# Robert Shaye

Robert Kenneth Shaye (born March 4, 1939) is an American businessman, film producer, actor, director, and writer. Shaye is the founder of New Line Cinema, a film production studio that was most successful for distributing The Lord of the Rings film series, based on the classic fantasy novel of the same name by English author J. R. R. Tolkien and directed by New Zealand filmmaker Peter Jackson. He stepped down from New Line in 2008 after the studio was restructured as a unit of Warner Bros. Pictures.

## Biography
### Early life

Shaye was born to a Jewish family in Detroit, Michigan, the son of Dorothy and Max Mendle Shaye, a supermarket owner and artist. His mother was an immigrant from Russia. He is the brother of actress Lin Shaye.
Shaye graduated from Detroit's Mumford High School. He earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Michigan and a J.D. degree from Columbia Law School. He also graduated from the University of Stockholm as a Fulbright scholar. Shaye is a member of the New York State Bar Association, and he has served on the board of trustees for the Neurosciences Institute, the Legal Aid Society, the American Film Institute, and the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation.

### New Line Cinema

In 1967, Shaye formed New Line Cinema. The company started with a package of feature films and shorts rented to colleges. From there, New Line expanded to re-releases such as Reefer Madness and first-run domestic distribution of foreign films such as Get Out Your Handkerchiefs. In the 1980s and early 1990s, New Line released blockbuster films such as A Nightmare on Elm Street and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. In 1994, New Line was acquired by the Turner Broadcasting System for $500 million, with Shaye earning more than $100 in 1994 (equivalent to about $212 in 2024) million. In 1996, Turner Broadcasting System became part of Time Warner.
In 1998, when New Zealand director Peter Jackson brought his 36-minute pitch reel for a big screen adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy classic The Lord of the Rings to New Line, hoping to turn the three volumes into two films, Shaye suggested that Jackson should make three films instead. Shaye subsequently greenlit a simultaneous production for all three installments. At the box office, the three films are among New Line's highest-grossing and most popular films, earning a combined total of nearly $3 billion worldwide. They were nominated for a total of thirty Academy Awards, winning seventeen, including eleven for The Return of the King at the 76th Academy Awards ceremony.

### Investing career

Independently and through his family office Lemoko Management Company he is an active investor in companies like Brat TV.

### Unique Features

In February 2008, Shaye and New Line co-chairman Michael Lynne were dismissed from the company as part of a significant restructuring ordered by then-Time Warner CEO Jeffrey Bewkes. That June, Shaye and Lynne formed a new independent film company called Unique Features. The company's projects include The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (Sony/Constantin), the TV series Shadowhunters (Freeform Television), When the Bough Breaks (Screen Gems), and Ambition, directed by Shaye.

## Filmography

He was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.

### Film

| Year | Film | Credit |
| 1977 | Stunts | Executive producer |
| 1981 | Polyester | Executive producer |
| 1982 | Alone in the Dark | |
| 1982 | Xtro | Executive producer |
| 1983 | The First Time | Executive producer |
| 1984 | A Nightmare on Elm Street | |
| 1985 | A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge | |
| 1986 | Critters | Executive producer |
| 1986 | Quiet Cool | |
| 1987 | A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors | |
| 1987 | My Demon Lover | |
| 1987 | The Hidden | |
| 1987 | Stranded | Executive producer |
| 1988 | Hairspray | Executive producer |
| 1988 | Critters 2: The Main Course | Executive producer |
| 1988 | The Prince of Pennsylvania | Executive producer |
| 1988 | A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master | |
| 1989 | A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child | |
| 1990 | Heart Condition | Associate producer |
| 1991 | Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare | |
| 1993 | Blink | Executive producer |
| 1994 | Wes Craven's New Nightmare | Executive producer |
| 2000 | Frequency | Executive producer |
| 2001 | The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring | Executive producer |
| 2002 | The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers | Executive producer |
| 2003 | Freddy vs. Jason | Executive producer |
| 2003 | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King | Executive producer |
| 2007 | The Last Mimzy | Executive producer |
| 2007 | Hairspray | Executive producer |
| 2007 | The Golden Compass | Executive producer |
| 2010 | A Nightmare on Elm Street | Executive producer |
| 2013 | The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones | Executive producer |
| 2016 | When the Bough Breaks | |
| 2018 | Haunting on Fraternity Row | Executive producer |
| 2019 | Ambition | |
| 2026 | High in the Clouds | |

#### As an actor

| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1984 | A Nightmare on Elm Street | Newsreader / KRGR Radio Announcer | Voice roleUncredited |
| 1985 | A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge | Bartender | Uncredited |
| 1986 | Quiet Cool | Franklin | |
| 1987 | The Hidden | Man in Silver Mercedes Picking Up a Gorgeous Girl | Uncredited |
| 1988 | A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master | Lecturer | |
| 1991 | Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare | Ticket Seller | |
| 1993 | Loaded Weapon 1 | Interrogation Room Person | Uncredited |
| 1993 | Man's Best Friend | Mobile Mechanic | |
| 1994 | Wes Craven's New Nightmare | Himself | |
| 2001 | Festival in Cannes | Bert Shuster | |
| 2003 | Freddy vs. Jason | Principal Shaye | |
| 2004 | Cellular | Detective Looking Guy | |

#### As director

| Year | Film | Notes |
| 1963 | Image | Short film |
| 1965 | On Fighting Witches | Short film |
| 1973 | The Best of the New York Erotic Film Festival | |
| 1990 | Book of Love | |
| 2007 | The Last Mimzy | |
| 2019 | Ambition | |

#### As writer

| Year | Film |
| 1977 | Stunts |
| 1982 | Alone in the Dark |

#### As cinematographer

| Year | Film | Notes |
| 1965 | On Fighting Witches | Short film |

#### Second unit director or assistant director

| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1984 | A Nightmare on Elm Street | Director: melting staircase sequence | Uncredited |

#### Thanks

| Year | Film | Role |
| 1997 | Spawn | Thanks |
| 1997 | Boogie Nights | Special thanks |
| 1998 | Dark City | Thanks |
| 1999 | Magnolia | Special thanks |
| 2006 | Kill Your Darlings | Thanks |
| 2007 | Run Fatboy Run | Thanks |
| 2008 | The Women | Special appreciation |
| 2019 | Girl Blood Sport | Special thanks |
| 2019 | Motherless Brooklyn | The director wishes to thank |

### Television

| Year | Title | Credit | Notes |
| 1988 | The Freddy Krueger Special | | Television special |
| 1988−90 | Freddy's Nightmares | Executive producer | |
| 2016−19 | Shadowhunters | Executive producer | |

#### As an actor

| Year | Title | Role |
| 1988 | Freddy's Nightmares | The Minister |

#### Production manager

| Year | Title | Role |
| 2011 | SpongeBob SquarePants | Executive in charge of production |