Director/producer ROBERT ZEMECKIS earned the Best Director Oscar
for "Forrest Gump," which also was named Best Picture and earned
Tom Hanks the Best Actor Oscar. His other films include the box-office
smash "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?," which became the top-grossing
film of 1988. In 1985, he directed and co-wrote "Back to the Future,"
which also topped the annual box-office chart. Zemeckis went on to direct
the film's two sequels, completing one of the most popular film trilogies
ever. His other films include "Romancing the Stone," "Death
Becomes Her," "Used Cars" and "I Wanna Hold Your Hand."
He executive produced "The Frighteners," "The Public Eye"
and "Trespass," which he co-wrote with Bob Gale. Gale and Zemeckis
also wrote "1941," which began their professional relationship
with Steven Spielberg. Zemeckis has also directed several projects for
the small screen, including an episode of Spielberg's "Amazing Stories"
and an episode of HBO's "Tales from the Crypt."
Producer STEVE STARKEY earned an Academy Award as one of the producers
of the Best Picture Oscar-winner "Forrest Gump," directed by Robert
Zemeckis. Starkey's professional relationship with Zemeckis began in 1986,
when Starkey associate produced "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" and
continued with the second and third films in the "Back to the Future"
trilogy, on which he served again as associate producer. Their collaboration
continued as Starkey and Zemeckis produced Zemeckis' "Death Becomes
Her" and then "Forrest Gump." Starkey also co-produced the
comedy farce "Noises Off."
Early in his entertainment career, Starkey worked with George Lucas at Lucasfilm
Ltd., where he was an assistant film editor on "The Empire Strikes
Back" and "Return of the Jedi." He later edited documentary
films for Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment and was associate producer
of Spielberg's "Amazing Stories" television anthology series.
Screenwriter MICHAEL GOLDENBERG wrote and directed "Bed of Roses,"
starring Christian Slater and Mary Stuart Masterson. An accomplished playwright
with a degree from Carnegie-Mellon University, his play, "Down the
Stream" was originally developed by the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center
and was later produced in New York with a grant from the American Academy/Institute
of Arts & Letters. Having written a number of original screenplays,
he is currently at work on a new script which he will also direct.
Co-producer, author and story contributor CARL SAGAN serves as the
David Duncan Professor of Astronomy and Space Sciences and Director of Laboratory
for the Planetary Studies at Cornell University. Sagan has played a leading
role in the American space program since its inception, serving as a consultant
and advisor to NASA since the 1950s. He has received the Pulitzer Prize
and is the author of many best-selling books, notably Cosmos, which became
the best-selling science book ever published in the English language. The
accompanying Emmy and Peabody award-winning series, hosted by Sagan, has
been seen by 500 million people in 60 countries. He has received 22 honorary
degrees from American colleges and universities, and his newest best-seller,
The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark, was recently published.
Co-producer and story contributor ANN DRUYAN was co-writer of the
Emmy and Peabody Award-winning series "Cosmos" and served as creative
director of the NASA Voyager Interstellar Record Project, which designed
a complex message consisting of music, images and ideas for possible interception
by alien civilizations that was placed aboard the Voyager spacecraft. Druyan
is the author or co-author of several books, including Comet and Shadows
of Forgotten Ancestors and is a frequent contributor to many magazines.
She continues to be a noted lecturer and authority on a broad range of
issues.
Executive producer JOAN BRADSHAW previously worked with Robert Zemeckis
on the second and third installments in the "Back to the Future"
series and as co-producer/unit production manager on "Death Becomes
Her." She was executive producer/unit production manager of "Nine
Months" and co-producer/unit production manager on the box-office smash
"Mrs. Doubtfire" and "Terminal Velocity." Bradshaw's
additional film credits include "Noises Off," "One Good Cop,"
"Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" and "Alien Nation."
She also worked on Steven Spielberg's "Amazing Stories" television
series.
Executive producer LYNDA OBST produced this fall's romantic comedy,
"One Fine Day," starring Michelle Pfeiffer and George Clooney.
She previously produced "The Fisher King," "This is My Life"
and "Adventures in Babysitting" and executive produced "Sleepless
in Seattle." A former New York Times editor and author, she moved
to film in 1979 and developed "Flashdance" and "Clue"
while working with Peter Guber. In 1993, she signed an extensive multi-picture
deal with Twentieth-Century Fox, where she has many projects currently in
development. Obst's recent non-fiction book, Hello He Lied, has become
a best-seller.
