Elie Samaha

For over two decades, Elie Samaha has been one of the most enterprising producers in the motion picture industry.

Samaha has produced numerous mainstream films, featuring the industry's biggest box-office stars including Jack Nicholson, Marlon Brando, John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Pierce Brosnan, Julianne Moore, Benicio Del Toro, Whoopi Goldberg, Sharon Stone, Richard Gere, Claire Danes and many more.

Mr. Samaha's current, related ventures include ownership in the world-renowned TCL Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard, as well as the largest film studio in Bucharest, Romania, with its 19 soundstages.

As a true entrepreneur, his simultaneous goal is to continuously release commercial films that resonate with a large theatrical audience and Mr. Samaha has long succeeded in attracting A-List talent to his films, consistently creating added value in a thriving market.

In addition to his commercial hits, Mr. Samaha has launched a classic film business, producing and distributing Things You Can Tell Just By Looking at Her, featuring Glenn Close, Holly Hunter, Amy Brenneman, and Cameron Diaz. It won the Un Certain Regard Prize at the Cannes Film Festival.

In 1999, Mr. Samaha also created Franchise Pictures and secured a U.S. distribution arrangement with Warner Bros. Pictures, which began with the box-office hit The Whole Nine Yards, starring BruceWillis and Matthew Perry.

Other films released through Warner Bros. include The Art of War, starring Wesley Snipes; The Pledge, starring Jack Nicholson and directed by Sean Penn; Heist starring Gene Hackman, Danny DeVito and written and directed by David Mamet; The In-Laws, starring Michael Douglas and AlbertBrooks; Luis Mandoki's Angel Eyes, with Jennifer Lopez and Jim Caviezel; 3,000 Miles to Graceland, starring Kurt Russell and Kevin Costner; and Driven, starring Sylvester Stallone.

In addition to its Warner Bros. association, Franchise Films has also partnered with other major studios, including Universal, Fox, Sony, and Paramount.

Mr. Samaha continues to produce a wide array of films. including Convictions, starring two time Academy Award winner, Hilary Swank; Rescue Dawn, directed by the esteemed Werner Herzog and starring Christian Bale; The Six Wives of Henry Lefay, starring Tim Allen; Exposed, starring KeanuReeves; Breaking Brooklyn, starring Academy Award winner Louis Gossett, Jr.; and the IMAX documentary Pandas, narrated by Kristen Bell.

Revisiting his proven entrepreneurial talents in the real estate market, Mr. Samaha has been acquiring and redeveloping properties on Hollywood Boulevard -in the process becoming a major force in the world of legendary nightclubs and popular restaurants.

For three decades his visionary talents have spawned new Hollywood hot spots yearly, starting with one of Hollywood's most renowned clubs, The Roxbury, in the early 1990s.

During the height of his film success, Mr. Samaha began simultaneously opening such popular venues as Dublin's, Babylon, Sunset Room, White Lotus, Pig 'N Whistle, the Cabana Club, The Green Door, Playhouse, Supperclub, Roxbury, Hemingway's and the Writer's Room; his most recent ventures include Lure, Attic, Project LA, and the Pussycat Dolls Saloon.

In an entertainment-filled city, Mr. Samaha stays on top of the ever-changing nightlife world by creating uniquely themed venues that keep attracting Hollywood's "IT" crowd, as these landmark ventures continue to impress.

In keeping with his cup-runneth-over approach to business, he is also a partner in the Sugar Factory Brassiere, a popular worldwide food establishment known for its extravagant desserts, as well as the 105-year-old Yamashiro, an iconic staple on the Hollywood landscape that remains a vibrant and nostalgic beacon of sophisticated dining to loyal patrons from around the world.

Recently, Mr. Samaha has rebooted a major portion of San Diego's renowned Gaslamp Quarter as Theatre Box, a chic destination location comprised of a luxury theatre, representing an extension of the TCL Chinese Theatre, and an entertainment complex featuring the Sugar Factory, a rooftop bar/nightclub, and soon the home of Wild n' Out Sports bar.

While he expands his empire to include additional restaurants, Mr. Samaha is involved in the creation of the boutique Kimpton La Peer Hotel in West Hollywood and the development in Hollywood of a hotel with 140-150 keys along with a mixed-use property of 35 apartments with retail footage on its first floor.

Mr. Samaha's universe of hospitality projects and entertainment enterprises grows monthly, as demonstrated by his relentless drive and fearless approach to shaking up the show business and hospitality business landscapes, factors that have long been rooted in his creativity, innovation, and evolution as a world-class entrepreneur and producer.