Roland_Emmerich

Roland Emmerich

Roland Emmerich (born November 10, 1955) is a German film director, screenwriter, and producer.

Early life and career

Emmerich was born in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. He attended the University of Television and Film Munich from 1977 to 1981 and his student film, The Noah's Ark Principle, went on to open the 1984 Berlin Film Festival. In 1985, he founded Centropolis Film Productions (now Centropolis Entertainment) in partnership with his sister, producer Ute Emmerich.

Hoping to tap into the American market, Emmerich began directing English-language supernatural fantasy features in his native Germany. Eventually, his science-fiction film Moon 44, went straight to video in the United States and featured Dean Devlin. Having caught the attention of producer Mario Kassar, Emmerich was invited to America. Devlin would subsequently become Emmerich's writing and producing partner once Emmerich settled in Hollywood.

Hollywood director

Emmerich was hired to replace director Andrew Davis for the action movie Universal Soldier. The film was followed by two made-for-television movies and a theatrical sequel. Emmerich next helmed the science-fiction film Stargate, an unexpected success that spawned a highly popular media franchise.

Emmerich then directed Independence Day, an alien invasion feature that became the first film to gross $100 million in less than a week and went on to become one of the most successful films of all time. His next film, the much-hyped Godzilla, did not meet its anticipated box office success and was a critical failure.

After a change of pace directing the American Revolutionary War film The Patriot, Emmerich returned once again to directing a visual effects-laden adventure with 2004's The Day After Tomorrow. Soon afterwards, he founded Reelmachine, another film production company based in Germany.

Emmerich's most recent effort is 10,000 BC, a film about the journeys of a prehistoric tribe. He was slated to direct a remake of the 1966 science-fiction film Fantastic Voyage, but the project slipped back into development hell. He is currently directing 2012 , an apocalyptic film inspired by the theory that the Mayans prophesied the world's ending in 2012.

Advocacy

For several years, Emmerich has been in favor of the campaign for stunt performers to receive recognition at the Academy Awards, and has worked to raise awareness over the issue of global warming.

A chain-smoker who has been known to smoke as many as four packs of cigarettes a day, Emmerich has often included in his films characters who are trying to quit smoking, and/or warn against the dangers of tobacco use.

Emmerich, along with several other celebrities, is a producer of The 1 Second Film, a non-profit project intended to raise money for women's rights in the developing world.

In 2006, he pledged $150,000 to the Legacy Project, a campaign dedicated to gay and lesbian film preservation. Emmerich, who is openly gay, made the donation on behalf of Outfest, making it the largest gift in the festival's history. In 2007, on behalf of the LGBT community, he held a fundraiser at his Los Angeles home for Democratic Party presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

Filmography

Year	Film	Credit
1984	Das Arche Noah Prinzip	Director, writer
1985	Joey	Director, co-writer
1987	Hollywood-Monster	Director, producer, co-writer
1990	Moon 44	Director, producer, co-writer
1991	Eye of the Storm	Executive producer
1992	Universal Soldier	Director
1994	The High Crusade	Producer
1994	Stargate	Director, co-writer
1996	Independence Day	Director, co-writer, executive producer
1997	The Visitor (TV)	Co-creator, executive producer
1998	Godzilla	Director, co-writer, executive producer
1999	The Thirteenth Floor	Producer
2000	The Patriot	Director, executive producer
2001	"Infinite Possibilities" (TV commercial)	Director
2002	Eight Legged Freaks	Executive producer
2004	The Day After Tomorrow	Director, producer, co-writer
2007	Trade	Producer
2008	10,000 BC	Director, producer, co-writer
2009	2012	Director, writer
2009	Isobar	Co-writer