Edward Zwick
Zwick in 2016
Born	(1952-10-08) October 8, 1952 (age 73) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Education	Harvard University (BA) AFI Conservatory (MFA)
Occupations	Director, producer, screenwriter
Years active	1979–present
Notable work	About Last Night, Glory, Legends of the Fall, The Last Samurai, Blood Diamond, Defiance, Love & Other Drugs
Spouse	Lynn Liberty Godshall ​ ​ (m. 1982)​

Edward M. Zwick (born October 8, 1952) is an American filmmaker. He has worked primarily in the comedy drama and epic historical film genres and received an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award for his work producing Shakespeare in Love (1998).

He made his film debut with the comedy About Last Night (1986), followed by Glory (1989), Legends of the Fall (1994), Courage Under Fire (1996), The Siege (1998), The Last Samurai (2003), Blood Diamond (2006), and Defiance (2008). His later films include Love & Other Drugs (2010), Pawn Sacrifice (2014), and Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016).

He is also the co-creator of the ABC family drama series thirtysomething and Once and Again.

Early life and education

Zwick was born on October 8, 1952, into a Jewish family in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Ruth Ellen (née Reich) and Allen Zwick.^[1][2][3][4] He attended New Trier High School, received a B.A. at Harvard in 1974, and graduated from the AFI Conservatory with a Master of Fine Arts degree in 1975.

Despite sharing a surname and profession, Edward is unrelated to fellow director Joel Zwick. He has been married to actress Liberty Godshall since 1982, and they have two grown children.^[4]

Career

His films include Glory (1989), Legends of the Fall (1994), The Siege (1998), The Last Samurai (2003), Blood Diamond (2006), and Defiance (2008). Along with Marshall Herskovitz, Zwick runs The Bedford Falls Company (named after the town in Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life). The film production company has produced such films as Traffic and Shakespeare in Love and the TV shows thirtysomething, Relativity, Once and Again, and My So-Called Life.

Zwick's body of work has earned numerous accolades, including an Academy Award and BAFTA Award for Best Picture as a producer, and Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Writing in a Limited Series, and Outstanding Dramatic Special. He was one of the recipients of the Academy Award for Best Picture for Shakespeare in Love; he was also nominated in the same category for Traffic. He has also been nominated for multiple Golden Globe Awards.

In 2024, Zwick released his memoir, Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions: My Fortysomething Years in Hollywood.^[5]

Filmography

Awards and nominations

Directed Academy Award performances
Under Zwick's direction, these actors have received Academy Award wins and nominations for their performances in their respective roles.

Books

• Zwick, Ed (February 13, 2024). Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions: My Fortysomething Years in Hollywood. New York: Gallery Books. ISBN 9781668046999. OCLC 1384411519.

References

Further reading

• Denby, David (January 12, 2009). "The Current Cinema: Survivors". The New Yorker. Vol. 84, no. 44. pp. 72–73. Retrieved March 27, 2009. Review of Defiance.

External links

• Edward Zwick on Charlie Rose
• Edward Zwick at IMDb
• Edward Zwick collected news and commentary at The New York Times