The Sorcerers Apprentice

Fun Facts

• Balthazar Blake's (Nicolas Cage) vehicle of choice is very rare 1935 Rolls-Royce Phantom. Its engine, appropriately known as the "Merlin", helped propel Spitfire aircraft for Britain, which helped win World War II. An exact replica of the real Phantom was created for stunt sequences. During filming in the streets of New York City, the Phantom proved to be a huge tourist attraction.
• The four real wolves which are conjured up by sorcerer Maxim Horvath (Alfred Molina) to chase Dave Stutler (Jay Baruchel) are named Bandit, Sierra, Samson and Takoda. They live at a farm in New Jersey.
• The Chrysler Eagle gargoyle comes to life in two varieties: the full-size, motion-base, computer-controlled version constructed by Academy Award®-winning special-effects coordinator John Frazier, and a CG version from visual-effects supervisor John Nelson and Asylum Visual Effects.
• The colorful Chinese festival sequence in which a parade dragon comes to life was filmed over the course of two weeks on Eldridge Street, in the heart of New York's Chinatown. More than 2,000 people from the local Chinese communities showed up for an extras casting call for 500 available spots.
• The inventions, philosophy and spirit of controversial and brilliant inventor Nikola Tesla hung over the entire movie, and by an amazing coincidence, the last day of filming fell on wat would have been his 153rd birthday. And the company also filmed at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine on Manhattan's 110th Street, where Tesla received a state funeral attended by more than 2000 people.
• The Encantus, the film's book of spells, weighed a mighty 75 pounds. But there were other versions created, including a 10-pound duplicate and a waterproofed floating version for the so-called "Fantasia" sequence.
• Every single page of the enormous Encantus had to be aged by experts in medieval bookbinding, with methods ranging from sanding the papers to wetting them with tea.
• The seven domains in the Merlin Circle include Space-Time, Motion, Matter, Elements, Transformation, Mind, and in the center, the Forbidden domain-Love. The multi-colored flames that shoot out of the Merlin Circle in the underground lab were created by the special effects team like a gigantic stove-top burner, with fire rods six inches below the deck in a water tank.
• "THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE" is Nicolas Cage's seventh film with Jerry Bruckheimer, following "The Rock", "Con Air", "Gone in Sixty Seconds", "National Treasure", "National Treasure: Book of Secrets" and "G-Force". It's his third with director Jon Turteltaub.
• Costume designer Michael Kaplan and his team created 10 exact copies of Balthazar Blake's (Nicolas Cage) long leather coat, and all of Balthazar's rings were custom made as well.
• Bowling Green, where a huge sorcerer battle takes place, was America's first public park, so declared in 1733 by the Common Council, primarily for the sport of lawn bowling. On July 9, 1776, colonists toppled the 4000-pound equestrian statue of King George III that was situated in the park, chopped it to bits and melted it down for ammunition.
• Set decorator George DeTitta Jr. collected no fewer than half a million objects of escalating weirdness for production designer Naomi Shohan's Arcana Cabana set, including a prosthetic leg, disembodied doll's heads, shrunken heads, skeletons and a "unicorn skull."
• Sorcerer Sun Lok's (Gregory Woo) armored skirt was made by the costume department from more than a thousand hand-pounded leather plates, bound row by row. And there was a duplicate version made exactly the same way.

NICOLAS CAGE (Balthazar/Executive Producer)

Academy Award® winner NICOLAS CAGE (Balthazar/Executive Producer) is one of the most versatile actors of all time, equally known for his poignant portrayals in both drama and comedy. In July 2010, Cage will star in Disney’s “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” a film that marks Cage’s seventh collaboration with producer Jerry Bruckheimer. This year, he will star in two Lionsgate films, including the action comedy “Kick-Ass” produced by Matthew Vaughn and the Charles Roven–produced epic “Season of the Witch,” which filmed on location in Budapest.

Cage most recently can be seen in the critically acclaimed film “Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans,” where he plays a drug- and gambling-addicted detective in post-Katrina New Orleans. Prior to this film, Cage lent his voice to two animated features: the Jerry Bruckheimer–produced Disney family adventure “G-Force” and the Summit Entertainment family adventure “Astro Boy.” In 2008 and 2009, Cage also starred in Summit Entertainment’s sci-fi thriller “Knowing” and the Pang Brothers–directed “Bangkok Dangerous,” a Lionsgate action thriller.

