Biography
Edward Saxon, an Academy Award-winning producer, graduated from the USC Peter Stark Producing Program, where he now holds the endowed Chair and is a tenured professor at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. He earned his undergraduate degree from McGill University. Saxon produced THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, which won Oscars for Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Picture. His films have received over 20 Academy Award nominations and have won eight Oscars.
He also produced PHILADELPHIA, which won two Academy Awards including Best Actor for Tom Hanks; ADAPTATION, nominated for four Academy Awards including Best Supporting Actor for Chris Cooper; and the Academy Award-nominated documentary MANDELA: SON OF AFRICA, FATHER OF A NATION. Saxon has collaborated with notable actors such as Denzel Washington, Meryl Streep, Charlize Theron, Nicolas Cage, Oprah Winfrey, Ethan Hawke, Michelle Pfeiffer, and John Krasinski.
More recently, Saxon has produced the Emmy Award-winning Showtime series RAY DONOVAN, starring Liev Schreiber and Jon Voight, as well as the acclaimed HBO comedy series ENLIGHTENED, featuring Laura Dern and Luke Wilson. His film credits include Sam Mendes' AWAY WE GO at Focus Features and OUR FAMILY WEDDING at Fox Searchlight, starring Forest Whitaker and America Ferrera. He currently has television projects in development across multiple streaming platforms.
Additional past credits include Tom Hanks' directorial debut THAT THING YOU DO, ULEE'S GOLD, DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS, BELOVED, FAST FOOD NATION, SOMETHING WILD, and MIAMI BLUES.
Saxon was a founding Advisory Board member of the Independent Film Channel and has served as a mentor for the Sundance Institute, Producers Guild, and McGill University. He is on the Advisory Board of The Center for Body Computing at USC and frequently speaks on the significance of storytelling in business, healthcare, and financial services. Saxon also has extensive experience working in Haiti as both a documentary filmmaker and activist. He is married to artist Kirsten Coyne, and they have two daughters. The family resides in Los Angeles.
