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Elie Samaha is a Actor, Director, Scriptwriter and Producer Libanais born on 10 may 1955 at Zahlé (Liban)

Elie Samaha

Elie Samaha
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Birth name Elie Kheir Samaha
Nationality Liban
Birth 10 may 1955 (68 years) at Zahlé (Liban)

Elie Samaha (Arabic: إيلي سماحة) (born 10 May 1955, Zahlé, Lebanon) is a nightclub owner, real estate entrepreneur, and film producer in Los Angeles, with production credits beginning with The Immortals in 1995. Samaha has produced over 83 works, primarily films along with some video games. The only award he has won was a Worst Picture Razzie, which he shared with John Travolta and Jonathan D. Krane, for Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000.

From 1998 to 2004, Samaha produced films under the Franchise Pictures studio title, which included films such as Battlefield Earth.

Samaha specialized in rescuing stars' pet projects. Franchise sought out stars whose projects were stalled at the major studios, bringing them aboard at reduced salaries. Samaha's approach made waves in Hollywood, earning him a reputation of being able to produce star vehicles more cheaply than the larger studios. His unorthodox deals raised eyebrows and the entertainment industry magazine Variety commented that they were "often so complex and variable as to leave outsiders scratching their heads". As Samaha put it, "I said, 'If John [Travolta] wants to make this movie, what does he want to get paid?' ... Because I do not pay anybody what they make. That is not my business plan.

Best films

The Whole Nine Yards (2000)
(Executive Producer)
Driven (2001)
(Producer)

Usually with

Andrew Stevens
Andrew Stevens
(35 films)
Don Carmody
Don Carmody
(12 films)
Avi Lerner
Avi Lerner
(12 films)
Tia Carrere
Tia Carrere
(6 films)
Source : Wikidata

Filmography of Elie Samaha (70 films)

Display filmography as list

Actor

20 Dates
20 Dates (1999)
, 1h27
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Romance
Actors Tia Carrere, Robert McKee, Elie Samaha
Roles Voice of the Producer (voice)
Rating56% 2.801322.801322.801322.801322.80132
Oscillant entre le cinema direct, le cinema verite et le documentaire, "20 dates" est en fait un film de fiction qui met en scene le realisateur, citoyen ordinaire de Los Angeles qui, a la recherche d'une petite amie, decide de filmer ses rencontres. "Pas besoin, declare-t-il, d'avoir le budget de "Titanic". C'est aussi un sujet riche, contemporain et social qui offre de passer du drame a l'humour, du rire aux larmes. Quoi de plus drole qu'un rendez-vous? Quoi de plus stressant? Et de plus, cela nous concerne tous...".

Director

Angel Eyes
Angel Eyes (2001)
, 1h42
Directed by Mark Canton, Elie Samaha, Luis Mandoki
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller, Romance
Actors Jennifer Lopez, Jim Caviezel, Jeremy Sisto, Terrence Howard, Sônia Braga, Victor Argo
Rating57% 2.8527152.8527152.8527152.8527152.852715
On a wet rainy night in Chicago, police officer Sharon Pogue (Jennifer Lopez) is at the scene of a serious traffic accident holding the hand of one of the victims, pleading that he hold on and not give up. One year later, Sharon is frustrated with the men she dates, and has become estranged from her family for having her father arrested for beating her mother Josephine (Sonia Braga). Her father and brother, Larry (Jeremy Sisto), have never forgiven her, and her anger is affecting her police work.

Scriptwriter

The Immortals, 1h38
Directed by Richard Donner, Brian Grant
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller, Action, Crime
Themes Medical-themed films, Transport films, Films about automobiles, Road movies, Chase films, HIV/AIDS in film
Actors Eric Roberts, Joe Pantoliano, Tia Carrere, Tony Curtis, Clarence Williams III, William Forsythe
Roles Story
Rating54% 2.706962.706962.706962.706962.70696
A crafty nightclub owner (Jack) brings together a group of small time hoods and teams them up in unusual pairs (black man and white racist, Ivy Leaguer and simpleton) for a set of multiple heists which turn out to be an elaborate double cross against a notorious gangster (Dominic). During an extended standoff in a nightclub between Jack and his band of thieves and Dominic's henchman, the hoods discover why Jack brought them all together for what amounts to a suicidal mission.