In 2007, Cage starred in the worldwide box-office success “National Treasure: Book of Secrets.” It marked Cage’s fifth collaboration with producer Jerry Bruckheimer following “The Rock,” “Con Air,” “Gone in 60 Seconds” and “National Treasure.” His memorable performance as an alcoholic drinking himself to death in the MGM drama “Leaving Las Vegas,” directed by Mike Figgis, earned him an Academy Award® as well as Golden Globe® and Best Actor awards from the New York Film Critics Circle, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, the Chicago Film Critics and the National Board of Review. Cage further solidified his leading-man status when he received Academy Award, Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild® and British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) nominations for his dual role as twin brothers Charlie and Donald Kaufman in Spike Jonze’s quirky comedy, “Adaptation,” which also costarred Meryl Streep and Chris Cooper.

In addition to the “National Treasure: Book of Secrets” sequel, Cage portrayed Johnny Blaze in “Ghost Rider,” based on the Marvel Comic book character, directed and written by Mark Steven Johnson. The film immediately set a new record as the highest-grossing opening film for President’s Day weekend in 2007. Cage’s other starring roles over the last several years include that of Neil LaBute’s “The Wicker Man” and Oliver Stone’s “World Trade Center,” both released in 2006, and Gore Verbinski’s “The Weather Man” and Andrew Niccol’s “Lord of War,” released in 2005. He was also heard as the voice of Zoc in the animated film “The Ant Bully.”

In fall of 2002, Cage made his film directorial debut, “Sonny.” Cage cast an impressive group of actors, including Golden Globe® winner James Franco, Mena Suvari, Brenda Blethyn and Harry Dean Stanton. The film was accepted at the 2002 Deauville Film Festival. Golden Circle Films, Vortex Pictures and Cage’s Saturn Films produced the picture.
Cage’s production company, Saturn Films, produced the 2002 Universal Pictures
film “The Life of David Gale” and, in 2000, the critically acclaimed Lionsgate film “Shadow of a Vampire.”

Cage’s many other films include “Next,” “Matchstick Men,” “Windtalkers,” “Captain
Corelli’s Mandolin,” “The Family Man,” “Bringing Out the Dead,” “Eight Millimeters,”
“Snake Eyes,” “City of Angels,” “Face/Off,” “Kiss of Death,” “Guarding Tess,” “It Could Happen to You,” “Red Rock West,” “Honeymoon in Vegas,” Joel and Ethan Coen’s “Raising Arizona,” “Vampire’s Kiss,” “Peggy Sue Got Married,” “Valley Girl,” “Racing with the Moon,” “The Cotton Club” and “Rumble Fish.” It was Cage’s portrayal of a tormented Vietnam vet in “Birdy” that first established him as a serious actor. Directed by Alan Parker, “Birdy” won the jury prize at Cannes. Cage then received a Golden Globe® nomination as Best Actor for his role as Cher’s lover in “Moonstruck.” David Lynch’s “Wild at Heart,” starring Cage and Laura Dern, won the Palme d’Or at the 1990 Cannes Film Festival.

Some of Cage’s other honors include a 1993 Golden Globe® nomination for his role in “Honeymoon in Vegas,” the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from the Montreal World Film Festival in 1996 and the first-ever Distinguished Decade in Film Award at ShoWest in 2001; and he was honored by the prestigious American Cinematheque in 2001 with the Moving Picture Balltribute.

In 2009, Cage was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador for Global Justice for the United Nations. Last fall, he traveled to Africa to undertake a mission with the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime in Gulu, Uganda, Mombasa, Kenya and Nairobi, Kenya. Here, he met with child soldiers, gang members, inmates, Kenyan judges and magistrates to help stop human trafficking, child slavery and kidnapping. Cage is also a Luminary for Amnesty International and helps with its focus on human rights.

Cage was raised in Long Beach, California, and lived there until his family moved to San Francisco when he was 12. Cage began acting at age 15 when he enrolled in San Francisco’s American Conservatory Theatre. He later moved to Los Angeles, and while still a high school student, landed a role in the television film “The Best of Times.” He made his feature-film debut in “Fast Times at Ridgemont High.”

JAY BARUCHEL (Dave Stutler)

JAY BARUCHEL (Dave Stutler) continues to cement his leading-man status in 2010 with a slew of high-profile projects. He recently starred in Paramount’s romantic comedy “She’s Out of My League”as well as the DreamWorks global-hit animated feature “How to Train Your Dragon”asthe lead voice of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third.

