Mark Ordesky
Encyclopedia
Mark Lowell Ordesky is an American film producer
and film studio executive. He is best known for executive producing the Oscar-winning The Lord of the Rings trilogy
.
with a degree
in print journalism. He was editor of the university newspaper, the Daily Trojan
, and a member of the Chi Phi Fraternity. In 2008, he was honored with Chi Phi's Walter Cronkite Congressional Award.
Ordesky supports the Anti-Defamation League
as a Regional Board Member and Chair of its Entertainment Industry Committee. He is also a board member of the American Cinematheque
, and a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
.
, Mark Ordesky acquired or executive produced over 60 films, including the company's first Best Picture nominee (Shine), its first major-category Oscar winner (Geoffrey Rush, Best Actor, Shine), its first Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival (Lars von Trier's Dancer In The Dark), and the most-nominated film in history to win every Oscar for which it was tapped (The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King).
During a five-year stint as President of Fine Line Features
, a specialty films division of New Line, Mark acquired acclaimed films such as Saving Grace and State & Main, as well as Oscar nominees Before Night Falls, Tumbleweeds, The Sweet Hereafter, and American Splendor.
In 1996, Mark helped introduce U.S. audiences to Jackie Chan
with the break-out hit Rumble In The Bronx.
In 2009, Ordesky launched his own company, Amber Entertainment, with partners Ileen Maisel, Jane Fleming, and Lawrence Elman.
PRODUCER
MISCELLANEOUS CREW
SECOND UNIT DIRECTING
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
and film studio executive. He is best known for executive producing the Oscar-winning The Lord of the Rings trilogy
The Lord of the Rings film trilogy
The Lord of the Rings is an epic film trilogy consisting of three fantasy adventure films based on the three-volume book of the same name by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. The films are The Fellowship of the Ring , The Two Towers and The Return of the King .The films were directed by Peter...
.
Personal life
Ordesky was born in Sacramento County, California. In 1985, Ordesky graduated from the USC Annenberg School for CommunicationUSC Annenberg School for Communication
The USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism comprises a School ofCommunication and a School of Journalism at the University of Southern California . It is led by Dean Ernest J. Wilson III, Ph.D....
with a degree
Academic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
in print journalism. He was editor of the university newspaper, the Daily Trojan
Daily Trojan
The Daily Trojan, or "DT," is the student newspaper of the University of Southern California. The newspaper is a forum for student expression and is written, edited, and managed by university students. The paper is intended to inform USC students, faculty, and staff on the latest news and provide...
, and a member of the Chi Phi Fraternity. In 2008, he was honored with Chi Phi's Walter Cronkite Congressional Award.
Ordesky supports the Anti-Defamation League
Anti-Defamation League
The Anti-Defamation League is an international non-governmental organization based in the United States. Describing itself as "the nation's premier civil rights/human relations agency", the ADL states that it "fights anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry, defends democratic ideals and protects...
as a Regional Board Member and Chair of its Entertainment Industry Committee. He is also a board member of the American Cinematheque
American Cinematheque
The American Cinematheque is an independent, non-profit cultural organization in Los Angeles dedicated exclusively to the public presentation of the Moving Image in all its forms. It is considered among the premier organizations of its kind in America....
, and a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of motion pictures...
.
Career
During 20 years at New Line CinemaNew Line Cinema
New Line Cinema, often simply referred to as New Line, is an American film studio. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye and Michael Lynne as a film distributor, later becoming an independent film studio. It became a subsidiary of Time Warner in 1996 and was merged with larger sister studio Warner...
, Mark Ordesky acquired or executive produced over 60 films, including the company's first Best Picture nominee (Shine), its first major-category Oscar winner (Geoffrey Rush, Best Actor, Shine), its first Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival (Lars von Trier's Dancer In The Dark), and the most-nominated film in history to win every Oscar for which it was tapped (The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King).
During a five-year stint as President of Fine Line Features
Fine Line Features
Fine Line Features was the speciality films division of New Line Cinema. It produced, purchased, distributed and marketed films of a more "indie" flavor than its parent company...
, a specialty films division of New Line, Mark acquired acclaimed films such as Saving Grace and State & Main, as well as Oscar nominees Before Night Falls, Tumbleweeds, The Sweet Hereafter, and American Splendor.
In 1996, Mark helped introduce U.S. audiences to Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan, SBS, MBE is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer. In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts...
with the break-out hit Rumble In The Bronx.
In 2009, Ordesky launched his own company, Amber Entertainment, with partners Ileen Maisel, Jane Fleming, and Lawrence Elman.
Filmography
FILMPRODUCER
- Critters 3Critters 3Critters 3 is a 1991 sci-fi comedy horror film directed by Kristine Peterson. It is the third installment of the Critters series. It was shot back-to-back with its sequel, Critters 4. Unlike the first two movies, it does not take place in the town of Grover's Bend...
