James Jacks

James Jacks
Born(1947-12-29)December 29, 1947
DiedJanuary 20, 2014(2014-01-20) (aged 66)
Resting placeForest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)
Alma materCarnegie Mellon University (BS)
Cornell University (MBA)
OccupationFilm producer

James "Jim" Jacks (December 29, 1947 – January 20, 2014[1]) was an American film producer of several blockbuster films, and was also known for cultivating visionary independent film auteurs, having produced the first Hollywood films of Richard Linklater, Joel and Ethan Coen (the Coen Brothers), and Kevin Smith.

Born December 29, 1947, Jacks grew up in a military family. He graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a B.S. in Industrial Engineering and from Cornell University with an MBA. He was working as a Wall Street financial analyst when he decided to be a screenwriter. Unsuccessful, he became head of production at Circle Films in the early- to mid-1980s and then senior vice-president of production at Universal Studios from the late-1980s into the early-1990s. In 1992, he became an independent producer with Alphaville Films, which he co-founded with Sean Daniel. He left Alphaville Films in 2004.[2]

The shrimp parmigiana at the Los Angeles restaurant Dan Tana's is named for him.[3]

Jacks died on January 20, 2014, of a heart attack at his Los Angeles home at the age of 66.[4]

Selected filmography

He was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.

Film

Year Film Credit Notes Other notes
1987 Raising Arizona Executive producer
1993 Dazed and Confused
Heart and Souls Executive producer
Hard Target
Tombstone
1995 Village of the Damned Co-executive producer
Mallrats
1996 Michael
1997 The Jackal
1998 A Simple Plan
1999 The Mummy
2000 The Gift
2001 Down to Earth
The Mummy Returns
Rat Race Executive producer
2002 The Scorpion King
Dark Blue
2003 The Hunted
Intolerable Cruelty Executive producer
2008 The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior Direct-to-video
2012 The Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption Executive producer Direct-to-video Final film as a producer
2015 The Scorpion King 4: Quest for Power Executive producer Direct-to-video Posthumous release
2018 The Scorpion King: Book of Souls Executive producer Direct-to-video Posthumous release
Thanks
Year Film Role
1995 Mallrats The director would like to thank: For treating us like the Coens as opposed to the twenty-something know-nothings we really are
2000 Attention Shoppers Special thanks
2016 Everybody Wants Some!! In remembrance: A guy who loved movies

Television

Year Title Credit Notes
1996 Don't Look Back Executive producer Television film
2001 Attila Executive producer

References

  1. ^ "James R. Jacks Obituary". Los Angeles Times. January 30, 2014. Retrieved 6 September 2018 – via Legacy.com.
  2. ^ Thompson, Anne (January 21, 2014). "RIP 'Mummy' and 'Raising Arizona' Producer James Jacks, Who Died of a Heart Attack Monday". Indiewire.com. Penske Business Media, LLC. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  3. ^ "Home". dantanasrestaurant.com.
  4. ^ McNary, Dave (January 20, 2014). "'The Mummy,' 'Dazed and Confused' Producer James Jacks Dies in Los Angeles". Variety.com. Penske Business Media, LLC. Retrieved 5 September 2018.