Also in development for Baruchel is Universal and Red Hour’s “Johnny Klutz,” in which he will play the title role—a character which he created—a lovable loser who is impervious to pain, as well as “Jay and Seth vs. the Apocalypse,” a feature-length film based on a short film of the same name that he completed with Seth Rogen. Baruchel also recently completed filming the thriller “Notre Dame de Grace” opposite of Scott Speedman in his hometown of Montreal.
Baruchel’s past film credits include the Academy Award®–winning movie “Million Dollar Baby,” opposite Clint Eastwood, Hillary Swank and Morgan Freeman, as well as the blockbuster hit “Tropic Thunder,”opposite Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr. He also starred in Jacob Tierney’s comedy “The Trotsky,” which premiered at the 2009 Toronto Film Festival and is slated for a 2010 Canadian release.

Baruchel has a long list of additional feature credits, including “Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist,” opposite Michael Cera and Kat Dennings; “Knocked Up,” opposite Seth Rogen and Katherine Heigl; “Just Buried,”which premiered at the 2007 Toronto Film Festival; “Real Time,”opposite Randy Quaid; and in the memorable role of Vic Munoz, the obsessed Led Zeppelin fan, in “Almost Famous.”

Baruchel began acting at age 12 when he landed a job on the Nickelodeon hit television series “Are You Afraid of the Dark?,” transforming what was to be a one-time guest appearance into a recurring role. The role was a springboard for his career, leading to his first Canadian series, “My Hometown.” He made his debut to American audiences as the star of the critically acclaimed Judd Apatow television series“Undeclared”on Fox. 

ALFRED MOLINA (Maxim Horvath)

ALFRED MOLINA (Maxim Horvath) is an accomplished London-born actor whose diverse and distinguished gallery of performances has led to a lengthy and triumphant career in film, in television and on stage. Last fall, he opened in the critically acclaimed movie “An Education”and filmed a comedy series for the BBC opposite Dawn French. In late fall 2009, Molina opened in the UK in the highly celebrated Donmar Warehouse production of “Red,” which opened on Broadway in April 2010 and for which he has received a Tony® nomination. Molina was seen in “Prince of Persia” opposite Jake Gyllenhaal and then went on to costar with Nic Cage in “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.” Both Jerry Bruckheimer films are 2010 Disney releases.

In 2002, Molina won rave reviews and nominations for the British Academy Award (BAFTA), the Screen Actors Guild Award®, the Broadcast Film Critics prize and the Chicago Film Critics Association Award for his Best Supporting Actor turn as the hedonistic Mexican artist Diego Rivera in “Frida,”the docudrama about the life of Frida Kahlo, starring Oscar® nominee Salma Hayek. Recent screen roles include “Pink Panther 2,” opposite Steve Martin; “The Little Traitor,” an adaptation of the Amos Oz novel; “Panther in the Basement,” directed by Lynn Roth and produced by Marilyn Hall; and “The Tempest,” once again teaming up with director Julie Taymor for the fall 2010 release.

Following Molina’s education at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London, he quickly gained membership in England’s prestigious Royal Shakespeare Company, where he performed both in classics like “Troilus and Cressida” and new original works like “Frozen Assets” and “Dingo.” In 1979, he won acclaim (and a Plays and Players Award as Most Promising New Actor) as The Maniac in “Accidental Death of an Anarchist” at London’s Half Moon Theatre.

Two years later, Molina found himself on the big screen making his American debut in “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” And in Stephen Frears’ 1987 drama, “Prick Up YourEars,”Molina won great notices for his portrait of a vengeful, murderous Kenneth Halliwell, playwright Joe Orton’s gay lover.

Molina’s career continued to soar in the following decade, with roles as an unhappy upper-class husband in Mike Newell’s “Enchanted April”; the joyous painter Titorelli in David Jones’ 1993 adaptation of Kafka’s novel “The Trial”; and the duplicitous Persian spouse in “Not Without My Daughter.” He reteamed with director Donner in the comic western “Maverick” and played the small but pivotal role of a crazed drug dealer in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Oscar®-nominated “Boogie Nights” (1997). Molina joined Anderson once again for his epic ensemble drama “Magnolia” (1999), collecting SAG Award® nominations for both as part of the films’ ensemble casts. He also continued to display his ability to embody a variety of nationalities, playing a Cuban immigrant in Mira Nair’s “The Perez Family”(1995) and a Greek-American lawyer in Barbet Schroeder’s drama “Before and After” (1996). Other films over this ten-year span include Roger Donaldson’s sci-fi thriller “Species,” Jon Amiel’s comic thriller “The Man Who Knew TooLittle,” Bernard Rose’s “Anna Karenina,” Woody Allen’s “Celebrity” and Stanley Tucci’s “The Impostors.”

