Gary Barber

Gary Barber (born 1957) is an American film producer of South African descent. Since 2010 Barber is chairman and CEO of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.[1] He is also co-founder of Spyglass Entertainment.

Life and career

Barber was born in Johannesburg.[2][3] He was educated at King David School, Linksfield in Johannesburg, South Africa. He then received an Accounting degree from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.[1][4] Afterwards he worked as a Chartered Accountant and Certified Public Accountant in South Africa and the United States, both with Price Waterhouse.[1]

In 1982 the horse racing fan won a trip to the Arlington Million race in Illinois.[4] In the same year he moved to the States, where his brother Cecil Barber was living since 1979. In the mid 1980s Barber became an US citizen.[2]

In 1998 he and Roger Birnbaum founded Spyglass Entertainment in Los Angeles.[1] His highest grossing film as producer was The Tourist, which grossed close to US$280 million at the worldwide box office.[5]

In December 2010 Barber became Chief Executive Officer of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.[1] Under his leadership MGM together with Eon Productions and Sony Pictures financed the successful James Bond film Skyfall, which grossed US$1,1 billion. MGM then also financed The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, 21 Jump Street and Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters. MGM then finally moved forward with remakes of RoboCop and Poltergeist.[6][7]

Barber is also a Thoroughbred racehorse owner. His horse, The Deputy, owned in partnership with Team Valor, won the 2000 running of the Grade II Santa Catalina Stakes and the Grade I Santa Anita Derby at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. In 2006 another of his horses, Becrux, also owned in partnership with Team Valor, won the Grade I Woodbine Mile at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Canada.

Barber has three daughters and lives in Los Angeles.[4]

Filmography as a producer

External links

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "MGM Website".
  2. 1 2 Del Mar Thoroughbred Club Owner Profiles — 2013, dmtc.com, 14 January 2014
  3. ↑ Gary Barber, Roger Birnbaum, Kevin Tsujihara, kentuckyderby.com, 14 January 2014
  4. 1 2 3 Gary Barber bei arlingtonpark.com, abgerufen am 14. January 2014
  5. ↑ "The Tourist (2010)". Box Office Mojo. March 10, 2011. Retrieved September 28, 2013.
  6. ↑ MGM Looks Ahead with "Mr. Mom", "Idolmaker", Variety, February 17, 2011
  7. ↑ MGM Finally Comes Back from the Dead with Five Projects including Remakes of "RoboCop" and "Poltergeist", Collider.com, February 18, 2011
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