Producer

Columbus Day, 1h30
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller, Action, Crime
Actors Val Kilmer, Marg Helgenberger, Wilmer Valderrama, Bobb'e J. Thompson, Ashley Johnson, Michael Muhney
Roles Executive Producer
Rating52% 2.6011052.6011052.6011052.6011052.601105
A thief has just one morning to fix the damage done during the biggest heist of his career, all while attempting to repair his relationship with his ex-wife.
7-10 Split
7-10 Split (2007)
, 1h30
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Comedy
Themes Sports films
Actors Tara Reid, Ross Patterson, Vinnie Jones, Robyn Lively, Clayne Crawford, Ray Wise
Roles Executive Producer
Rating42% 2.112582.112582.112582.112582.11258
An aspiring actor whose career is in the dumps exploits his amazing bowling skills to take the PBA by storm and becomes rich and famous, only to lose his best girl and best friend.
The Flock
The Flock (2007)
, 1h45
Directed by Andrew Lau
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller, Crime
Actors Richard Gere, Claire Danes, KaDee Strickland-Behr, Ray Wise, Matt Schulze, Avril Lavigne
Roles Producer
Rating57% 2.8505052.8505052.8505052.8505052.850505
A hyper-vigilant agent of the Department of Public Safety Erroll Babbage (Richard Gere) checks on registered sex offenders. Burnt out after a long career, he has become frustrated with the system of sex offender monitoring. With little faith in humanity left he takes on one last job to find a missing girl (Kristina Sisco).
If I Had Known I Was a Genius, 1h42
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Comedy, Comedy-drama
Actors Whoopi Goldberg, Keith David, David Denman, Debra Wilson, Sharon Stone, Tara Reid
Roles Executive producer
Rating48% 2.409232.409232.409232.409232.40923
Michael (Markus Redmond) is an African-American boy with a genius I.Q. His family refuses to encourage him and tries to bring him down, and his mother (Whoopi Goldberg) nicknames him "Ugly". Michael enrolls in a high school drama class and finds encouragement from an eccentric teacher.
Game of Life
Directed by Joseph Merhi
Origin USA
Genres Drama
Actors Tom Sizemore, Tom Arnold, Heather Locklear, Jill Hennessy, Richard T. Jones, Orson Bean
Roles Executive producer
Rating50% 2.522892.522892.522892.522892.52289
The film plot follows a children's soccer team which is the common link for a multi-layered story giving a candid look into the intersecting lives of five families living in Los Angeles. Oranges examines the complexities of racial and class divisions, and reveals that despite the fragile volatility of human relationships, family is what holds us together and unites us all.
American Loser, 1h33
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Biography, Comedy, Comedy-drama, Romance
Themes Films about disabilities
Actors Seann William Scott, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Kevin Conway, Gretchen Mol, Denis O'Hare, Jayce Bartok
Roles Producer
Rating54% 2.701932.701932.701932.701932.70193
American Loser is a comedy-drama based upon the experiences of comedian Jeff Nichols; it follows Jeff as he encounters a remarkable variety of personal and emotional problems.
The Anna Nicole Smith Story, 1h27
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Biography
Themes Films about television
Actors Willa Ford, Anna Nicole Smith, Lesli Kay, Martin Landau, Bobby Trendy, Allison Dunbar
Roles Executive Producer
Rating41% 2.0729252.0729252.0729252.0729252.072925
Vickie Lynn Hogan, une mère célibataire de 17 ans, rêve de devenir mannequin et actrice, comme son modèle, Marilyn Monroe. Alors qu'elle travaille comme strip-teaseuse, elle rencontre J. Howard Marshall qui la prend sous son aile et l'invite à venir vivre chez lui, elle et son fils, Daniel.
I Could Never Be Your Woman, 1h37
Directed by Amy Heckerling
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Comedy, Romantic comedy, Romance
Actors Michelle Pfeiffer, Paul Rudd, Sarah Alexander, Stacey Dash, Jon Lovitz, Fred Willard
Roles Executive Producer
Rating59% 2.9988752.9988752.9988752.9988752.998875
