Denise Di Novi
 | This biographical article is written like a résumé. (July 2016) |
Denise Di Novi | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 21, 1956 |
| Occupation(s) | Film producer, director |
Denise Di Novi is an American film producer and director.
Early life
[edit]Denise Di Novi is one of the most prominent producers in Hollywood, producing dozens of films for most of the Hollywood studios. Her most popular include Heathers, Batman Returns, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Crazy, Stupid, Love and Practical Magic, as well as Little Women starring Winona Ryder and Little Women starring Saoirse Ronan. She is the daughter of jazz musician Gene DiNovi,[1] when Di Novi was three years old her family moved to Los Angeles from New York, where her father had been a prominent Bebop jazz musician in many of the Big Bands, as well as serving as Musical Conductor for Peggy Lee, Lena Horne, Anne Margaret and Dinah Shore. In the 70's, the family moved to Toronto, Canada. Her mother Patricia McNeil Di Novi, who was a dancer in New York City on Broadway.
Career
[edit]Di Novi studied communications at Simmons College in Massachusetts, and received a degree in journalism. After working as a copy editor at the National Observer and staff writer for Canada AM, she became a reporter for Toronto's Citytv, but left to take a job as a unit publicist for Final Assignment. She became a principal in the Montreal-based production company Filmplan International, acting in various production capacities on nine major studio releases, including films with David Cronenberg. In 1983, Filmplan relocated to Los Angeles and merged with Arnold Kopelson's Film Packages.[citation needed]
Di Novi joined New World Pictures as Executive Vice President of production. She later shifted into an overall deal as an independent producer, producing Heathers (1988) starring Winona Ryder. Di Novi then headed Tim Burton Productions and was responsible for producing several films. She set up her own production company, Di Novi Pictures, in 1993, at Columbia Pictures. She then entered into a producing deal with Warner Brothers Pictures.
Di Novi has produced over 40 films. These include six from her partnership with Tim Burton, Edward Scissorhands (1990), Batman Returns (1992), The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), Cabin Boy (1994), Ed Wood (also 1994) and James and the Giant Peach (1996). She produced four films based on books by Nicholas Sparks, Message in a Bottle (1999), A Walk to Remember (2002), Nights in Rodanthe (2008) and The Lucky One (2012).
For four years, Di Novi was executive producer of The District, a CBS primetime series created by Terry George. Di Novi made her directorial debut on the thriller Unforgettable (2017), for Warner Bros.[2]
Most recently Di Novi completed a series for FX , The Veil, starring Elisabeth Moss to air in 2024.
Filmography
[edit]She was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.
Film
[edit]| Year | Film | Credit |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Going Berserk | Associate producer |
| For Those I Loved | Associate producer | |
| 1988 | Heathers | |
| 1990 | Meet the Applegates | |
| Edward Scissorhands | ||
| 1992 | Batman Returns | |
| 1993 | The Nightmare Before Christmas | |
| 1994 | Cabin Boy | |
| Ed Wood | ||
| Little Women | ||
| 1996 | James and the Giant Peach | |
| 1998 | Almost Heroes | |
| Practical Magic | ||
| 1999 | Message in a Bottle | |
| 2001 | Happy Campers | |
| Original Sin | ||
| 2002 | A Walk to Remember | |
| 2003 | What a Girl Wants | |
| 2004 | New York Minute | |
| Catwoman | ||
| 2005 | The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants | |
| 2007 | Lucky You | |
| 2008 | The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 | |
| Nights in Rodanthe | ||
| 2010 | Ramona and Beezus | |
| Life as We Know It | Executive producer | |
| 2011 | Monte Carlo | |
| Crazy, Stupid, Love | ||
| 2012 | The Lucky One | |
| 2014 | If I Stay | Executive producer |
| You're Not You | ||
| The Best of Me | ||
| 2015 | Focus | |
| Danny Collins | Executive producer | |
| 2017 | Unforgettable | |
| 2019 | Little Women | |
| 2022 | The Sky Is Everywhere | |
| TBA | The Selection |
- As director
| Year | Film |
|---|---|
| 2017 | Unforgettable |
- Miscellaneous crew
| Year | Film | Credit |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | The Lucky Star | Unit publicist |
| Final Assignment | Unit publicist | |
| 1983 | Videodrome | Creative consultant |
| Of Unknown Origin | Assistant to director | |
| 1985 | Fraternity Vacation | Production executive |
- Script and continuity department
| Year | Film | Credit |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Gas | Script coordinator |
| 1982 | Visiting Hours | Script coordinator |
- Thanks
| Year | Film | Credit |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Live Nude Girls | Special thanks |
| 2015 | The Intern | Special thanks |
Television
[edit]- As executive producer
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | The '70s | Television film |
| 2002 | Jo | Television film |
| 2003 | Eloise at the Plaza | Television film |
| Eloise at Christmastime | Television film | |
| Hotel | Television pilot | |
| 2000−2004 | The District | Television series |
| 2004 | Sudbury | Television film |
| 2017 | Beaches | Television film |
| 2021 | Ways & Means | Television pilot |
| TBA | Untitled Sarah Cooper/Cindy Chupack project | Television pilot |
| Teachable | Television pilot |
- As director
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2017 | Bones |
| 2018 | Sneaky Pete |
| Outlander | |
| Ray Donovan |
- Thanks
| Year | Title | Credit |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | The Veronica Exclusive | Dedicated to |
References
[edit]- ^ Schneller, Johanna (October 25, 2005). "The Player". The Globe & Mail. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
- ^ McNary, Dave (June 22, 2015). "Producer Denise Di Novi to Direct Thriller 'Unforgettable'".
External links
[edit]- Denise Di Novi at IMDb
- Profile of Di Novi, Lukeford.net
- Profile of Di Novi, Filmbug.com
- Movieline 1994 profile article
