Ashok Amritraj Chairman and CEO Hyde Park Entertainment
A landmark figure in contemporary entertainment, Ashok Amritraj has produced or executive produced over 100 films during the span of his 30- year career, with a worldwide gross in excess of $2 billion. He has partnered with every major studio in Hollywood, and produced films starring Bruce Willis, Sandra Bullock, Sylvester Stallone, Angelina Jolie, Cate Blanchett, Dustin Hoffman, Steve Martin, Antonio Banderas, Robert DeNiro, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Kate Hudson, Kurt Russell, Dakota Fanning, Nicolas Cage and many more.
As Chairman and CEO of the Hyde Park Entertainment Group, Amritraj has grown the company into a cutting-edge independent alternative to the traditional Hollywood studio system, fully realizing his vision of a progressive global company that incorporates the most essential elements of a full-fledged studio. Hyde Park’s offerings encompass live-action, animation and cross-cultural cinema, and is capable of developing, producing and financing projects, as well as handling international sales and marketing.
Amritraj’s GHOST RIDER: SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE in partnership with Sony Pictures Entertainment starring Nicolas Cage, Idris Elba, Violante Placido, and Ciarán Hinds released in early 2012 grossed $ 132 million. In 2010 and 2011, Amritraj’s Hyde Park International saw the release of Robert Rodriguez’s MACHETE , starring Robert DeNiro, Jessica Alba and Danny Trejo, as well as the award-winning drama BLUE VALENTINE , starring Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams, and THE DOUBLE , starring Richard Gere, Topher Grace and Martin Sheen.
Amritraj's Hyde Park and Imagenation Abu Dhabi partnered in November 2008 on a $250 million financing deal to develop, produce and distribute up to 20 feature films over seven years – with additional financing for the production of cross-cultural films. In October 2009, they extended their partnership to create a strategic alliance with Singapore’s Media Development Authority (MDA). Under the deal, Hyde Park Imagenation Singapore was launched to fund three to four films a year worth an estimated production value of 75 million USD over the next five years.
In 2011, Amritraj expanded his domain, taking over as CEO of National Geographic Films, which joined forces in a new venture with Hyde Park and Imagenation. The venture will produce feature films, documentaries and television series designed to entertain and inspire family audiences around the world.
Amritraj’s box office hits include such films as BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE, starring Steve Martin and Academy Award-nominee Queen Latifah, and PREMONITION , starring Sandra Bullock. Additionally, Amritraj has produced several critically acclaimed films, including TRAITOR , starring Don Cheadle and Guy Pearce, SHOPGIRL , with Steve Martin and Claire Danes, and MOONLIGHT MILE , starring Dustin Hoffman, Susan Sarandon and Jake Gyllenhaal. Other successful releases include Barry Levinson’s Golden Globe-nominated comedy BANDITS , starring Cate Blanchett, Bruce Willis and Billy Bob Thornton, DREAMER, starring Kurt Russell and Dakota Fanning , the Kate Hudson feature RAISING HELEN, which was directed by Hollywood legend Garry Marshall, WALKING TALL, which starred The Rock, and many more.
In addition to the various awards garnered by his films, Amritraj received a special award from the American Indian Foundation (chaired by President Bill Clinton) for “making India and Indians proud’. He received a Certificate of Special Recognition from the United States Congress for Exemplary Public Service to the People of the United States of America, and the Producer of Vision Award for “exceptional foresight and insight, and creative contribution to the enrichment of humankind”. Amritraj was named “Producer of the Decade” by the Spirit of India Foundation, and the Indian International Film Festival awarded Amritraj for his “extraordinary contribution by an Indian in international cinema.” Korn/Ferry International recently named Amritraj one of the Most Influential South Asian Executives in Media and Entertainment.
Amritraj served on the Foreign Film Board of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, was a member of Los Angeles Board for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts and the International Council for the Emmy Awards. He currently serves on the advising board for the Dodge Film School at Chapman University.
Amritraj has pioneered the crossover cinema between India, Asia and Hollywood through film and cultural exchanges and has been called “India’s Ambassador to Hollywood”.
Amritraj was a former tennis professional, having played in every major tennis event including Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.
Amritraj lives in Los Angeles with his wife Chitra and two children.
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