Martin Brest

Martin Brest, born on August 8, 1951, is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer renowned for his diverse filmography. He made his feature debut with 'Going in Style' (1979) and quickly garnered attention with the action comedies 'Beverly Hills Cop' (1984) and 'Midnight Run' (1988), both of which achieved critical and commercial success. The Academy Award-winning 'Scent of a Woman' (1992) was another pinnacle of Brest's career, with Al Pacino's captivating performance being particularly notable. Brest's subsequent film 'Meet Joe Black' (1998) garnered mixed reviews, and the controversial and infamous 'Gigli' (2003) remains his most recent film following disagreements with Revolution Studios which led to a drastically altered final version of the movie.

Born to Eastern European immigrant parents in the Bronx, Brest was heavily influenced by television shows such as 'The Honeymooners,' and his formative experiences in his modest neighborhood directly impacted his later work. Brest's academic journey included graduating from Stuyvesant High School in 1969, the School of the Arts at New York University in 1973, and securing a Master of Fine Arts from the AFI Conservatory in 1977. Brest's undergraduate film 'Hot Dogs for Gauguin' (1972) has been selected for preservation by the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress and is a part of the Museum of Modern Art's permanent collection. His career has seen highs, with global successes like 'Beverly Hills Cop' (1984) grossing over $300 million worldwide, and lows, such as the notorious released version of 'Gigli' (2003).