What is Edward Zwick’s Net Worth?
Edward Zwick is an American film and television director, writer, and producer who has a net worth of $25 million. Edward Zwick is best known for directing such films as “About Last Night…,” “Glory,” “Legends of the Fall,” “The Last Samurai,” and “Blood Diamond.” Through his company Bedford Falls Productions, he also served as a producer on the 1998 Best Picture Oscar winner “Shakespeare in Love.” For the small screen, Zwick co-created the ABC series “thirtysomething” and “Once and Again” with his producing partner Marshall Herskovitz.
Early Life and Education
Edward Zwick was born on October 8, 1952 in Chicago, Illinois to Jewish parents Ruth and Allen. As a teenager, he attended New Trier High School. Zwick went on to attend Harvard University, graduating with his bachelor’s degree in 1974. The following year, he earned his MFA from the AFI Conservatory in Los Angeles.
Film Directing
Zwick made his feature film directorial debut in 1986 with the romantic dramedy “About Last Night…,” based on David Mamet’s play “Sexual Perversity in Chicago.” Starring Rob Lowe and Demi Moore, the film was a critical and commercial success. Zwick next directed the American Civil War drama “Glory,” which came out in 1989. Another hit, the film earned Zwick a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Director, and won actor Denzel Washington his first Academy Award. Zwick followed that success with the poorly performing 1992 road film “Leaving Normal,” starring Christine Lahti and Meg Tilly. He bounced back in 1994 with the epic Western “Legends of the Fall,” for which he received his second Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Director. After that, Zwick reunited with Denzel Washington for the war film “Courage Under Fire,” which was released in 1996. Costarring Meg Ryan, the film was a solid critical and commercial hit. Zwick went on to direct Washington again in the 1998 action thriller “The Siege,” costarring Annette Bening, Bruce Willis, and Tony Shalhoub. This was also Zwick’s first theatrical film with a writing credit.
Zwick’s first film of the 21st century was the epic period action drama “The Last Samurai,” released in 2003. Starring Tom Cruise, it was a substantial success, and won Zwick the Best Director award from the National Board of Review. Zwick subsequently directed the 2006 political action thriller “Blood Diamond,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Djimon Hounsou in Academy Award-nominated roles. He followed that in 2008 with the war film “Defiance,” starring Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber, and Jamie Bell. Zwick went on to return to the comedy genre for the first time in nearly 20 years with “Love & Other Drugs,” which he both directed and cowrote. Starring Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal, it was released in 2010. His next film was the 2014 biopic “Pawn Sacrifice,” starring Tobey Maguire as legendary chess grandmaster Bobby Fischer. Following that, Zwick directed and cowrote the 2016 action thriller sequel “Jack Reacher: Never Go Back,” his second film with Tom Cruise. He then directed the biographical drama “Trial by Fire,” starring Jack O’Connell and released in 2018.
Film Producing
Zwick has produced a number of films through his production company Bedford Falls Productions, which he founded with Marshall Herskovitz in 1985. In addition to some of his own films, he produced Herskovitz’s biographical drama “Dangerous Beauty,” the drama “I Am Sam,” the psychological thriller “Abandon,” and the Western biopic “Woman Walks Ahead.” Notably, Zwick also served as a producer on the acclaimed films “Shakespeare in Love” (1998) and “Traffic” (2000), the former a Best Picture Oscar winner and the latter a nominee.
Television Career
Zwick began his television career writing and directing for the ABC series “Family” from 1979 to 1980. His next small-screen credit was as director of the 1983 television film “Special Bulletin.” Two years later, he directed the pilot episode of the ABC series “The Insiders.” In 1987, Zwick and his producing partner Marshall Herskovitz created the ABC series “thirtysomething,” which became a huge hit with both critics and audiences. Zwick wrote and directed some episodes of the show during its four-season run. After that, Zwick and Herskovitz produced the ABC teen drama series “My So-Called Life.” The pair went on to create their second series for ABC, “Once and Again,” in 1999. Starring Sela Ward as a single mother raising her two daughters, the show ran for three seasons until the spring of 2002. Zwick and Herskovitz’s third show together, “Quarterlife,” was less successful; it aired only a single episode on NBC in 2008 before being canceled. In later television credits, Zwick wrote an episode of the musical drama series “Nashville” and directed an episode of the short-lived science-fiction series “Away.”
Personal Life
In 1982, Zwick married actress and writer Liberty Godshall. Together, they have a son and a daughter. Their son, Jesse, is a screenwriter and director.
