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Rob Cohen(I)

  • Producer
  • Director
  • Actor
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Rob Cohen at an event for xXx (2002)
A humorous, melancholy and affectionate look at the global obsession with movies, "TINSEL - The Lost Movie About Hollywood" explores the magic of stories told by a flickering light in a dark room.
Play trailer1:57
Tinsel - The Lost Movie About Hollywood (2021)
11 Videos
30 Photos
Rob Cohen is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. One of the 1970's "baby moguls", he built a thriving career as a producer, before concentrating full time on directing from the 1990's, with high adrenaline action blockbusters such as xXx (2002) and Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (1993). He is the creator of The Fast and the Furious (2001), Universal Pictures' biggest franchise of all time.

Born on March 12, 1949 in Cornwall, New York, USA. He attended Harvard University and graduated magna cum laude in the class of '71, concentrating in a cross major between anthropology and visual studies. His first endeavor in filmmaking was a commissioned recruiting film for Harvard's Admissions Office in 1970. With a career in film and television spanning more than 40 years, Cohen has distinguished himself both as a celebrated screenwriter, producer and director. In 1973, Cohen became Fox's Vice President of TV Movies, before being poached by Gordon L. Berry and becoming Head of Production at Motown Records at the age of just 24. He went on to produce and direct some of the most iconic films and television series of the 1980's, including Miami Vice (1984), The Witches of Eastwick (1987), Ironweed (1987) and The Wiz (1978)_. From 1990 onward, Cohen moved into directing full time. Much success followed with early 90's hits such as Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (1993), DragonHeart (1996), Daylight (1996) and the Golden Globe award winning film The Rat Pack (1998). At 52, Cohen had become a hit action director of youth films, directing the 2001 blockbuster, The Fast and the Furious (2001). With the enormous success of Fast, he partnered up with Vin Diesel again the following year to direct yet another box office hit, xXx (2002). Cohen directed the third installed of The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008) in 2008, grossing $405million world-wide, and Blumhouse Production's The Boy Next Door (2015) with Jennifer Lopez, which went on to gross five times it's budget.

Currently on location in Sofia, Bulgaria, Cohen is shooting his next film, The Hurricane Heist (2018). Starring Toby Kebbell, Maggie Grace, Ryan Kwanten and Ralph Ineson, the action/adventure tells the tale of a $600 million heist of a U.S. treasury facility in a small Sou then town, during the worst storm to ever hit the coastal United States. The screenplay was written by Rob Cohen, Scott Windhauser, and Jeff Dixon.

Cohen is also an accomplished commercials director, housed at Original Film, having made over 150 spots for products such as Disney's Star Wars, Verizon, Ford, GM, Mercedes, Chevy, Saab and Burger King among many others.
BornMarch 12, 1949
  • More at IMDbPro
    • Contact info
    • Agent info
    • Resume
BornMarch 12, 1949
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • View contact info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 3 nominations total

    Photos30

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    Known for

    DragonHeart (1996)
    DragonHeart
    6.4
    • Director
    • 1996
    Jason Scott Lee in Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (1993)
    Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story
    7.0
    • Director
    • 1993
    Jessica Biel, Jamie Foxx, and Josh Lucas in Stealth (2005)
    Stealth
    5.1
    • Director(directed by)
    • 2005
    Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Running Man (1987)
    The Running Man
    6.6
    • Producer
    • 1987

    Credits

    Edit
    IMDbPro

    Producer



    • The Towering Disaster (2020)
      The Towering Disaster
      3.0
      Video
      • executive producer
      • 2020
    • The Hurricane Heist (2018)
      The Hurricane Heist
      5.1
      • producer
      • 2018
    • Inna Belikova in Ghoul (2015)
      Ghoul
      4.6
      • executive producer
      • 2015
    • Topless Prophet (2014)
      Topless Prophet
      6.3
      TV Series
      • executive producer
      • 2014
    • Lemonade: Detroit (2013)
      Lemonade: Detroit
      6.9
      Short
      • producer
      • 2013
    • NextWorld (2008)
      NextWorld
      8.0
      TV Series
      • executive producer
      • 2008–2009
    • xXx: State of the Union (2005)
      xXx: State of the Union
      4.5
      • executive producer
      • 2005
    • Dennis Hopper and Nadine Velazquez in The Last Ride (2004)
      The Last Ride
      5.1
      TV Movie
      • executive producer
      • 2004
    • Vanishing Son (1995)
      Vanishing Son
      7.9
      TV Series
      • executive producer
      • 1995
    • Vanishing Son IV (1994)
      Vanishing Son IV
      6.2
      TV Movie
      • executive producer
      • 1994
    • Vanishing Son III (1994)
      Vanishing Son III
      7.0
      TV Movie
      • executive producer
      • 1994
    • Vivian Wu in Vanishing Son II (1994)
      Vanishing Son II
      6.8
      TV Movie
      • executive producer
      • 1994
    • Russell Wong in Vanishing Son (1994)
      Vanishing Son
      7.1
      TV Movie
      • executive producer
      • 1994
    • Hudson Leick and Richard Joseph Paul in Knight Rider 2010 (1994)
      Knight Rider 2010
      2.9
      TV Movie
      • executive producer
      • 1994
    • Relentless: Mind of a Killer (1993)
      Relentless: Mind of a Killer
      4.6
      TV Movie
      • executive producer
      • 1993