During the current decade, Molina collected his third SAG Award® Ensemble Cast nomination for Lasse Hallström’s whimsical, Oscar®-nominated romantic comedy “Chocolat” and reunited with Hallström opposite Richard Gere in “The Hoax.” He also turned heads as the villainous Dr. Otto Octavius, a.k.a. Dr. Octopus, in Sam Raimi’s blockbuster sequel “Spider-Man 2.”Molina costarred in such films as “Identity”; Jim Jarmusch’s “Coffee and Cigarettes”; Ron Howard’s adaptation of one of the most popular books of all time, “The Da Vinci Code”; Isabel Coixet’s “My Life Without Me”;Eric Till’s biographical drama “Luther”; the bilingual suspense thriller “Crónicas”; Kenneth Branagh’s Shakespeare adaptation “As You Like It”; François Girard’s “Silk”; and John Irvin’s “The Moon and the Stars.”

On television, Molina starred in two CBS sitcoms. He played a washed-up writer sought out by his estranged daughter in “Bram and Alice” (2002) and Jimmy Stiles in “Ladies’ Man,” on which he also served as one of the producers. His other television work includes the acclaimed 1983 miniseries “Reilly: Ace of Spies,” “Miami Vice,” the BBC telefilm “Revolutionary Witness,” Granada TV’s “El C.I.D.,” the BBC miniseries “Ashenden” (based on Peter Mayles’ bestseller, “A Year in Provence”), the Hallmark Channel’s “Joan of Arc” (as narrator), and guest appearances on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and “Monk.”

Despite his thriving film and television career, Molina has never wandered far from the stage for long. He returned to the RSC to give a much-praised performance as Petruchio in “Taming of the Shrew” (1985) and earned an Olivier nomination for his work in the British production of David Mamet’s “Speed the Plow.” In his Broadway debut as the good-natured Yvan in Yasmina Reza’s “Art” (1998, starring with Alan Alda and Victor Garber), Molina collected the first of his two Tony Award® nominations (for Best Actor in a Dramatic Play). He made his Broadway debut as the Irish chatterbox Frank Sweeney in Brian Friel’s play “Molly Sweeney” (1995-96) and, most recently, triumphed as Tevye in the 2004 revival of “Fiddler on the Roof,” for which he earned his second Tony nod (Best Actor in a Musical). He also completed a run at the Mark Taper Forum of “The Cherry Orchard” in 2006 opposite Annette Bening.

TERESA PALMER (Becky Barnes),

TERESA PALMER (Becky Barnes),named in 2005 as one of Australia’s Stars of Tomorrow by Screen International, first caught the attention of audiences worldwide with her leading role in “2:37,”an Australian independent film that screened to acclaim at both the Cannes Film Festival in Un Certain Regard and the Toronto Film Festival. For her complex portrayal of a high school student with a dark secret, Palmer was nominated as Best Actress by the Australian Film Institute.

Palmer starred in the comedy “Bedtime Stories”with Adam Sandler for director Adam Shankman and Disney in December 2008. Up next for Palmer after “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” is Imagine Entertainment/Rogue Pictures’ film “Kids in America,” in which she stars opposite Topher Grace. She is currently in production on “I Am Number 4” for DreamWorks, with Michael Bay and Steven Spielberg producing.

Palmer also costarred in Japanese director Takashi Shimizu’s “The Grudge2” opposite Sarah Michelle Gellar and Jennifer Beals. Other credits for the striking young actress include a starring role alongside Daniel Radcliffe in director Rod Hardy’s coming-of-age story “December Boys,”filmed on location in Australia, and “Restraint,” a psychological thriller in which she stars with Travis Fimmel and Stephen Moyer.

Palmer is currently the spokesperson for the Australia-based cosmetics company Jurlique. She is from Adelaide, Australia.

