Art Linson

Production

Art Linson

Born 1942-03-16 · Chicago, Illinois, USA

Art Linson (born 1942) is an American film producer, director and screenwriter. He was born in Chicago, Illinois. His directorial debut was the 1980 comedy, Where the Buffalo Roam, which was loosely based on stories by Hunter S. Thompson and starred Bill Murray as the writer. He also directed 1984's The Wild Life. Linson has produced many films including Car Wash, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Fight Club, Melvin and Howard and the Brian De Palma films The Untouchables, Casualties of War, and The Black Dahlia. He has worked with Michael Mann, David Mamet, and Cameron Crowe. He produced Sunset Strip with his son John. His writing credits include the film American Hot Wax and two books, What Just Happened? Bitter Hollywood Tales from the Front Line (ISBN 1-58234-240-7), which was adapted into the film What Just Happened, and A Pound of Flesh: Perilous Tales of How to Produce Movies in Hollywood (ISBN 0-8021-3551-X). He is an executive producer for the FX drama series Sons of Anarchy. Linson produced a film based on the band The Runaways, with his son John Linson as a co-producer.

Acting credits

Behind the camera

Fight Club poster
8.4

A ticking-time-bomb insomniac and a slippery soap salesman channel primal male aggression into a shocking new form of therapy. Their concept catches on, with underground "fight clubs" forming in every town, until an eccentric gets in the way and ignites an out-of-control spiral toward oblivion.

Fight Club

1999

Heat poster
7.9

Obsessive master thief Neil McCauley leads a top-notch crew on various daring heists throughout Los Angeles while determined detective Vincent Hanna pursues him without rest. Each man recognizes and respects the ability and the dedication of the other even though they are aware their cat-and-mouse game may end in violence.

Heat

1995

Into the Wild poster
7.8

After graduating from Emory University in 1992, top student and athlete Christopher McCandless abandons his possessions, gives his entire $24,000 savings account to charity, and hitchhikes to Alaska to live in the wilderness.

Into the Wild

2007

The Untouchables poster
7.8

Elliot Ness, an ambitious prohibition agent, is determined to take down Al Capone. In order to achieve this goal, he forms a group given the nickname “The Untouchables”.

The Untouchables

1987

Fast Times at Ridgemont High poster
6.8

A group of Southern-California high school students ignore their studies in favor of indulging in their teenage distractions.

Fast Times at Ridgemont High

1982

The Black Dahlia poster
5.6

In 1940s Los Angeles, two former boxers-turned-cops must grapple with corruption, narcissism, stag films and family madness as they pursue the killer of an aspiring young actress.

The Black Dahlia

2006

The Edge poster
6.9

The plane carrying wealthy Charles Morse crashes down in the Alaskan wilderness. Together with the two other passengers, photographer Robert and assistant Stephen, Charles devises a plan to help them reach civilization. However, his biggest obstacle might not be the elements, or even the Kodiak bear stalking them -- it could be Robert, whom Charles suspects is having an affair with his wife and would not mind seeing him dead.

The Edge

1997

This Boy's Life poster
7.1

When a son and mother move to Seattle in hopes for a better life, the mother meets a seemingly polite man. Things go south when the man turns out to be abusive, endangering their lives. As the mother struggles to maintain hope in an impossible situation, the son has plans to escape.

This Boy's Life

1993

Great Expectations poster
6.7

Loosely based on the Charles Dickens' classic novel, "Great Expectations" is a sensual tale of a young man's unforgettable passage into manhood, and the three individuals who will undeniably change his life forever. Through the surprising interactions of these vivid characters, "Great Expectations" takes a unique and contemporary look at life's great coincidences.

Great Expectations

1998

Scrooged poster
6.8

Frank Cross is a wildly successful television executive whose cold ambition and curmudgeonly nature has driven away the love of his life. But after firing a staff member on Christmas Eve, Frank is visited by a series of ghosts who give him a chance to re-evaluate his actions and right the wrongs of his past.

