Martin Brest Biography

Date of Birth: August 8, 1951

Martin Brest studied film at New York University and first won attention with his award-winning short film Hot Dogs for Gaugin (1972). Starring in the film were two then-unknowns, Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman, both who would go on to great success themselves. Brest made his feature film writing and directing debut with Hot Tomorrows (1977). Beverly Hills Cop (1984) starring Eddie Murphy, was Brest's first huge success. His work on the film propelled him to the Hollywood A-List. He next worked with Robert De Niro in Midnight Run (1998), then directed Al Pacino in Scent of a Woman. Pacino went on to win both the Oscar and Golden Globe Award for Best Actor. The film itself was nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, as was Brest for Best Director.

In Meet Joe Black, Brest directed as well as produced a story inspired by the 1934 classic, Death Takes a Holiday. In this version, Brad Pitt plays Death and Sir Anthony Hopkins acts as his tutor while he takes a time-out on earth.

Brest took a break before directing and producing his next film, the huge box office bomb Gigli (2003), starring Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck. The once Oscar-nominated director found himself nominated for Razzie awards for Worst Director and Worst Screenplay.

Filmography

Gigli (2003)
Meet Joe Black (1998)
Scent of a Woman (1992)
Midnight Run (1988)
Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
Going in Style (1979)