Irwin Winkler

b. 1931 · American film producer, director and screenwriter

Biography

Irwin Winkler (born 1931) is an American film producer, director and screenwriter whose career spans much of modern Hollywood. Working for decades alongside Robert Chartoff, he is best known for producing Rocky (1976), which won the Academy Award for Best Picture, and for his long partnership with Martin Scorsese.

The son of Sol and Anna Winkler, he grew up in Coney Island. After serving in the Army during the Korean War, he earned a degree in American Literature from New York University. His first job was at the William Morris agency, where he represented comedians. With Chartoff he set up a talent management company that later moved into film production in the late 1960s. Their first project was Double Trouble (1967), starring Elvis Presley, and soon came They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969), which earned nine Academy Award nominations, and then the success of Rocky.

As producers, the pair won further Best Picture nominations for Raging Bull (1980) and The Right Stuff (1983) before their company dissolved in 1985. Winkler went on to produce Round Midnight (1986), Music Box (1989), which won the Golden Bear in Berlin, and Goodfellas (1990), along with several Rocky sequels. His work often blends commercial projects with more personal films.

He made his directing debut with Guilty by Suspicion (1991), a drama about the Hollywood blacklist, followed by The Net (1995), a box-office success starring Sandra Bullock, and Life as a House (2001). He also worked as a producer and screenwriter on films such as The Juror and Enough.

His work with Scorsese continued with The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) and The Irishman (2019), his first film for Netflix. In 2019 he published his memoir, A Life in Movies. His legacy lies in the longevity of his franchises and his ability to back projects of very different scales.

Key films

Rocky (1976): the film that won the Best Picture Oscar and launched a series of sequels he also produced.
Raging Bull (1980): a Best Picture nominee directed by Martin Scorsese and produced with Chartoff.
Goodfellas (1990): Scorsese's mob drama, a Best Picture nominee praised by critics.
The Net (1995): his directing debut, a thriller starring Sandra Bullock.
The Irishman (2019): his latest collaboration with Scorsese, made for Netflix.