MONICA BELLUCCI (Veronica)

MONICA BELLUCCI (Veronica) was born and raised in Città di Castello in Umbria, Italy, and is one of the world’s most recognizable and renowned actresses of our time.

Soon after starting her law studies at the University in Perugia at 18 years old, Bellucci’s modeling career took off. Over the years, she has worked with such great photographers as Oliviero Toscani, Fabrizio Ferri, Helmut Newton, Bruce Weber, Richard Avedon and Peter Lindberg. But her heart has always been in cinema as it gives her the chance to express herself fully. Her acting career started with an attention-grabbing small appearance in Francis Ford Coppola’s “Dracula.”

Today, she’s a world-renowned actress who has worked with a collection of the most talented directors in the United States and Europe. Bellucci most recently appeared in the Golden Globe®–nominated foreign film “Baaria” directed by Giuseppe Tornatore and in Rebecca Miller’s “Private Lives of Pippa Lee” with Robin Wright Penn, Keanu Reeves and Alan Arkin. In the United States, Bellucci has appeared in the action thriller “Shoot ’Em Up” with Clive Owen and Paul Giamatti; Terry Gilliam’s “The Brothers Grimm” opposite Heath Ledger and Matt Damon; Spike Lee’s “She Hate Me”; Mel Gibson’s award-winning “Passion of the Christ”; “The Matrix Revolutions” and “The Matrix Reloaded,” directed by the Wachowski Brothers; and Antoine Fuqua’s “Tears of the Sun” with Bruce Willis. Following “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” she will be seen in “The Whistleblower” opposite Rachel Weisz and the late Vanessa Redgrave.

In Europe, Bellucci’s film credits include “Don’t Look Back,” costarring Sophie Marceau; Alain Corneau’s “The Second Wind,” opposite Daniel Auteuil; “The Stone Council,” opposite Catherine Deneuve; “N,” in which she again teamed up with Daniel Auteuil; “Sheitan,” opposite Vincent Cassel; “How Much Do You Love Me,” costarring Gerard Depardieu; the critically acclaimed “Remember Me, My Love,” directed by Gabriele Muccino; Gaspar Noe’s “Irreversible”; and Golden Globe®–nominated “Malena.”

Bellucci has been with French actor Vincent Cassel for 14 years and is the mother of their five-year-old daughter, Deva.

JON TURTELTAUB (Director)

As one of the most talented directors in Hollywood, JON TURTELTAUB (Director) has been able to capture audiences' attention with his warm, funny and emotional films.

Turteltaub returned as director on "National Treasure: Book of Secrets" upon the success of the first film, which grossed an unexpected $350 million in box-office receipts worldwide. "National Treasure: Book of Secrets" continues the fantastical tale of treasure-hunter Benjamin Franklin Gates (Cage) who reteams with a beautiful archivist (Kruger) to uncover the truth behind the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, which they believe lies within the 18 pages missing from assassin John Wilkes Booth's diary.

Always with an eye toward story, character and humor, Turteltaub has directed all eight of his studio feature films for The Walt Disney Company, including the 2000 hit "The Kid" starring Bruce Willis. Written by Audrey Wells, "The Kid" is the story of an egocentric man who is visited by himself as an eight-year-old. The movie also starred Emily Mortimer, Jean Smart and Lily Tomlin.

In 1999, Turteltaub directed the Touchstone Pictures release "Instinct", starring Anthony Hopkins, Cuba Gooding Jr., Donald Sutherland and Maura Tierney.

Prior to that, Turteltaub directed John Travolta, Robert Duvall, Forest Whitaker and Kyra Sedgwick in the blockbuster hit "Phenomenon", which ranked as one of the highest-grossing films of 1996.

In 1993, he directed the surprise hit comedy, "Cool Runnings", which was Disney's highest-grossing live-action film for the year. Two years later he directed "While You Were Sleeping", the breakout romantic comedy that helped launch Sandra Bullock to stardom. His first film for Disney was 1992's "3 Ninjas", which, surprisingly, was the studio's most profitable film of the year.

Based on these credits, it's clear that "surprise hit" is the trademark of Turteltaub's career. Turteltaub's dream is that one day, his successes won't be considered a surprise.

On the small screen, Turteltaub made his television-series producing and directing debut with the highly acclaimed CBS drama "Jericho", which stars Skeet Ulrich. The primetime show centers around a nuclear explosion that plunges the residents of a small, peaceful Kansas town into chaos, leaving them completely isolated and wondering if they are the only Americans left alive. "Jericho" returned for a second season in 2008.

