Robert Shaye
Robert Kenneth Shaye (born March 4, 1939) is an American businessman, film producer, actor, director, and writer. He is the founder of New Line Cinema, a film production studio that distributed films such as "A Nightmare on Elm Street", "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles", and "The Lord of the Rings". In 2008, he left New Line after it merged with 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. Founding of New Line Cinema and acquisition by Turner and Time Warner. 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". New Line famously released blockbuster films such as "A Nightmare on Elm Street" and "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles". On January 28, 1994, New Line Cinema was acquired by the Turner Broadcasting System for $500 million, with Shaye earning more than $100 million. Later, in 1996, Turner Broadcasting System became part of Time  Warner (which is currently known as WarnerMedia), a merger between Time Inc. and Warner Communications. In 1998, when New Zealand director Peter Jackson brought his 25-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 Jackson make three films instead. He subsequently greenlit a simultaneous production for all three installments. "The Lord of the Rings" was nominated a total of thirty Academy Awards, winning 17, including 11 awards for "". At the box office, all three films  are among New Line's highest-grossing films, earning a combined total of nearly $3 billion worldwide. Investing Career. He is an active investor in companies like SpaceX and Brat TV. Unique Features. In June 2008, Shaye and company co-chairman Michael Lynne departed New Line and formed an independent film company, Unique Features. The company's recent projects include "" (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.