RUDIN, SCOTT

RUDIN, SCOTT (1958– ), U.S. producer. Born in New York City, Rudin began working at 15 for theater producer kermit bloomgarden and later for Robert Whitehead and emanuel azenberg . Rather than attending college, Rudin served as a casting director for such shows as: Pippin (1972); Annie (1977); Stages (1978); and Working (1978); and for the New York-based films King of the Gypsies (1978); The Wanderers (1979); Simon (1980); and Resurrection (1980). Rudin moved to Los Angeles in 1980 to work for Edgar J. Scherick, producing the films I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can (1982), Mrs. Soffel (1984), and Reckless (1984). In 1983, he founded Scott Rudin Productions. Rudin entered 20th Century Fox as a producer in 1984, and by 1986 he was president of the company. He left the studio at 29, becoming the producer of a string of hits, including: Regarding Henry (1991); Little Man Tate (1991); The Addams Family (1991); Sister Act (1992); The Firm (1993); and Addams Family Values (1993). In the early 1990s, Rudin returned to Broadway. His first production, Face Value (1993), never officially opened, but his second theatrical effort, the musical Passion (1994), earned him a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award. While Rudin's feature comedy Clueless (1995) achieved critical and box-office success for Paramount, his remake of Sabrina failed. Other successful Rudin productions at Paramount included: Mother (1996); In & Out (1997); The Truman Show (1998); and The Hours (2002) – a joint effort of Paramount and Miramax. Rudin continued to produce shows for Broadway, including the revival of: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1996–98); The Chairs (1998); Closer (1999) – a 2000 film adaptation by Rudin received a Golden Globe nod – and Copenhagen (2000), which earned Rudin a second Tony Award. Rudin also worked with Disney, producing such films as: Ransom (1996), A Civil Action (1998), and the Wes Anderson film The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), which   Paramount passed on. In 2005, after Harvey and Bob Weinstein left Disney-owned Miramax Films, Rudin announced he was leaving Paramount for Disney. (Adam Wills (2nd ed.)