Scrooged

1988

Casualties of War poster
7.2

During the Vietnam War, a soldier finds himself the outsider of his own squad when they unnecessarily kidnap a female villager.

Casualties of War

1989

Heist poster
6.3

Joe Moore has a job he loves. He's a thief. His job goes sour when he gets caught on security camera tape. His fence, Bergman, reneges on the money he's owed, and his wife may be betraying him with the fence's young lieutenant. Moore and his partner, Bobby Blane, and their utility man, Pinky Pincus, find themselves broke, betrayed, and blackmailed. Moore is forced to commit his crew to do one last big job.

Heist

2001

Pushing Tin poster
5.9

Two air traffic controllers who thrive on living dangerously compete to outdo each other on several levels.

Pushing Tin

1999

Point of No Return poster
6.2

Hardened criminal Maggie Hayward's consistent violence, even in police custody, ends in the execution chamber. However, top-secret US government agent 'Bob' arranges a staged death, so Maggie can be elaborately trained as a phantom killer and subdued into obedience.

Point of No Return

1993

Spartan poster
6.2

U.S. government agent Scott is assigned to rescue the daughter of a high-ranking government official. As willing as he is to bend the rules to get things done, though, Scott is shocked to find that others are willing to go even further to protect a political career.

Spartan

2004

The Comedian poster
5.7

An aging comic icon, Jackie Burke, has seen better days. Despite his efforts to reinvent himself and his comic genius, the audience only wants to know him as the former television character he once played. Already a strain on his younger brother and his wife, Jackie is forced to serve out a sentence doing community service for accosting an audience member. While there, he meets Harmony, the daughter of a sleazy Florida real estate mogul, and the two find inspiration in one another, resulting in surprising consequences.

The Comedian

2016

The Comedian poster
5.7

An aging comic icon, Jackie Burke, has seen better days. Despite his efforts to reinvent himself and his comic genius, the audience only wants to know him as the former television character he once played. Already a strain on his younger brother and his wife, Jackie is forced to serve out a sentence doing community service for accosting an audience member. While there, he meets Harmony, the daughter of a sleazy Florida real estate mogul, and the two find inspiration in one another, resulting in surprising consequences.

The Comedian

2016

We're No Angels poster
6.2

Two escaped cons' only prayer to escape is to pass themselves off as priests and pass by the police blockade at the border into the safety of Canada.

We're No Angels

1989

The Outsider poster
6.2

A former American G.I. joins a yakuza family after his release from prison in post-World War II Osaka.

The Outsider

2018

Where the Buffalo Roam poster
5.9

Semi-biographical film based on the experiences of gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson.

Where the Buffalo Roam

1980

Where the Buffalo Roam poster
5.9

Semi-biographical film based on the experiences of gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson.

Where the Buffalo Roam

1980

The Runaways poster
6.5

Joan Jett and Cherie Currie, two rebellious teenagers from Southern California, become the frontwomen for The Runaways -- the now-legendary group that paved the way for future generations of female rockers. Under the Svengali-like influence of impresario Kim Fowley, the band becomes a huge success.

The Runaways

2010

What Just Happened poster
5.4

During the course of an ordinary week in Hollywood, movie producer Ben must navigate his way through shark-infested waters as he struggles to complete his latest projects. A demanding studio boss demands extensive changes to a movie starring Sean Penn, while another chief won't greenlight a project unless star Bruce Willis shaves his beard. Meanwhile, Ben tries to reconcile with his wife and maintain a relationship with his young daughter.

What Just Happened

2008

What Just Happened poster
5.4

During the course of an ordinary week in Hollywood, movie producer Ben must navigate his way through shark-infested waters as he struggles to complete his latest projects. A demanding studio boss demands extensive changes to a movie starring Sean Penn, while another chief won't greenlight a project unless star Bruce Willis shaves his beard. Meanwhile, Ben tries to reconcile with his wife and maintain a relationship with his young daughter.

What Just Happened

2008