    Director



    • Speedhunters
      • Director
      • Pre-production



    • The Hurricane Heist (2018)
      The Hurricane Heist
      5.1
      • Director
      • 2018
    • Jennifer Lopez and Ryan Guzman in The Boy Next Door (2015)
      The Boy Next Door
      4.7
      • Director
      • 2015
    • Matthew Fox and Tyler Perry in Alex Cross (2012)
      Alex Cross
      5.2
      • Director
      • 2012
    • Brendan Fraser and Jet Li in The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008)
      The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
      5.2
      • Director
      • 2008
    • Jessica Biel, Jamie Foxx, and Josh Lucas in Stealth (2005)
      Stealth
      5.1
      • Director (directed by)
      • 2005
    • Rammstein: Lichtspielhaus (2003)
      Rammstein: Lichtspielhaus
      8.7
      Video
      • Director (video "Feuer Frei!")
      • 2003
    • Rammstein: Feuer frei! (2002)
      Rammstein: Feuer frei!
      7.2
      Music Video
      • Director
      • 2002
    • xXx (2002)
      xXx
      5.8
      • Director
      • 2002
    • Rob Cohen, Vin Diesel, David Ayer, Jordana Brewster, Chad Lindberg, Michelle Rodriguez, Johnny Strong, Gary Scott Thompson, and Paul Walker in The Fast and the Furious (2001)
      The Fast and the Furious
      6.8
      • Director (directed by)
      • 2001
    • Joshua Jackson and Paul Walker in The Skulls (2000)
      The Skulls
      5.6
      • Director
      • 2000
    • The Rat Pack (1998)
      The Rat Pack
      6.7
      TV Movie
      • Director
      • 1998
    • The Guardian
      6.0
      TV Movie
      • Director
      • 1997
    • Daylight (1996)
      Daylight
      6.0
      • Director
      • 1996
    • DragonHeart (1996)
      DragonHeart
      6.4
      • Director
      • 1996
    • Jason Scott Lee in Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (1993)
      Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story
      7.0
      • Director
      • 1993

    Actor



    • xXx (2002)
      xXx
      5.8
      • Colombian Horseman (uncredited)
      • 2002
    • Rob Cohen, Vin Diesel, David Ayer, Jordana Brewster, Chad Lindberg, Michelle Rodriguez, Johnny Strong, Gary Scott Thompson, and Paul Walker in The Fast and the Furious (2001)
      The Fast and the Furious
      6.8
      • Pizza Hut Delivery Guy (uncredited)
      • 2001
    • Joshua Jackson and Paul Walker in The Skulls (2000)
      The Skulls
      5.6
      • College Lecturer (uncredited)
      • 2000
    • Flash Gordon (1996)
      Flash Gordon
      5.5
      TV Series
      • Additional Voices (English version, voice)
      • 1996–1997
    • Daylight (1996)
      Daylight
      6.0
      • Elliott (uncredited)
      • 1996
    • Vanishing Son IV (1994)
      Vanishing Son IV
      6.2
      TV Movie
      • Teacher Benton
      • 1994
    • Russell Wong in Vanishing Son (1994)
      Vanishing Son
      7.1
      TV Movie
      • Teacher Beaton
      • 1994
    • Jason Scott Lee in Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (1993)
      Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story
      7.0
      • Enter the Dragon Director
      • 1993

    • In-development projects at IMDbPro

    Videos11

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:52
    Official Trailer
    A Classy Broad
    Trailer 1:43
    A Classy Broad
    A Classy Broad
    Trailer 1:43
    A Classy Broad
    Official Trailer | TINSEL THE LOST FILM ABOUT HOLLYWOOD
    Trailer 1:57
    Official Trailer | TINSEL THE LOST FILM ABOUT HOLLYWOOD
    Footage from The Mummy Live Stunt Demonstration
    Featurette 6:26
    Footage from The Mummy Live Stunt Demonstration
    Legacy of the  Terra Cotta
    Featurette 1:56
    Legacy of the Terra Cotta
    The Making of The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, Part 2
    Featurette 1:44
    The Making of The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, Part 2

    Personal details

    Edit
    • Born
      • March 12, 1949
      • Cornwall, New York, USA
    • Spouses
        Barbara CashulinMarch 25, 2006 - present (3 children)
    • Children
      • Kyle Cohen
    • Relatives
      • Jackie Burch(Sibling)
    • Other works
      Directed Rammstein music video "Feuer Frei!" (2002).
    • Publicity listings
      • 3 Interviews

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Said that the box office failure of Stealth (2005) caused him to end up in Hollywood jail for years. He claims that after the success of The Fast and the Furious (2001), whenever he entered a restaurant, he would immediately be invited to join groups of people. After Stealth, people would shun him and pretend they didn't see him, "as if failure is a communicable disease".
    • Quotes
      I wanted a woman who had the body and the power of a real pilot. I interviewed hundreds of woman, but Jessica just seemed perfect for the part. I couldn't get her out of my head. I continued to bother her and she finally gave in.
    • Trademarks
        [Cameo] Usually makes a small appearance in his films
    • Salary
      • The Witches of Eastwick
        (1987)
        $300,000

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