Directory:Michael Gruskoff
Michael Gruskoff began his entertainment career in the mailroom of the William Morris Agency in New York City. He subsequently became an agent with Creative Management Associates (CMA) in Los Angeles, where he represented such clients as Robert Redford, Peter Sellers, Albert Finney, Anouk Aimee, Faye Dunaway, and Sydney Pollack. Amongst the films Michael set up as an agent during this period was Robert Redford’s Jeremiah Johnson (Warner Bros.), and Little Faus and Big Halsey (Paramount). While representing Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda, he expedited the packaging of Easy Rider (Columbia) as well as Sydney Pollack’s They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (Buena Vista), starring Jane Fonda.
He left CMA to produce films at Universal, beginning as executive producer on Dennis Hopper’s 1971 cult classic The Last Movie, followed by the environmental science fiction adventure Silent Running with Douglas Trumbull, written by Michael Cimino, Deric Washburn and Steven Bochco.
In 1974, he produced Rafferty and the Gold Dust Twins (Warner Bros.) and Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein (20th Century Fox). Young Frankenstein became one of the biggest-grossing comedies of the decade, and is now a major musical. During this period, he produced Stanley Donen’s Lucky Lady (20th Century Fox), starring Gene Hackman, Burt Reynolds and Liza Minelli.
Gruskoff then went to Europe to produce Werner Herzog’s remake of the silent classic, Nosferatu the Vampyre (20th Century Fox) and Quest for Fire (20th Century Fox), directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud, which won France’s Cesar Award, equivalent to the Academy Award. Returning to the U.S., he helped create one of 1982’s biggest critical hits, My Favorite Year (MGM) and also produced Until September (directed by Richard Marquand for MGM), Burnin' Love (Hemdale Films), and Clint Eastwood’s Pink Cadillac (Warner Bros). From 1990-1994, Michael produced Article 99 (MGM) starring Ray Liotta, Kiefer Sutherland, and Forest Whitaker; and Prelude to a Kiss (20th Century Fox), starring Alec Baldwin and Meg Ryan.
From 1995 to 1998 Michael developed a number of other projects... The Wild, still active at Beacon Pictures, and a reality-based TV series called Stalking which was recently picked up by the Oxygen Channel. In 1999, Michael was appointed to oversee the production department at Industry Entertainment, a production/management company, where they made Spike Lee's 25th Hour (Buena Vista), starring Edward Norton. While at Industry they made 15 Minutes (New Line), starring Robert DeNiro, Phillip Kaufman's Quills (20th Century Fox) starring Geoffrey Rush, and James Gray's The Yards (Miramax) starring Joaquin Phoenix and Charlize Theron. He was at Industry until 2003.
Since then, he has been a consultant and director of American Rights Management Company, where he joined Howard Zuker / Zack Norman in operating one of the world’s largest owners and managers of literary properties. During this period, Michael created and taught a class at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts for two years, in the development of turning classic stage plays into contemporary screenplays. American Rights Management has subsequently developed a number of the plays from this program into TV and film projects.
Through his Gruskoff Film Organization, he has projects in development at New Line and Beacon Pictures, where he is producing Not of This World, with Shainee Gabel directing, as well as producing Puss In Boots with The Jim Henson Company and Odyssey Entertainment Limited. Gruskoff created a half-hour reality TV series for Charles Barkley that Norman Steinberg (Blazing Saddles / The Cosby Show) is developing. He also has The Executioner's Daughter with director Christian Alvart (Case 39 at Paramount with Rene Zellweger) attached, and Catchcan and the Dimension Magicians, an exiting special effects comedy in the vein of Ghostbusters.