Recently, Turteltaub and his production company, Junction Entertainment, entered into a multiyear overall arrangement with CBS Paramount Network TV to create, develop and produce drama, comedy and reality series for the studio.

In 1998, Turteltaub made an essential contribution to one of the most significant and critically acclaimed television miniseries in history, "From the Earth to the Moon". The 10-part HBO dramatic series featured different stories surrounding the American expeditions to the moon. Turteltaub directed the seventh episode of the miniseries, entitled "That's All There Is", which portrayed the camaraderie of the crew of Apollo 12. Turteltaub was nominated by the DGA for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television for his efforts, and the series received 10 Emmy® Awards and the Golden Globe® Award for Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television.

Born in New York City and raised in Beverly Hills, Turteltaub got his BA at Wesleyan University in Connecticut and received his master's degree at the USC Film School. His father, Saul Turteltaub, is an iconic television producer with credits on such memorable shows as "Sanford & Son", "What's Happening", "That Girl" and "Love American Style".

Turteltaub currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife and newborn son.

JERRY BRUCKHEIMER (Producer)

JERRY BRUCKHEIMER (Producer) has for nearly 40 years produced films and television programs of distinction and quality, in the process becoming the most successful producer of all time in both mediums. His productions, with the familiar lightning bolt logo, have not only delighted audiences all over the world, but greatly impacted popular culture over the decades.

Bruckheimer's films have earned worldwide revenues of over $15 billion in box office, video and recording receipts. In the 2005-6 season he had a record-breaking 10 series on network television, a feat unprecedented in nearly 60 years of television history. His films (16 of which exceeded the $100 million mark in U.S. box office receipts) and television programs have been acknowledged with 41 Academy Award® nominations, six Oscars®, eight Grammy Award® nominations, five Grammys, 23 Golden Globe® nominations, four Golden Globes, 88 Emmy Award® nominations, 18 Emmys, 23 People's Choice Awards nominations, 15 People's Choice Awards, 12 BAFTA nominations, two BAFTA Awards, numerous MTV Awards, including one for Best Picture of the Decade for "Beverly Hills Cop" and 20 Teen Choice Awards.

But the numbers exist only because of Bruckheimer's uncanny ability to find the stories and tell them on film. He is, according to the Washington Post, "the man with the golden gut". He may have been born that way, but more likely, his natural gifts were polished to laser focus in the early years of his career. His first films were the 60-second tales he told as an award-winning commercial producer in his native Detroit. One of those mini-films, a parody of "Bonnie and Clyde" created for Pontiac, was noted for its brilliance in Time Magazine and brought the 23-year-old producer to the attention of world-renowned ad agency BBD&O, which lured him to New York.

Four years on Madison Avenue gave him the experience and confidence to tackle Hollywood, and, just about 30, he was at the helm of memorable films like "Farewell, My Lovely", "American Gigolo" and 1983's "Flashdance", which changed Bruckheimer's life by grossing $92 million in the U.S. alone and pairing him with Don Simpson, who would be his producing partner for the next 13 years.

Together the Simpson/Bruckheimer juggernaut produced one hit after another, including "Top Gun", "Days of Thunder", "Beverly Hills Cop", "Beverly Hills Cop II", "Bad Boys", "Dangerous Minds" and "Crimson Tide". Box office success was acknowledged in both 1985 and 1988 when the National Association of Theater Owners (NATO) named Bruckheimer Producer of the Year. And in 1988 the Publicists Guild of America chose him, along with Simpson, Motion Picture Showmen of the Year.

In 1996, Bruckheimer produced "The Rock", re-establishing Sean Connery as an action star and turning an unlikely Nicolas Cage into an action hero. "The Rock", named Favorite Movie of the Year by NATO, grossed $350 million worldwide and was Bruckheimer's last movie with Simpson, who died during production.

Now on his own, Bruckheimer followed in 1997 with "Con Air", which grossed over $230 million, earned a Grammy® and two Oscar® nominations and brought its producer the ShoWest International Box Office Achievement Award for unmatched foreign grosses.

Then came Touchstone Pictures' megahit "Armageddon", starring Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler and Steve Buscemi. Directed by Michael Bay, it was the biggest movie of 1998, grossing nearly $560 million worldwide and introducing legendary rock band Aerosmith's first #1 single, "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing".

