Jim Burke (film producer)

Jim Burke Jr.
NationalityAmerican
Alma materUniversity of Minnesota
OccupationFilm producer
Notable workThe Descendants, Green Book
AwardsBest Picture (2019)

Jim Burke Jr. is an American film producer.

Burke, who is a graduate of the University of Minnesota, was a founding member of Rysher Entertainment. He was the President of Ad Hominem Enterprises, a production company he shared with Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor. The company had a first look deal with Fox Searchlight Pictures. He also served as President of Production at Focus Features.

On January 24, 2012, he was nominated for an Oscar for the movie The Descendants.

In 2019, he won the Academy Award for Best Picture for producing Green Book.

Over his career, Burke has been involved with films that have garnered 27 Academy Award nominations and 7 Oscars.

Burke is living in Hawaii and nearly has nearly completed his final film as a producer. He is married to Christina Simpkins and father to New York sports broadcaster Madelyn Burke. He is dedicated to being an apprentice kama’aina and to being of service to the people of his beloved island home.

Early life and career

Burke is the oldest of six children born and raised in Edina, Minnesota. Burke graduated from the University of Minnesota’s College of Liberal Arts. In 2011, he was honored with the University’s Alumni of Notable Achievement Award.

Prior to his senior year, he arranged for his family to audition for the popular game show Family Feud. Selected as contestants, against all odds, his family won. It was that experience in Los Angeles that enabled Burke to believe a career in show business was achievable.

After graduation he drove to Los Angeles in a Pinto station wagon and set out on his unlikely professional adventure.

His first job was as a “satellite jockey” coordinating news and sports satellite feeds. In that job he was introduced to the business of television syndication—the sales of film and television shows to broadcasters nationwide.

Lorimar Television / Warner Bros

Within a year, he landed a job at Lorimar Television, which soon after was acquired by Warner Bros. During his 7 years at Warner, after watching thousands of Warner Bros. films, Burke grew to become the studio's authority on its vast film library.

Rysher Entertainment

When the opportunity arose, he followed his dream and pursued a career in filmmaking. He was a founding member of Rysher Entertainment—a fledgling film and television company which soon after scored a notable success with the hit syndicated TV show, Saved By The Bell. The enormous profits that show provided were immediately plowed into a small film slate, primarily for HBO.

Rysher was then bought by Cox Communications and provided with the resources to make a full slate of theatrical films. Over the next 5 years Burke supervised the development, production and release of over 30 films. Some of the most notable were, Primal Fear, Private Parts, Kiss the Girls, The Saint, Kingpin, Big Night, and Hard Eight. The experience was invigorating but impersonal. Burke wanted to get closer to the films and make a stylistic imprint.

Ad Hominem

While at Rysher, Burke read a script written by two friends entitled Election. It was the best script he had ever read and was driven to getting it made. When making Election he formed a bond with writer Jim Taylor and director Alexander Payne. Sharing the same film aesthetic, the decided to form a production company, Ad Hominem. Ad Hominem, funded by Fox Searchlight, was dedicated to making human films.

At Ad Hominem the trio made several films including The Savages, and Oscar nominated The Descendants, starring George Clooney. Burke spent 7 months in Honolulu while making The Descendants and fell in love with Hawaii's history, culture and people.

Focus Features

While preparing the film Downsizing, Burke was unexpectedly approached with an offer to become the President of Production for specialized film groundbreaker and Universal Studios-based Focus Features. At Focus he was tasked with making between 4-8 quality films a year. During that time, he developed a film that came to known as Green Book. He felt so strongly about the film that he asked to be let out of his deal to produce the film. Focus graciously agreed in exchange that he sign a “first look deal” with the studio. However, the film was instead released by Universal Pictures and not by Focus Features like it was originally intended.

Green Book went on the be a hit worldwide and was named best picture of the year by the academy, Golden Globes, Producers Guild and many critics organizations.

