about barry
1970-1979
Barry Levinson began his career as a writer on The Tim Conway Show (1970), later expanding his television credits to include The Marty Feldman Comedy Machine (1971-1972), The Lohman and Barkley Show (1975-1976), and The Carol Burnett Show (1973-1976). Turning his sights toward screenwriting, Levinson found film success with Mel Brooks’ classic films Silent Movie (1976) and High Anxiety (1977), and later, …And Justice for All (1979), which earned him his first Academy Award® nomination for Best Screenplay.
1980-1989
Levinson made his directorial debut with Diner (1982), which earned him his second Academy Award® nomination for Best Screenplay. He followed up that success with a string of hit films, which included The Natural (1984) starring Robert Redford, Good Morning Vietnam (1987) starring Robin Williams, and Rain Man (1988) starring Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise, which earned him four Academy Awards®, including Best Picture and Best Director.
1990-1999
Throughout the nineties, Levinson continued to direct and produce films, including Avalon (1990), Bugsy (1991) starring Warren Beatty, Sleepers (1996) starring Robert De Niro, Kevin Bacon, and Brad Pitt, Wag the Dog (1997) starring Dustin Hoffman and Robert De Niro, and Sphere (1998), starring Dustin Hoffman, Sharon Stone, and Samuel L. Jackson. During this same period, Levinson joined forces with writer/producer Tom Fontana to bring Homicide: Life on the Streets (1993-1999) and Oz (1999-2003) to the small screen as Executive Producer.
2000-2009
Levinson directed Bandits (2001) starring Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, and Cate Blanchett, followed by Man of the Year (2006) starring Robin Williams and Laura Linney. He also produced a number of blockbuster films throughout the early 2000s, including The Perfect Storm (2000) starring George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg, Analyze That (2002) starring Robert De Niro and Billy Crystal, and Possession (2002) starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Aaron Eckhart.
2010-2019
Levinson returned to the director’s chair in the 2010s with a number of critically acclaimed television movies, including You Don’t Know Jack (2010) starring Al Pacino and John Goodman, which received two Emmys® and one Golden Globe®, The Wizard of Lies (2017) starring Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer, which was nominated for two Golden Globes® and four Emmys®, and Paterno (2018) starring Al Pacino, which was nominated for two Emmys®. Levinson also acted as Executive Producer on the series Shades of Blue (2016-2018) which starred Jennifer Lopez and Ray Liota.
2020-2023
The Survivor (2021), which Levinson produced and directed, starring Ben Foster was released by HBO Films on April 27, 2022, and received an Emmy® nomination for Outstanding Television Movie. Levinson was also an Executive Producer on the award-winning Hulu series Dopesick (2021), starring Michael Keaton and Peter Sarsgaard, which earned one Golden Globe® and two Emmy® Awards.