By the end of the millennium, Bruckheimer had produced "Enemy of the State", starring Will Smith and Gene Hackman and "Gone in 60 Seconds", starring Cage, Angelina Jolie and Robert Duvall, both grossing over $225 million worldwide; "Coyote Ugly", whose soundtrack album went triple platinum; and the NAACP Image Award–winning "Remember the Titans," starring Denzel Washington. His peers in the Producers Guild of America acknowledged his abilities with the David O. Selznick Award for Lifetime Achievement in Motion Pictures.

He began the 21st century with triple Oscar®-nominee "Pearl Harbor." Starring Affleck, Josh Hartnett and Kate Beckinsale and directed by Bay, the film was hailed by World War II veterans and scholars as a worthy re-creation of the event that brought the United States into the war. In addition to multiple award nominations and the Oscar for Best Sound Editing, it earned over $450 million in worldwide box office and has topped $250 million in DVD and video sales.

"Black Hawk Down," the story of the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu, starred Hartnett, Eric Bana and Ewan McGregor and was directed by Ridley Scott. The adaptation of the Mark Bowden bestseller was honored with multiple award nominations, two Oscars® and rave reviews. Turning his hand toward comedy in 2003, Bruckheimer released the raucously funny "Kangaroo Jack," a family film that won an MTV Award for Best Virtual performance for the kangaroo.

And later in 2003, Bruckheimer unveiled "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl." Starring Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Geoffrey Rush and Keira Knightley and directed by Gore Verbinski, the comedy/adventure/romance grossed more than $630 million worldwide, earned five Academy Award® nominations and spawned two sequels: "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" and "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," both of which were to become even bigger hits than the first.

Following "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl," Jerry Bruckheimer's films have included "Bad Boys II"; "Veronica Guerin," starring Cate Blanchett as the Irish journalist murdered by Dublin crime lords; and "King Arthur," with Clive Owen starring in the revisionist re-telling of the Arthurian legend.

In 2004 "National Treasure," starring Nicolas Cage, Diane Kruger, Jon Voight, Justin Bartha and Sean Bean in a roller-coaster adventure about solving the mystery of untold buried treasure, directed by Jon Turteltaub, opened to cheering audiences and grossed more than $335 million worldwide.

"Glory Road," the story of Texas Western coach Don Haskins, who led the first all-black starting line-up for a college basketball team to the NCAA national championship in 1966, debuted in early 2006 starring Josh Lucas, was honored with an ESPY Award for "Best Sports Movie of the Year" for 2006, while the writers received a Humanitas Prize for work that "honestly explores the complexities of the human experience and sheds light on the positive values of life."

Summer 2006 brought the theatrical release of "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," which sailed into the record books by becoming not only Bruckheimer's most financially successful film, but the highest-grossing movie opening ever in the history of the medium at that time: $132 million in its first three days. Shattering projected estimates, the film earned $55.5 million the first day of release. The final worldwide take of $1.07 billion placed "Dead Man's Chest" in third position among the highest-grossing films of all time, and is still one of only six films to ever top the billion dollar mark, and creating a true worldwide phenomenon

Teaming for the sixth time with director Tony Scott, Bruckheimer released "Déjà Vu" in late 2006, the story of an ATF agent who falls in love with a complete stranger as he races against time to track down her brutal killer. The film starred Denzel Washington, Jim Caviezel, Paula Patton and Val Kilmer.

In May 2007, "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," third in the blockbuster trilogy, opened around the world simultaneously. Shattering more domestic and international records in its wake, "At World's End" became the fastest film in history to reach half a billion dollars in overseas grosses. By early July, the film had amassed a worldwide total of $960 million, giving "At World's End" hallowed status as the number one worldwide movie of the year, and, at that time, the sixth biggest film of all time in total box office receipts. Collectively, the "Pirates of the Caribbean" trilogy brought in close to $2.7 billion at the worldwide box office, marking it as a truly international cultural phenomenon.

Released Dec. 21, 2007, "National Treasure: Book of Secrets"-the follow-up to Bruckheimer's 2004 hit, again starring Nicolas Cage and directed by Jon Turteltaub-opened to a smash number one weekend of nearly $45 million, almost $10 million more than the first film. "National Treasure: Book of Secrets" remained in the number one box office position for three consecutive weeks, with the combined box office total reaching $440 million. In addition to reuniting Cage with "National Treasure" stars Jon Voight, Diane Kruger and Justin Bartha, Academy Award®–winning actress Helen Mirren and four-time Oscar® nominee Ed Harris were also welcomed to the cast.

