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Celebrity Series Lesson: Academy Award Winning Producer Ed Saxon, How Hollywood Works, Part 1

Oct 08, 2011

Edward Saxon, an Oscar winner, is a graduate of the USC Peter Stark Producing Program.  He received his undergraduate degree at McGill University.  He produced the film THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, which swept Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Picture at the Academy Awards.

Mr. Saxon also produced PHILADELPHIA (which won two Academy Awards, including Best Actor (Tom Hanks).  He produced ADAPTATION, nominated for 4 Academy Awards including Best Supporting Actor winner Chris Cooper, and the Academy Award nominated documentary MANDELA: SON OF AFRICA, FATHER OF A NATION.

Most recently, Mr. Saxon has been a producer on Enlightened, an upcoming HBO comedy series. He produced Sam Mendes' Away We Go at Focus Features in 2009, and Our Family Wedding at Fox Searchlight in 2010, which stars Forest Whitaker and America Ferrera.

Past credits also include:  Tom Hanks’ directorial debut, THAT THING YOU DO,  ULEE'S GOLD,  DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS, BELOVED, FAST FOOD NATION, SOMETHING WILD, AND MIAMI BLUES.

Saxon was a founding Advisory Board member of the Independent Film Channel, and is a mentor for the Sundance Institute, Producer's Guild, and Peter Stark Motion Picture Producing Program at USC. Mr. Saxon has extensive experience working in Haiti both as a documentary filmmaker and as an activist.  Saxon is married to the artist, Kirsten Coyne. They have two young daughters and live in Los Angeles.