Walter F. Parkes: Difference between revisions

'''Walter F. Parkes''' (born April 15, 1951) is an American producer, screenwriter, and media executive. The producer of more than 50 films, including the ''[[Men in Black (film series)|Men in Black]]'' series and ''[[Minority Report (film)|Minority Report]],'' he is the co-founder and co-chairman of [[Dreamscape Immersive]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/26/business/media/amc-theaters-virtual-reality.html|title=Coming Soon to AMC Theaters: Virtual Reality Experiences|last=Barnes|first=Brooks|date=2017-09-26|work=The New York Times|access-date=2018-02-02|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/charliefink/2017/03/28/dreamscapes-big-dreams-for-immersive-vr/|title=Dreamscape's Big Dreams for Immersive VR|last=Fink|first=Charlie|work=Forbes|access-date=2018-02-02|language=en}}</ref>

Parkes and his wife and business partner, producer [[Laurie MacDonald]], helped to build [[DreamWorks Pictures|DreamWorks]], with Parkes the head of its motion picture division,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://variety.com/2000/film/news/d-works-reups-film-co-toppers-1117782006/|title=D’WorksD'Works reups film co-toppers|last=Duke|first=Paul F.|date=2000-05-23|work=Variety|access-date=2018-02-02|language=en-US}}</ref> and the two later moved to [[Amblin Entertainment]], where Parkes served as president.<ref>{{Cite news|url=httphttps://articleswww.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-01-27/entertainment/-ca-16062_1_amblin16062-entertainmentstory.html|title='Birdland' Pair Unruffled by It All : Entertainment: Executives Walter F. Parkes and Laurie MacDonald are getting ready to take over at Spielberg's Amblin, but say, 'We can't afford to get ahead of ourselves.'|last=BRAXTON|first=GREG|date=1994-01-27|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=2018-02-02|language=en-US|issn=0458-3035}}</ref> He has been nominated for three Academy Awards, receiving his first nomination as the director/ producer of the 1975 documentary ''[[The California Reich]]''; his second for co-writing the original screenplay for ''[[WarGames]]''; and his third as a producer of ''[[Awakenings]]''.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/31584 |title=Parkes and MacDonald Renew DreamWorks Deal |date=2000-05-23 |access-date=2018-02-02}}</ref> Parkes and MacDonald created the Parkes + Macdonald production company (P+M, P+M ImagineImage Nation) in 2010, collaborating on the production costsproductions of a number of films, including films that Amblin has released.

Parkes graduated from [[Yale College]] [[cum laude]] in 1973, and then studied communications and documentary film at [[Stanford University]] where he began his first feature length film, a documentary about the rebirth of the [[Nazi party]] in America, ''[[The California Reich]]''. The film was nominated for an [[Academy Award|Oscar]] and was a special selection at the [[Cannes Film Festival]].

Parkes was born in [[Bakersfield, California]]. He attended Yale University, and graduated cum laude in 1973.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/21/movies/wargames-and-cybersecuritys-debt-to-a-hollywood-hack.html|title=‘WarGames’'WarGames' and Cybersecurity’sCybersecurity's Debt to a Hollywood Hack|last=Kaplan|first=Fred|date=2016-02-19|work=The New York Times|access-date=2018-02-02|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> ''[[WarGames]]'', co-written by Parkes with [[Lawrence Lasker]] and Walon Green, garnered a Best Original Screenplay Oscar nomination. Parkes and Lasker co-produced several films, including ''[[Sneakers (1992 film)|Sneakers]]'' and ''[[Awakenings]]'', a [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]] Oscar nominee in 1990. Other films Parkes produced or on which he served as executive producer include, the ''[[Men in Black (series)|Men in Black]]'' series, ''[[The Kite Runner (film)|The Kite Runner]]'', [[Golden Globe]]-winning ''[[Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007 film)|Sweeney Todd]]'', ''[[Dinner for Schmucks]]'', ''[[Gladiator (2000 film)|Gladiator]]'', ''[[Minority Report (film)|Minority Report]]'', ''[[Catch Me If You Can]]'', ''[[The Ring (2002 film)|The Ring]]'', ''[[The Terminal]]'', ''[[Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events]]'', ''[[Road to Perdition]]'', ''[[A.I. Artificial Intelligence]]'', ''[[Deep Impact (film)|Deep Impact]]'', ''[[Twister (1996 film)|Twister]]'', ''[[The Legend of Zorro]]'' and ''[[Amistad (film)|Amistad]]''.