Filmography and awards

Year Title Award Category Result Credit
2022 Dreamin' Wild Producer
2018 Green Book Academy Awards Best Picture Won Producer
Best Actor (Viggo Mortensen) Nominated
Best Supporting Actor (Mahershala Ali) Won
Best Original Screenplay Won
Best Film Editing Nominated
BAFTA Awards Best Film Nominated
Best Actor (Viggo Mortensen) Nominated
Best Supporting Actor (Mahershala Ali) Won
Best Original Screenplay Nominated
Golden Globe Awards Best Picture, Musical or Comedy Won
Best Director (Peter Farrelly) Nominated
Best Actor, Musical or Comedy (Viggo Mortensen) Nominated
Best Supporting Actor (Mahershala Ali) Won
Best Screenplay Won
Producers Guild of America Awards Outstanding Producing Won
2017 Atomic Blonde Studio Executive
2017 Darkest Hour Academy Awards Best Picture Nominated Studio Executive
Best Actor (Gary Oldman) Won
Best Cinematography Nominated
Best Production Design Nominated
Best Costume Design Nominated
Best Makeup and Hairstyling Won
BAFTA Awards Best Film Nominated
Best British Film Nominated
Best Actor (Gary Oldman) Won
Best Supporting Actress (Kristin Scott Thomas) Nominated
Best Cinematography Nominated
Best Production Design Nominated
Best Costume Design Nominated
Best Makeup and Hair Won
Best Music Nominated
Golden Globe Awards Best Actor, Drama (Gary Oldman) Won
2017 Victoria & Abdul Academy Awards Best Costume Design Nominated Studio Executive
Best Makeup and Hairstyling Nominated
BAFTA Awards Best Makeup & Hair Nominated
2017 Downsizing Golden Globe Awards Best Supporting Actress (Hong Chau) Nominated Studio Executive
2017 The Beguiled Studio Executive
2017 The Book of Henry Studio Executive
2017 The Zookeeper's Wife Studio Executive
2016 A Monster Calls Studio Executive
2016 Nocturnal Animals Academy Awards Best Supporting Actor (Michael Shannon) Nominated Studio Executive
BAFTA Awards Best Director (Tom Ford) Nominated
Best Actor (Jake Gyllenhaal) Nominated
Best Supporting Actor (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) Nominated
Best Adapted Screenplay Nominated
Best Cinematography Nominated
Best Editing Nominated
Best Production Design Nominated
Best Makeup & Hair Nominated
Best Music Nominated
Golden Globe Awards Best Director (Tom Ford) Nominated
Best Supporting Actor (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) Won
Best Screenplay Nominated
2015 The Danish Girl Academy Awards Best Actor (Eddie Redmayne) Nominated Studio Executive
Best Supporting Actress (Alicia Vikander) Won
Best Production Design Nominated
Best Costume Design Nominated
BAFTA Awards Best British Film Nominated
Best Actor (Eddie Redmayne) Nominated
Best Actress (Alicia Vikander) Nominated
Best Costume Design Nominated
Best Makeup & Hair Nominated
Golden Globe Awards Best Actor, Drama (Eddie Redmayne) Nominated
Best Actress, Drama (Alicia Vikander) Nominated
Best Original Score Nominated
2014 Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter Producer
2011 The Descendants Academy Awards Best Picture Nominated Producer
Best Director (Alexander Payne) Nominated
Best Actor (George Clooney) Nominated
Best Adapted Screenplay Won
Best Editing Nominated
BAFTA Awards Best Film Nominated
Best Actor (George Clooney) Nominated
Best Adapted Screenplay Nominated
Producers Guild of America Awards Outstanding Producing Nominated
Golden Globe Awards Best Picture, Drama Won
Best Director (Alexander Payne) Nominated
Best Actor (George Clooney) Won
Best Supporting Actress (Shailene Woodley) Nominated
Best Screenplay Nominated
2011 Cedar Rapids Producer
2007 The Savages Academy Awards Best Actress (Laura Linney) Nominated Executive Producer
Best Adapted Screenplay Nominated
Golden Globe Awards Best Actor, Musical or Comedy (Philip Seymour Hoffman) Nominated
2004 Walking Tall Producer
2001 The Breed Producer
1999 Election Academy Awards Best Adapted Screenplay Nominated Co-Producer
Golden Globe Awards Best Actress, Musical or Comedy (Reese Witherspoon) Nominated
1999 OneGin BAFTA Awards Best British Film Nominated Production Executive
1998 The Opposite of Sex Golden Globe Awards Best Actress, Musical or Comedy (Christina Ricci) Production Executive
1997 A Smile Like Yours Production Executive
1997 The Eighteenth Angel Executive Producer
1997 Switchback Production Executive
1997 Kiss The Girls Production Executive
1997 The Saint Production Executive
1997 Zeus and Roxanne Production Executive
1997 Turbulence Production Executive
1996 Hard Eight Production Executive
1996 The Evening Star Golden Globes Best Supporting Actress (Marion Ross) Nominated Production Executive
1996 Dear God Production Executive
1996 2 Days in the Valley Co-Producer
1996 Big Night Production Executive
1996 Foxfire Production Executive
1996 House Arrest Production Executive
1996 Escape from L.A Production Executive
1996 Kingpin Co-Producer
1996 Primal Fear Academy Awards Best Supporting Actor (Edward Norton) Nominated Production Executive
BAFTA Awards Best Supporting Actor (Edward Norton) Nominated
Golden Globe Awards Best Supporting Actor (Edward Norton) Won
1995 Chameleon Production Executive
1995 White Man's Burden Production Executive
1995 It Takes Two Production Executive
1995 Let It Be Me Production Executive
1995 Three Wishes Production Executive
1995 Perfect Alibi Production Executive
1995 The Show Production Executive
1995 Above Suspicion Production Executive
1995 Destiny Turns on the Radio Production Executive
1995 Bodily Harm Production Executive
1994 Judicial Consent Production Executive
1994 A Passion to Kill Production Executive

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