Bruckheimer, Jerry (1945– )

US producer. Known as one of Hollywood's most prolific and commercially successful producers, since the early 1980s he has produced a series of popular action films starting from the 1980s, including Beverly Hills Cop (1984), Top Gun (1986), Days of Thunder (1990), Con Air (1997), Armageddon (1998), and National Treasure (2004).

Early films include the Richard Gere hustler drama American Gigolo (1979) and the 1980s musical hit Flashdance (1983). After the unexpected success of the latter he formed Simpson–Bruckheimer Productions with producer Don Simpson (1943–96). The duo helped propel several actors to superstardom, including Eddie Murphy and Tom Cruise.

He was born and grew up in Detroit, Michigan, the son of poor German-Jewish immigrants. While growing up he developed an interest in film and photography. After graduating from the University of Arizona with a degree in psychology, he became an advertising executive in New York City, but left advertising in the early 1970s to pursue his film career. Other films include the high-school drama Dangerous Minds (1995), the action thrillers Crimson Tide (1995), The Rock (1996), and Enemy of the State (1998), and the war films Pearl Harbor and Black Hawk Down (both 2001).