By Jesse Neo, PhDMay 31st, 2024
American filmmaker James Lawrence Brooks is believed to have a net worth of around $500 million in 2012.
A New York University dropout, James Brooks started his career as anusher at CBS and later on, he got to write for the news broadcasts of CBS. He also worked on the documentaries of David L. Wolperhowever, he was eventually laid off. He then metAllan Burns who secured him a writing job onMy Mother the Carseries.
Over the years, his career as a screenwriter has kept growing. Some of his popular works are My Friend Tony, Room 222, As Good as It Gets, and The Mary Tyler Moore Show. He wrote and produced the movie Starting Over (1979) and also wrote, produced, and directed the well-received film Terms of Endearment, which won him Academy Awards in three categories. His upcoming movie called Broadcast News has received two Academy Award nominations.
In 1987, he started working on "The Tracey Ullman Show" as a producer. He also worked as a writer and producer on "The Simpson's Movie." During his career, James L. Brooks has received 47 Emmy nominations and won 20 of them.
Early Life
James L. Brooks, also known as James Lawrence Brooks, was born on May 9, 1940, in Brooklyn, New York. He grew up in North Bergen, New Jersey in a Jewish family with his mom Dorothy, who sold kids' clothes, and his older sister Diane. When James was born, his dad Edward asked his mom to name him Jim, but they lost touch when he was 12. Dorothy passed away 10 years later. Despite a rough childhood, James found solace in reading and writing. He got positive feedback on his short stories from publishers. James went to Weehawken High School, where he wrote for the school newspaper and interviewed stars like Louis Armstrong.
Television Career
Brooks started working in television as a host at CBS, a job his sister helped him get. He then became a copywriter at "CBS News" after filling in for two weeks and was offered a permanent job. Brooks began writing for news shows and joined the Writers Guild of America. In 1965, he moved to Los Angeles to write for documentaries produced by David L. Wolper. He later became an associate producer on the TV series "Men in Crisis" in 1965 and wrote two episodes for the show. After meeting producer Allan Burns at a party, Brooks started writing for "My Mother the Car" in 1966. He went on to write for several other shows, including "That Girl" (1966-1967), "The Andy Griffith Show" (1968), "My Three Sons" (1968), and "The Doris Day Show" (1968). In 1969, he created the ABC series "Room 222," which aired 113 episodes before ending in 1974. Brooks was the head writer of the show initially but left after a year to work on other TV show projects. He collaborated with Burns to create a successful series with Mary Tyler Moore, leading to "The Mary Tyler Moore Show." The show was a hit, airing 168 episodes over seven seasons and sparking spin-offs like "Rhoda," "Phyllis," and "Lou Grant."
In 1974, James made the TV movie "Thursday's Game," which he also wrote. He started the CBS show "Paul Sand in Friends and Lovers." In 1978, he set up his own company, the John Charles Walters Company, with Stan Daniels, David Davis, and Ed Weinberger. They made the show "Taxi" that same year. ABC canceled "Taxi" in 1982, but NBC picked it up for one more season. After making the ABC series "The Associates," Brooks took a break from TV to focus on movies. He returned to helpTracey Ullmanstart Fox's "The Tracey Ullman Show" in 1987. On a colleague's suggestion, James asked "Life in Hell" cartoonistMatt Groeningto send ideas for short animations for the show. Fox loved the short films and offered Groening his own show. James joined as a writer and producer, and "The Simpsons" began in 1989. Up to now, the popular show has aired more than 690 episodes in 32 seasons. After "The Simpsons," Brooks created four more TV series: "Sibs" (1991-1992), "Phenom" (1993), "The Critic" (1994-1995), and "What About Joan" (2001). He got into the Television Hall of Fame in 1997.
