Gary Barber Biography

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GARY BARBER (Executive Producer) founded the production, finance and distribution company, Spyglass Entertainment, with partner Roger Birnbaum where he serves as Co-Chairman and CEO. The company's savvy production choices from the beginning led to the phenomenal box office success of “The Sixth Sense,” starring Bruce Willis, which went on to gross over $661 million and garnered six Academy Award nominations.

Another seven Academy Award nominations followed with the Russell Crowe, Al Pacino drama, “The Insider,” along with successes such as the M. Night Shyamalan thriller “Unbreakable,” “The Count of Monte Cristo,” with Jim Caviezel and Guy Pearce, “Keeping the Faith,” with Ben Stiller and Edward Norton, “Shanghai Noon,” with Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson, and its sequel “Shanghai Knights,” as well as the dynamic teaming of Al Pacino and Colin Farrell in “The Recruit.”

The summer of 2003 brought to theatres two co-financed movies from Spyglass, which will remain classics. “Bruce Almighty,” starring Jim Carrey and Jennifer Aniston, grossed over $485 million in worldwide box office and is one of the all-time blockbuster comedies. “Seabiscuit,” the tale of a legendary racehorse, starring Tobey Maguire, Chris Cooper, and Jeff Bridges, received seven Oscar nominations with its moving story of triumph over adversity.

Early 2005 provided back-to-back hits with the releases of “The Pacifier” and “The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.” “The Pacifier,” a family comedy starring Vin Diesel, is approaching the $200 million mark in ongoing worldwide box office, while “The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy,” an adaptation to the Douglas Adams best-seller, was the number one picture in both U.S. and international markets opening weekend.

Spyglass recently co-financed and Barber executive-produced two tent pole pictures for 2005: “The Legend of Zorro,” the sequel to the 1998 smash hit, with Catherine Zeta-Jones, Antonio Banderas, and director Martin Campbell, and “Memoirs of a Geisha,” based on the best-selling novel, helmed by Rob Marshall (“Chicago”). Both were released in the fourth quarter of 2005.

2006 is shaping up to be a busy year for Spyglass with the release of “The Invisible,” a psychological thriller with acclaimed writer turned director David Goyer at the helm. Disney's Touchstone label will release while Spyglass will handle the international markets. This spring Spyglass will start production on the live-action feature of the beloved classic cartoon series, “Underdog” as well as the drama “The Lookout” with Oscar-nominated writer Scott Frank directing.

A seasoned veteran of the business, Barber has been directly responsible for operating companies in feature film production and distribution, foreign theatrical, video and TV distribution, exhibition and pre-recorded music and music publishing. He was responsible for building these companies from the ground up.

In managing these businesses, Barber was instrumental in making many landmark deals, identifying and breaking new talent and producing major worldwide hits. His international expertise is considered one of the best in the business with extensive relationships in worldwide theatrical, video and television. As an executive with unparalleled experience and financial savvy, Barber has also developed strong relationships in the commercial and investment banking community and earned the respect of this tightly knit group through constant and successful deal making.

Barber is the former Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer of Morgan Creek Productions. During his eight and a half years at the company, he was in charge of all day-to-day operations for each of Morgan Creek's business entities including feature film production, foreign distribution, music, exhibition and interactive.

Barber has produced or executive produced over 50 feature films and TV shows including the 1994 hit that rocketed Jim Carrey to stardom, “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective,” and its highly successful sequel, “Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls,” and the 1991 blockbuster, “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves,” starring Kevin Costner.

Prior to his appointment at Morgan Creek, Barber was President of Vestron International Group, which was the largest independent video company in the world. During his tenure at Vestron, Barber acquired and distributed many international hits including “The Princess Bride,” “Young Guns,” “Hamburger Hill,” and “Dirty Dancing.” Additionally Barber served at Producers Sales Organizations and prior to that Barber spent seven years at Price Waterhouse as a member of the entertainment specialty group.