# Barbarians at the Gate (film)

Barbarians at the Gate is a 1993 American biographical comedy-drama television film directed by Glenn Jordan and written by Larry Gelbart, based on the 1989 book of the same name by Bryan Burrough and John Helyar. The film stars James Garner, Jonathan Pryce, and Peter Riegert. It tells the true story of F. Ross Johnson, who was the president and CEO of RJR Nabisco.
Barbarians at the Gate received generally positive reviews from critics. The film earned nine nominations at the Primetime Emmy Awards (winning for Outstanding Made for Television Movie). It also won Best Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television and Best Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television for Garner at the Golden Globe Awards.

## Plot

Self-made multimillionaire F. Ross Johnson, CEO of RJR Nabisco, decides to take the tobacco and food conglomerate company private in 1988 after receiving advanced news of the likely market failure of the company's smokeless cigarette called Premier, the development of which had been intended to finally boost the company's stock price.
The free-spending Johnson's bid for the company is opposed by two of the pioneers of the leveraged buyout, Henry Kravis and his cousin. Kravis feels betrayed when, after Johnson initially discusses doing the LBO with Kravis, he takes the potentially enormous deal to another firm, the Shearson Lehman Hutton division of American Express.
Other bidders emerge, including Ted Forstmann and his company, Forstmann Little, after Kravis and Johnson are unable to reconcile their differences. The bidding goes to unprecedented heights, and when executive Charles Hugel becomes aware of how much Johnson stands to profit in a transaction that will put thousands of Nabisco employees out of work, he quips, "Now I know what the 'F' in F. Ross Johnson stands for." The greed is so evident, Kravis's final bid is declared the winner, even though Johnson's was higher.
The title of the book and movie comes from a statement by Forstmann in which he calls Kravis' money "phoney junk bond crap" and how he and his brother are "real people with real money," and that to stop raiders like Kravis: "We need to push the barbarians back from the city gates."

## Cast

* James Garner as F. Ross Johnson
* Jonathan Pryce as Henry Kravis
* Peter Riegert as Peter Cohen
* Joanna Cassidy as Linda Robinson
* Fred Dalton Thompson as Jim Robinson
* Leilani Sarelle (credited as Leilani Ferrer) as Laurie Johnson
* Matt Clark as Edward A. Horrigan, Jr.
* Jeffrey DeMunn as H. John Greeniaus
* David Rasche as Ted Forstmann
* Tom Aldredge as Charles Hugel
* Graham Beckel as Don Kelly
* Peter Dvorsky as George R. Roberts
* Mark Harelik as Peter Atkins
* Joseph Kell as Nick Forstmann
* Rita Wilson as Carolyne Roehm-Kravis
* Ron Canada as Vernon Jordan

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
| 1993 | Artios Awards | Best Casting for TV Movie of the Week | Marsha Kleinman | Nominated |
| 1993 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Made for Television Movie | Thomas M. Hammel, Glenn Jordan, Ray Stark, and Marykay Powell | Won |
| 1993 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Special | James Garner | Nominated |
| 1993 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Special | Jonathan Pryce | Nominated |
| 1993 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Special | Peter Riegert | Nominated |
| 1993 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Individual Achievement in Directing for a Miniseries or a Special | Glenn Jordan | Nominated |
| 1993 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing for a Miniseries or a Special | Larry Gelbart | Nominated |
| 1993 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Individual Achievement in Art Direction for a Miniseries or a Special | Linda Pearl, Michael Armani, Jan K. Bergstrom, and Karen O'Hara | Nominated |
| 1993 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Individual Achievement in Editing for a Miniseries or a Special – Single Camera Production | Patrick Kennedy | Nominated |
| 1993 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Drama Miniseries or a Special | Jacob Goldstein, Tim Philben, Ken S. Polk, and James A. Williams | Nominated |
| 1993 | Television Critics Association Awards | Program of the Year | Program of the Year | Won |
| 1993 | Television Critics Association Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Drama | Outstanding Achievement in Drama | Nominated |
| 1994 | American Cinema Editors Awards | Best Edited Motion Picture for Non-Commercial Television | Patrick Kennedy | Nominated |
| 1994 | CableACE Awards | Movie or Miniseries | Thomas M. Hammel, Glenn Jordan, Larry Gelbart, Ray Stark, and Marykay Powell | Nominated |
| 1994 | CableACE Awards | Supporting Actor in a Movie or Miniseries | Jonathan Pryce | Nominated |
| 1994 | CableACE Awards | Directing for a Movie or Miniseries | Glenn Jordan | Nominated |
| 1994 | CableACE Awards | Writing for a Movie or Miniseries | Larry Gelbart | Won |
| 1994 | CableACE Awards | Art Direction in a Dramatic Special or Series/Theatrical Special/Movie or Miniseries | Linda Pearl | Won |
| 1994 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television | Best Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television | Won |
| 1994 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television | James Garner | Won |
| 1994 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television | Jonathan Pryce | Nominated |
| 1994 | Writers Guild of America Awards | Adapted Long Form | Larry Gelbart; Based on the book by Bryan Burrough and John Helyar | Won |