In 1994, Parkes was named President of [[Steven Spielberg]]'s [[Amblin Entertainment]] and later that year, he and his wife and business partner [[Laurie MacDonald]]<ref name="Reference">{{cite web|url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/97/Walter-F-Parkes.html | title = Walter F. Parkes (1951– ) | publisher = FilmReference.com | accessdateaccess-date=January 10, 2011}}</ref> were tapped to help create the [[DreamWorks Pictures|DreamWorks]] SKG motion picture studio. As the studio's president, Parkes, in partnership with MacDonald, oversaw development and production of all DreamWorks' film projects, including <!--, for only the second time in the history of the [[Motion Picture Academy]],--> three consecutive Best Picture Oscar winners: ''[[American Beauty (1999 film)|American Beauty]]'', ''[[Gladiator (2000 film)|Gladiator]]'' and ''[[A Beautiful Mind (film)|A Beautiful Mind]]'' — the latter two in partnership with [[Universal Studios]]. Other films produced during their tenure include: [[Cameron Crowe]]'s ''[[Almost Famous]]'', [[Robert Zemeckis]]' ''[[What Lies Beneath]]'', [[Adam McKay]]'s ''[[Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy]]'', [[Michael Mann (director)|Michael Mann]]'s ''[[Collateral (film)|Collateral]]'', and Steven Spielberg's Academy Award- and Golden Globe-winning drama ''[[Saving Private Ryan]]'', which was the top-grossing film domestically of 1998.

Its origins go back to 1991 when Parkes and MacDonald gotfounded itstheir own production company Aerial Pictures, which iswas first set up at [[Columbia Pictures]]. In 1993, it was moved to [[20th Century Fox]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/1993/film/news/aerial-alights-at-fox-ends-deal-at-colpix-107547 | title=Aerial alights at Fox, ends deal at Colpix| first=Suzan |last=Ayscough |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=1993-06-07 |access-date=2020-04-19}}</ref> Later that year, it was moved and merged into [[Amblin Entertainment]], and later atto [[DreamWorks Pictures]], in orderso that Parkes willcould fill the seat left by the departure of [[Kathleen Kennedy (producer)|Kathleen Kennedy]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/1993/film/news/aerial-duo-to-amblin-115711 | title=Aerial duo to Amblin| first=Kathleen |last=O'Sheen|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=1993-11-09 |access-date=2020-04-19}}</ref>

In 2005, hethey revived the idea of beinghaving itstheir own production company, which is called "Parkes + MacDonald Productions" (aka P+M), which isand set up at [[DreamWorks Pictures]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/2005/film/markets-festivals/dream-team-takes-flight-1117923088 | title=Dream team takes flight| first=Nicole |last=LaPorte |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=2005-05-17 |access-date=2020-04-19}}</ref>

In 2012, the duo stuckstruck a deal with Imagenation Abu Dhabi (now [[Image Nation]]) to form a joint venture organization.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/walter-parkes-laurie-macdonald-image-nation-316537 |title=Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald Form New Joint Venture With Image Nation |first=Gregg |last=Kilday |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |date=2012-04-25 |access-date=2020-04-19}}</ref><ref name=PMProd>{{cite news |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/walter-parkes-laurie-macdonald-new-826142 |title=Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald on New 'Malala' Doc, Feminist Barbie and a Revived 'Men in Black' (Sans Will Smith) |first=Tatiana |last=Siegel |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |date=2015-09-24 |access-date=2019-03-09}}</ref> Since then, P+M has collaborated on the production costsproductions of a number of films that Amblin and Image Nation have produced, including the [[Men in Black (film series)|''Men in Black'' film series]] from the third film onwards.<ref name=PMProd/>

==== ProducerTelevision ====

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|''[[The Slap (American miniseriesTV series)|The Slap]]''

* {{IMDB name|0662748|Walter F. Parkes}}