Gale Anne Hurd American producer, screenwriter Date of Birth: 25.10.1955 Country: USA

Biography of Gale Anne Hurd

Gale Anne Hurd, an American producer and screenwriter, was born on October 25, 1955, in Los Angeles, California. She began her career as an assistant to Roger Corman at New World Pictures. Through her hard work and dedication, she quickly climbed the career ladder and eventually became the head of the marketing department and later the executive in charge of production.

Taking a risk, Hurd ventured into producing and co-writing James Cameron's new film, "The Terminator" (1984). Despite doubts from Orion Pictures that a sci-fi thriller with a female lead would be successful, the film's overwhelming box office success shattered preconceived notions about women producers. Hurd solidified her reputation in the adventure-action genre by producing Cameron's "Aliens" (1986), a superb sequel to Ridley Scott's original "Alien" (1979), and "The Abyss" (1989), a film that explored a failing marriage while showcasing groundbreaking visual effects.

Despite their divorce, Hurd and Cameron worked together again on the blockbuster sequel "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" (1991), which pushed the boundaries of special effects. With Richard Kobritz, Hurd produced the futuristic allegory "The Borrower" (1988), a revolutionary film that combined elements of a police drama and science fiction, as well as the critically acclaimed television series based on the film (1989-1990). She also served as the executive producer of the cult favorite "Tremors" (1990), a film about giant worm-like creatures, and the less successful police-themed film "Downtowners" (1990).

Collaborating with HBO Pictures, Hurd supervised the intriguing film "Cast a Deadly Spell" (1991), directed by Martin Campbell. She also fulfilled her duties as a creative consultant on Neil Jimenez's audaciously funny and poignant semi-autobiographical drama, "Waterdance" (1992), which focused on a group of people adapting to their physical disabilities.

Recognizing Hurd's contribution to independent cinema, the Independent Feature Project invited her to serve on the board of directors. Following a short-lived marriage to Brian De Palma, which led to the creation of the thriller "Raising Cain" (1992), Hurd oversaw various artistic films, which received mixed results at the box office despite their quality.

She produced the purely entertaining, futuristic action-adventure film "No Escape" (1994), directed by Martin Campbell and starring Ray Liotta as a man attempting to escape from a maximum-security prison. She also produced the supernatural comedy "Witch Hunt" (1994), directed by Paul Schrader, which drew parallels between McCarthyism in mid-20th century America and black magic, serving as a sequel to the earlier film "Cast a Deadly Spell."

Hurd produced the family drama "Safe Passage" (1994), which garnered attention due to legal disputes allegedly caused by one of the film's employees (the complaints were dismissed by the court) rather than for its strong performances and sentimental story about a woman (Susan Sarandon) learning that one of her sons may be killed. She also celebrated the success of the biographical film "Love and Mafia" (1995), which explored the possible relationship between singer Phyllis McGuire and notorious gangster Sam Giancana, with standout performances by Mary-Louise Parker and John Turturro.

In 1996, Hurd produced the old-fashioned drama "The Ghost and the Darkness," about lion attacks on a village being constructed in Africa, and "The Relic" (1997), a thriller about a mysterious museum exhibit. Unfortunately, "The Relic" suffered from a delayed release and being the second volcano eruption film of that year, preventing it from receiving the recognition it deserved.

Hurd showcased her skills and creativity in producing the large-scale blockbuster "Armageddon" (1998), which she co-wrote with her third husband, Jonathan Hensleigh. In this summer sci-fi extravaganza, Bruce Willis and his comrades save the world from an approaching asteroid. One year later, "Virus" (1999), a hybrid of "Alien" and "Outbreak" (1995), struggled to find an audience.

Hurd continued her producing endeavors with the sci-fi comedy "Clockstoppers" (2001) and had several other projects in the pipeline, including the third installment of the "Terminator" franchise and Ang Lee's film "Hulk," based on the popular comic book series.