documentary for his work with Harry Belafonte on Sing Your Song (2011). He is a 20-year member of the Directors Guild of America and a respected philanthropist honored by numerous civic leaders and institutions for his charitable efforts. Julius co-founded Belafonte Arts and Media in Manhattan, has multiple film projects in development, and continues as CEO of UMMSC International.