Rosie (Michelle Pfeiffer), is a 40-year-old divorced mother who works as a scriptwriter and producer for a TV show You Go Girl. Rosie is insecure about her age, and uses cosmetics to maintain her appearance. She has a very close relationship with her thirteen-year-old daughter, Izzie (Saoirse Ronan), which becomes even closer when she learns that she has fallen for a boy in her class named Dylan (Rory Copus). Despite her ex-husband's urging that she start dating again, she has no man in her life. To the dismay of Rosie and David (David Mitchell), her British co-writer, her boss, Marty (Fred Willard) decides that the show may no longer cover controversial subjects, so Rosie decides to cast a new character for the show. She is taken by Adam (Paul Rudd), a bright and charming young man from one of her auditions, and decides to cast him as a new, nerdy character to fall for the character played by her arrogant and self-centred lead actress, Brianna (Stacey Dash). Adam's character is well received by test audiences, and Rosie persuades Marty to give him a chance.
Tristan & Isolde, 2h5
Directed by Kevin Reynolds
Origin German
Genres Drama, Action, Adventure, Historical, Romance
Themes Films about sexuality, Children's films
Actors James Franco, Sophia Myles, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Rufus Sewell, David O'Hara, Mark Strong
Roles Producer
Rating67% 3.3991853.3991853.3991853.3991853.399185
The film is set in Great Britain and Ireland, in the Dark Ages, after the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century. Lord Marke of Cornwall (Rufus Sewell) plans to unify the peoples of Britain – Celts, Angles, Saxons and Jutes – under himself as high king to resist Irish domination.
Rescue Dawn, 2h5
Directed by Werner Herzog
Origin USA
Genres Drama, War, Documentary, Action, Adventure, Historical
Themes Seafaring films, Politique, Prison films, Transport films, Aviation films, Political films, Disaster films, Films about aviation accidents or incidents, United States Armed Forces in films
Actors Christian Bale, Steve Zahn, Jeremy Davies, Marshall Bell, Toby Huss, Pat Healy
Roles Executive Producer
Rating72% 3.64783.64783.64783.64783.6478
Dieter Dengler, a German-born U.S. Navy pilot in squadron VA-145, is shot down in his A-1 Skyraider over Laos in February 1966, while on a combat mission. He survives the crash only to be pursued, and ultimately captured, by the Pathet Lao. Dengler is given the chance for leniency by the Province Governor if he signs a document condemning America, but he refuses. He is tortured and taken to a prison camp. There he meets fellow American military soldiers and pilots, such as Gene DeBruin and Duane W. Martin, along with Y.C., Procet, and Phisit, some of whom have been captive for years. Dengler begins planning an escape, much to the disbelief of his fellow combatants, who have been downtrodden through physical and psychological torture by the camp guards.
Van Wilder 2: The Rise of Taj, 1h32
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Romance
Themes Films about sexuality, Erotic films
Actors Kal Penn, Lauren Cohan, Daniel Percival, Glen Barry, Amy Steel, Anthony Cozens
Roles Producer
Rating48% 2.402042.402042.402042.402042.40204
Taj Badalandabad (Kal Penn), the personal assistant to the legendary Van Wilder, has just graduated Coolidge College and is now on his way to England's Camford University. Taj plans to follow in the footsteps of his father- not only by obtaining a degree, but also to become a member of an exclusive campus Fraternal Guild, the Fox and Hounds, where Taj hopes he will become the next generation of Badalandabads to be deservedly nicknamed the "Sultan of Snatch."
Into the Sun, 1h37
Directed by Christopher Morrison
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller, Martial arts, Action, Adventure, Martial arts
Themes Mafia films, Seafaring films, Sports films, Transport films, Martial arts films, Yakuza films, Gangster films
Actors Matt Davis, Takao Ōsawa, William Atherton, Juliette Marquis, Ken Lo, Steven Seagal
Roles Producer
Rating43% 2.1537352.1537352.1537352.1537352.153735
The assassination of Tokyo governor Takayama (Mac Yasuda) causes a stir of public outrage in Tokyo, Japan. Upon hearing the news of the incident, the FBI asks the CIA's Tokyo office to investigate the killing, believing it to be linked to the Yakuza, a dangerous Japanese mafia. Retired CIA agent Travis Hunter (Steven Seagal) and rookie FBI agent Sean Mac (Matthew Davis) are assigned to work on the case and to track down the perpetrators. The Japanese branch of the CIA starts sniffing around under the auspices of Homeland Security. During work, Mac proves to be more of a distraction, not really knowledgeable about procedures or Japanese customs. Hunter was raised in Japan, and has a strong understanding of the Yakuza and their mysterious, eccentric, and sinister ways.