Lawrence Gordon

Lawrence Gordon’s career? Man, that’s a wild ride through Hollywood history. He kicked things off in Yazoo City, Mississippi, made his way out to LA in the 60s, and just started stacking up wins. First, he’s hustling with Aaron Spelling at Four Star Television, climbing the ladder from assistant to writer to producer. Then he’s scooped up by ABC, running talent development, before hopping over to Bob Banner Associates. By ’68, he’s at American International Pictures, first tinkering with scripts as Story Editor, then running the show as VP. The guy’s fingerprints are all over cult classics—Pam Grier’s “Coffy” and “Foxy Brown,” John Milius’ “Dillinger,” and even the trippy animated hit “Heavy Traffic.” Plus, he rubbed elbows with Roger Corman. Not too shabby. He splits from AIP, launches his own shingle, and takes a shot on Walter Hill with “Hard Times.” Boom, more hits: “Rolling Thunder,” “The Driver,” “Hooper,” and the cult magnet “The Warriors.” Seriously, the pop culture impact of that one just won’t quit—video games, Broadway concepts, you name it. The 80s roll in, and he’s still not slowing down. After “Xanadu,” he links back up with Spelling for “Matt Houston,” then drops “48 Hrs.” with Nick Nolte and a rookie Eddie Murphy, basically inventing the buddy cop formula everyone copies now. Then there’s “Streets of Fire,” “Brewster’s Millions,” and a big gig at Fox, where he helps launch “Aliens” with James Cameron and even sets the stage for “The Simpsons.” The guy just keeps changing the game, decade after decade.