Rob Cohen

Rob Cohen
Cohen on the bridge of the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) in 2004
Born	Robert Cohen March 12, 1949 Cornwall, New York, United States
Alma mater	Harvard University
Occupation	Film director, producer, actor, screenwriter
Years active	1975–present
Spouse(s)	Barbara (Lardera) Cohen (m. 2006)

Robert "Rob" Cohen (born March 12, 1949) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter.

Early life

Cohen was born in Cornwall, New York. He was raised and spent his childhood in the Town of Newburgh and graduated from Newburgh Free Academy in 1967.^[1] Cohen is Jewish.^[2] He graduated from Harvard University.^[3]

Film career

Producing

As producer, he has been behind many major motion pictures, including The Witches of Eastwick, The Serpent and the Rainbow, and The Running Man.

Directing

As a director, Cohen is mainly known for his hit films Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, Dragonheart, Daylight, xXx, and The Fast and the Furious.^[4] He also directed the critical and commercial flop Stealth. Cohen produced the comedy horror film The Monster Squad and will direct the upcoming remake.^[5] He directed Alex Cross in 2012.

Personal life

He has four children: Kyle Cohen, from a previous marriage, and triplets, two daughters Jasi and Zoe (Jasi named after the village he revitalized in Indonesia) and son Sean. Kyle reverted his name to the family's original surname Cashulin.^[6] Cohen is married to Barbara (Lardera), an Italian former model; the two married in 2006.^[7][8]

Filmography

As director

• A Small Circle of Friends (1980)
• Scandalous (1984) (TV)
• Miami Vice (1984) (TV – episode 1.18 "Made for Each Other," episode 1.21 "Evan" and episode 2.12 "Definitely Miami")
• Hooperman (1987) (TV)
• thirtysomething (1987) (TV)
• The Antagonists (1991) (TV)
• Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (1993)
• Dragonheart (1996)
• Daylight (1996)
• The Guardian (1997) (TV)
• The Rat Pack (1998) (TV)
• The Skulls (2000)
• The Fast and the Furious (2001)
• xXx (2002)
• Rammstein: Music video for "Feuer frei!" (2002)
• Stealth (2005)
• The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008)
• Alex Cross (2012)
• The Boy Next Door (2015)

As producer

• Mahogany (1975) (producer)
• The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings (1976) (producer)
• Scott Joplin (1977) (executive producer)
• Thank God It's Friday (1978) (producer)
• Almost Summer (1978) (producer)
• The Wiz (1978) (producer)
• Amateur Night at the Dixie Bar and Grill (1979) (TV) (executive producer)
• The Razor's Edge (1984) (executive producer)
• The Legend of Billie Jean (1985) (producer)
• Light of Day (1987) (producer)
• The Witches of Eastwick (1987) (executive producer)
• The Monster Squad (1987) (executive producer and also producer)
• The Running Man (1987) (executive producer)
• Ironweed (1987) (executive producer)
• The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988) (executive producer)
• Disorganized Crime (1989) (executive producer)
• Bird on a Wire (1990) (producer)
• The Hard Way (1991) (producer)
• Relentless: Mind of a Killer (TV) (1993) (executive producer)
• Knight Rider 2010 (1994) (TV) (executive producer)
• Vanishing Son (1994) (TV) (executive producer)
• Vanishing Son II (1994) (TV) (executive producer)
• Vanishing Son III (1994) (TV) (executive producer)
• Vanishing Son IV (1994) (TV) (executive producer)
• The Last Ride (2005) (TV) (executive producer)
• XXX: State of the Union (2005) (executive producer)

As writer

• The Last Ride (2005) (TV) (story by)

References

1. Lussier, Germain (August 3, 2008). "Rob Cohen, Newburgh native, directs 'The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor'". Times Herald-Record.
2. Adherents.com
3. Rob Cohen interview at reviewgraveyard.com
4. Paramount hires cousins to pen 'Monster Squad' remake (exclusive)
5. "The Monster Squad Remake Scores Scribes". Dread Central.
6. Portfolio of Advertising Work
7. Baltimore Sun
8. "Barbara Lardera and Rob Cohen". Variety. April 24, 2006.

External links

• Rob Cohen at the Internet Movie Database
• Rare 1989–1990 Footage of Rob Cohen Directing Dick Wolf's "Nasty Boys"