Film Career
James started his film career by creating and overseeing 1979's "Starting Over." His first film as a director, writer, and producer was 1983's "Terms of Endearment," which was a big success, making $164.2 million despite an $8 million budget and winning Brooks three Oscars. He went on to create, direct, and produce the movie "Broadcast News" in 1987 and produce "Big" in 1988 and "Say Anything..." and "The War of the Roses" in 1989. During the 1990s, he directed, wrote, and produced "I'll Do Anything" in 1994 and "As Good as It Gets" in 1997 and produced "Bottle Rocket" and "Jerry Maguire." He also produced "Riding in Cars with Boys" in 2001 and "The Edge of Seventeen" in 2016, as well as wrote, directed, and produced "Spanglish" in 2004 and "How Do You Know" in 2010. Nearly 20 years after "The Simpsons" TV show was first aired, Brooks created and produced "The Simpsons Movie" in 2007, which was a huge success, making $527.4 million at the box office. He later made two "Simpsons" short films, "The Longest Daycare" in 2012 and "Playdate with Destiny" in 2020.
How much money does James L. Brooks have?
James L. Brooks is an American filmmaker who is worth $550 million. Brooks is known for creating famous TV shows like "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" (1970-1977), "Rhoda" (1974-1978), "Phyllis" (1975-1977), "Lou Grant" (1977-1982), and "Taxi" (1978-1983). He has received many awards for his work on movies like "Terms of Endearment" (1983), "Broadcast News" (1987), and "As Good as It Gets" (1997) and for his contributions to "The Simpsons" (1989-present). Even though Brooks didn't plan to work in television again, he played a key role in starting "The Tracy Ullman Show" (1987-1990) and ended up writing and producing 80 episodes at Ullman's urging, which earned him two Primetime Emmys. James has also appeared in some films and TV series and provided his voice for an episode of "The Simpsons" in 2003.
Awards and Nominations
Brooks has been nominated for eight Academy Awards. In 1984, he won Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium for "Terms of Endearment." The movie also received awards from Golden Globes, Directors Guild of America, Los Angeles Film Critics Association, National Board of Review, and Writers Guild of America. The Writers Guild recognized James with the Herb Sargent Award in 2006, the Laurel Award for TV Writing Achievement in 1998, and the Laurel Award for Screen Writing Achievement in 2018. He also received the award for Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen for "As Good as It Gets." Brooks has received numerous Primetime Emmy nominations and has won over 20 times for his work on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," "Taxi," "The Tracey Ullman Show," and "The Simpsons."
James has gotten top awards from Gold Derby Awards and PGA Awards. He also got Career Achievement Awards from Television Critics Association Awards in 2013 and 2015. In 1989, he was named Director of the Year at the ShoWest Convention. He won the Golden Eddie Filmmaker of the Year Award from the American Cinema Editors in 2005 and the AFI Filmmaker Award at the 1999 US Comedy Arts Festival. Additionally, James received awards from Boston Society of Film Critics Awards ("Broadcast News"), New York Film Critics Circle Awards ("Broadcast News"), Online Film & Television Association ("As Good as It Gets"), San Diego Film Critics Society Awards ("As Good as It Gets"), Satellite Awards ("As Good as It Gets"), and Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards ("As Good as It Gets").
Personal Life
James got married to Marianne Catherine Morrissey on July 7, 1964. They had a daughter named Amy in 1971. They got divorced in 1972. James later married Holly Beth Holmberg on July 23, 1978. Together, James and Holly had three children - Chloe, Cooper, and Joseph. They got divorced in 1999.
Brooks is a Democrat and has given over $175,000 to the party's candidates, such as Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Al Franken.
Real Estate
In 1990, James and Holly purchased a house in Malibu for an unknown price. In 2001, James listed the house for sale at $8 million.
After getting divorced, Holly bought a very nice house in Malibu for $5.1 million. The house is on a great street and right by the ocean. She fixed it up and now rents it out for $40-50,000 a month. Holly put the house up for sale in June 2020 for $16 million. James has been living in Brentwood nearby for many years.