Director of photography DON BURGESS received an Academy Award nomination
for his work on Robert Zemeckis' "Forrest Gump." His other films
include "The Evening Star," "Forget Paris," "Richie
Rich," "Blind Fury," "Under the Boardwalk," "Mo'
Money" and "Josh and S.A.M." He previously shot second
unit photography on "Batman" and "Backdraft" and on
Zemeckis' second and third films in the "Back to the Future" trilogy.
For television, Burgess and Zemeckis collaborated on the episode of HBO's
"Tales from the Crypt" entitled "Yellow," which brought
Burgess an ACE Award nomination. His other television credits include "Breaking
Point," for which he earned an ACE Award, and "The Court Martial
of Jackie Robinson," which earned him an A.S.C. Award nomination.
"Contact" marks ED VERREAUX's debut as production designer,
having worked as an art director or assistant art director on numerous films
including "How to Make An American Quilt," "Casper,"
"Blue Chips," "The Distinguished Gentleman," "Honey
I Blew Up the Kid," "Back to the Future II" and "Back
to the Future III."
Prior to becoming an art director, Verreaux served as a production illustrator
on Steven Spielberg's "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," "Empire
of the Sun," "The Color Purple," "Indiana Jones and
the Temple of Doom," "E.T. The Extra Terrestrial" and "Raiders
of the Lost Ark." His work has also included visual effects and conceptual
design for such films as "Jurassic Park," "Twins" and
"Coneheads."
Editor ARTHUR SCHMIDT has been honored with two Academy Awards, the
most recent for his masterful blending of the past and present in Zemeckis'
"Forrest Gump." He earned his first Oscar for another Zemeckis
hit, "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" In addition, Schmidt has worked
with Zemeckis on all three "Back to the Future" films, as well
as "Death Becomes Her." His other credits include "The Birdcage,"
"Addams Family Values," "The Last of the Mohicans,"
"Ruthless People," "Coal Miner's Daughter" and "Marathon
Man."
For television, Schmidt earned an Emmy Award as well as an Eddie Award for
his work on the telefilm "The Jericho Mile."
Composer ALAN SILVESTRI scored Robert Zemeckis' "Forrest Gump,"
which earned him nominations from the Academy and the Golden Globes for
Best Score. In addition to "Forrest Gump," he has scored six
other motion pictures for director Zemeckis before "Contact":
"Romancing the Stone," all three "Back to the Future"
films, "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" and "Death Becomes Her."
Silvestri's other recent credits include "Eraser," "Sgt.
Bilko," "Grumpier Old Men," "Father of the Bride Part
II," "Judge Dredd," "The Perez Family," "The
Quick and the Dead," "Richie Rich," "Blown Away,"
"The Bodyguard" and the first "Grumpy Old Men." His
additional film music credits include "Judgment Night," "Super
Mario Bros.," "FernGully: The Last Rainforest," "Father
of the Bride," "Shattered," "Ricochet," "Soapdish,"
"Predator 2," "Young Guns II," "The Abyss,"
"Overboard," "Predator," "Outrageous Fortune,"
"Flight of the Navigator," "Clan of the Cave Bear,"
"American Anthem" and "Fandango."
Costume designer JOANNA JOHNSTON is collaborating with Zemeckis for
the sixth time after such previous outings on "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?,"
with Johnston designing costumes for both live-action and animated characters.
She followed that success with the second and third films of the "Back
to the Future" trilogy, "Death Becomes Her" and most recently,
"Forrest Gump," for which she deisgned costumes spanning 25 years
of American history. Her other films include "Indiana Jones and the
Last Crusade" and "Far and Away."
A noted expert on period dress, Johnston was the second unit costume designer
for "The Color Purple" and co-designer for "Out of Africa."
Visual effects supervisor KEN RALSTON, a five-time Academy Award
winner, worked with Robert Zemeckis on "Forrest Gump," "Death
Becomes Her," "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?," and the "Back
to the Future" trilogy and won Academy Awards for his efforts on "Forrest
Gump," "Death Becomes Her," "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?,"
"Cocoon" and "Return of the Jedi."
Following nearly two decades as a visual effects supervisor for Industrial
Light & Magic, Ralston joined Sony Imageworks as its President in December
of 1995. At ILM, Ralston placed his aesthetic and technical stamp on many
of that company's landmark film innovations. In addition to the films noted
above, he also designed and executed the visual effects for such top-grossing
motion pictures as "Out of Africa," "Star Trek IV: The Voyage
Home," "Sabrina" and "Jumanji."
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