(1991): Associate producer - Critters 4Critters 4Critters 4 is a 1992 science fiction comedy horror film starring Don Keith Opper, Terrence Mann, Angela Bassett and Brad Dourif. It was directed by Rupert Harvey and written by Harvey, Barry Opper, Joseph Lyle and David J. Schow. It is the fourth and seemingly final film in the Critters series...
(1991): Associate producer - Sunset GrillSunset Grill (film)Sunset Grill is a 1993 neo-noir mystery film starring Peter Weller as a private detective in Los Angeles. The movie co-stars Lori Singer and Stacy Keach, and was directed by Kevin Connor.- Plot :...
(1993): Executive producer - The Hidden IIThe Hidden II-Plot:The alien criminal from the first movie is dead, but he left a few eggs which are hatching now. It is explained that on the alien's homeworld, evolution took two parallel paths: half of their race became violent criminals who live only for pleasure , and the other half evolved beyond their...
(1994): Executive producer - Mother NightMother NightMother Night is a novel by American author Kurt Vonnegut, first published in 1961. The title of the book is taken from Goethe's Faust....
(1996): Executive producer - PeckerPecker (film)Pecker is a 1998 comedy-drama film written and directed by John Waters and starring Edward Furlong and Christina Ricci. Like all Waters' films, it was filmed and set in Baltimore; this film in the Hampden neighborhood....
(1998): Executive producer - Roseanna's GraveRoseanna's GraveRoseanna's Grave is a 1997 film directed by Paul Weiland. In his review, Roger Ebert concludes that Roseanna's Grave "isn't of much consequence, perhaps, and the gears of the plot are occasionally visible as they turn...
(1998): Executive producer - State & Main (2000): Co-producer
- The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001): Executive producer
- Ripley's GameRipley's Game (film)Ripley's Game is a feature film based on the 1974 novel of the same name, the third in Patricia Highsmith's "Ripliad," a series of books chronicling the murderous adventures of con artist Tom Ripley...
(2002): Executive producer - For Mature Audiences Only (2002): Executive producer
- The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002): Executive producer
- The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the KingThe Lord of the Rings: The Return of the KingThe Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is a 2003 epic fantasy-drama film directed by Peter Jackson that is based on the second and third volumes of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings...
(2003): Executive producer - The Sleeping DictionaryThe Sleeping DictionaryThe Sleeping Dictionary is a 2003 film by Guy Jenkin. It was filmed in Sarawak and is set during the British colonial rule in the 1930s.- Plot :...
(2003): Executive producer - A Dirty ShameA Dirty ShameA Dirty Shame is a 2004 satirical sex comedy written and directed by John Waters, and starring Tracey Ullman, Selma Blair, Johnny Knoxville, Chris Isaak, Suzanne Shepherd, and Mink Stole.-Plot:...
(2004): Executive producer - BirthBirth (film)Birth is a 2004 film directed by Jonathan Glazer and starring Nicole Kidman, Lauren Bacall, Danny Huston and Cameron Bright.The story is about a young widow from a prominent Manhattan-based family named Anna who slowly becomes convinced that her husband, Sean, who died ten years previously, has...
(2004): Executive producer - The New World (2005): Executive producer
- The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The BeginningThe Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The BeginningThe Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, a 2006 American slasher film, functions as a prequel to the 2003 remake of the 1974 film The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Directed by Jonathan Liebesman and co-produced by Kim Henkel and Tobe Hooper , the film went into release in North America on October 6,...
(2006): Executive producer - The Golden Compass (2007): Executive producer
- InkheartInkheartInkheart is a young adult-child fantasy novel by Cornelia Funke, and the first book of the Inkworld trilogy....
(2008): Executive producer
MISCELLANEOUS CREW
- Poison Ivy: The New SeductionPoison Ivy: The New SeductionPoison Ivy: The New Seduction is a 1997 erotic thriller starring Jaime Pressly, and the third film in the Poison Ivy series, which consisted of Poison Ivy , Poison Ivy II: Lily and Poison Ivy 4: The Secret Society . It was directed by Kurt Voss and written by Karen Kelly...
(1997): Special thanks - Man of the CenturyMan of the CenturyMan of the Century is a 1999 comedy film directed by Adam Abraham and written by Abraham and Gibson Frazier. The film stars Frazier, Cara Buono, Susan Egan, Dwight Ewell and Anthony Rapp. It is a farce about the attitudes, values, and slang displayed in the popular culture of the 1920s . Man of...
(1999): Thanks
SECOND UNIT DIRECTING
- The Long and Short of ItThe Long and Short of ItThe Long and Short of It is a short film that was written and produced by Sean Astin. The five-minute film was shot in Wellington, New Zealand in a single day when the cast and crew of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers had reunited to shoot pick-ups...
(2003): Second unit director