Rob Weiss is an American television and film producer, screenwriter, director, and actor. His break came in 1993 when he wrote and directed Amongst Friends. The film was well received, and Weiss was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.
Life and career
Weiss, the eldest son of Lydia and Carl Weiss, was born in Baldwin, New York. He attended the Parsons School of Design, studying fashion and film, but never graduated. Unemployed, he ended up living with his father in Lawrence in the Five Towns.[1] He has attended both film and design school and worked as a promoter on Long Island, in New York City.[2]
Weiss attended Woodmere Academy with Doug Ellin, creator of the HBO series Entourage, and wrote for the show. He wrote (or co-wrote) episodes including "Aquamansion", "The Bat Mitzvah" and "The Sundance Kids".
In an August 2007 New York Observer interview with Ellin, he confirms that Weiss was the basis for the character of Billy Walsh, a perfectionist filmmaker who was a recurring character on the series. Ellin even asked Weiss if he'd play Walsh, but Weiss declined. Instead, the role went to Rhys Coiro, who looks similar to Weiss.
In 2014 Weiss partnered with Davidoff of Geneva to create the signature cigar line BG Meyer Cigar Co.;[4] its launch was lauded by Cigar Aficionado.[5]Deadline also reported Weiss was tapped by Sonny Barger and Fox 2000 to write and direct the feature film Hells Angels.[6]
^Lyall, Sarah. "FILM; 'Amongst Friends' Tops Off a Journey Of Self-Discovery", The New York Times, July 18, 1993. Accessed September 18, 2008. "Born in Baldwin, near the Five Towns, Mr. Weiss dropped out of the Parsons School of Design, where he studied fashion, then film. He found himself out of work and living goallessly back at his divorced father's house in Lawrence, smack in the Five Towns."
