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Morris Mike Medavoy (born January 21, 1941) is an American film producer and executive, co-founder of Orion Pictures (1978), former chairman of TriStar Pictures, former head of production for United Artists (1974–1978) and current chairman and CEO of Phoenix Pictures. Medavoy was born in Shanghai, China in 1941 to Russian-Jewish parents, and lived in Chile from 1947 to 1959, where he learned to speak Spanish fluently. He graduated from UCLA in 1963. Medavoy began his career at Universal Studios in 1964. In 1965 he became an agent at the General Artist Corporation and later moving into... MORE

Morris Mike Medavoy (born January 21, 1941) is an American film producer and executive, co-founder of Orion Pictures (1978), former chairman of TriStar Pictures, former head of production for United Artists (1974–1978) and current chairman and CEO of Phoenix Pictures. Medavoy was born in Shanghai, China in 1941 to Russian-Jewish parents, and lived in Chile from 1947 to 1959, where he learned to speak Spanish fluently. He graduated from UCLA in 1963. Medavoy began his career at Universal Studios in 1964. In 1965 he became an agent at the General Artist Corporation and later moving into the vice president position of the Creative Management Agency. Later he joined Creative Management as its vice president of the motion picture department in 1967. There, he worked with Steven Spielberg and Francis Ford Coppola amongst others and headed to IFA in 1970. In 1974, United Artists brought Medavoy in as senior vice president of production. There, he was part of the team responsible for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Rocky, and Annie Hall, which won best Pictures Oscars® in 1975, 1976 and 1977 respectively. United Artists made a number of other notable films at the time, including LESS