Next up from Jerry Bruckheimer Films in February 2009 was "Confessions of a Shopaholic," a romantic comedy based on the best-selling novels by Sophie Kinsella, starring Isla Fisher and directed by P.J. Hogan ("My Best Friend's Wedding"). This was followed by the international box office hit "G-Force," a technically innovative 3D adventure film which combined live action and computer imagery under the innovative direction of Academy Award®–winning visual effects wizard Hoyt Yeatman. The film featured the voice talents of Nicolas Cage, Penelope Cruz, Tracy Morgan, Sam Rockwell, Jon Favreau and Steve Buscemi, and live-action performances by Bill Nighy, Zach Galifianakis and Will Arnett.

The most recent Jerry Bruckheimer Films production for Walt Disney Pictures was "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time," an epic fantasy adventure directed by Mike Newell ("Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire") which is now the highest-grossing motion picture based upon a video game. The film starred Jake Gyllenhaal, newcomer Gemma Arterton, Sir Ben Kingsley and Alfred Molina. A worldwide success, "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" is now the highest-grossing film based upon a video game. And Johnny Depp, in his Academy Award nominated performance, will return as the iconic Captain Jack Sparrow, in "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," to be released on May 20, 2011 in Disney Digital 3-D. Starring alongside Depp in the spectacular new adventure, directed by Rob Marshall ("Chicago," "Memoirs of a Geisha") are Geoffrey Rush, Penelope Cruz and Ian McShane.

Bruckheimer brought the power of the lightning bolt to television in 2000 with "C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation," starring William Petersen and Marg Helgenberger. It quickly became the number one show on television, averaging 25 million viewers a week, and, along with its two spin-offs, "C.S.I.: Miami"-distinguished as the biggest television series hit on a global scale in 2005 as well as being broadcast TV's #1 prime-time series for the summer of 2006-and "C.S.I.: NY" helped catapult languishing CBS back to the top of the broadcast heap. In June 2010, the Monte Carlo International TV Festival honored "C.S.I." with its International TV Audience Award as the most watched television drama series in the world, with 73.8 million viewers in 2009. The film had already won that honor previously in 2007 and '08, with "C.S.I.: Miami" taking that prize in 2006.

Jerry Bruckheimer Television broadened its imprint by telling compelling stories and delivering viewers in huge numbers with such programs as "Without a Trace," "Cold Case," "Dark Blue" (the producer's first foray into cable) and seven-time consecutive Emmy Award®–winning "The Amazing Race." Both JBTV pilots made for the Fall 2010 season-the exciting crime procedural "Chase" for NBC and unique courtroom drama "The Whole Truth" for ABC-were picked up by the respective networks, continuing the company's tradition of innovative, provocative television.

In 2004, Bruckheimer made the "Time 100," a list of the most influential people in the world. Also in 2004, Bruckheimer was named number one in the Power Issue of Entertainment Weekly. Variety selected Bruckheimer as their Showman of the Year for 2006. This award-determined by Variety's top editors and reporters-is presented to an individual who has had significant economic impact, innovations and/or breakthroughs in the entertainment industry.

Bruckheimer was presented with the Salute to Excellence Award from The Museum of Television and Radio for 2006 for his contribution to the television medium. And, in 2007, the Producers Guild of America presented him with the Norman Lear Achievement Award in Television for his extraordinary body of work in television.

In March 2010, ShoWest honored Bruckheimer with their Lifetime Achievement Award, his fifth honor from that organization following his awards as Producer of the Year in 1985, 1988 and 1999, and Box Office Achievement in 1998. On May 17th of the same year-the same night as the U.S. premiere of "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time"-he planted his hand and footprints into the concrete in the forecourt of the famed Grauman's Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard. On the same evening, he was honored by the American Film Institute with a retrospective of five of his blockbuster films, introduced by their casts and filmmakers.

In her 2008 autobiography, "In the Frame," Dame Helen Mirren recalls Bruckheimer, during the course of filming "National Treasure: Book of Secrets," as "gentle, supportive and courageous, proving the saying ‘he who dares, wins.'"

Bruckheimer has been successful in many genres and multiple mediums because he's a great storyteller, takes dares…and almost always wins. Look for the lightning bolt. The best stories are right behind it.