James L. Brooks is a three-time Academy Award-winner and nineteen-time Emmy Award-winner. He began his television career as a writer who then later produced television hits such as Taxi, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Rhoda, Lou Grant, Room 222, The Tracy Ullman Show, and The Simpsons.
Brooks began working in film in 1979 when he wrote the screenplay for Starting Over which he co-produced with Alan J. Pakula. In 1983, Brooks wrote, produced and directed Terms of Endearment for which he earned three Academy Awards, including Best Picture. In 1987, he wrote, produced and directed Broadcast News which won the New York Drama Critics Award for best picture and best screenplay.
Brooks' company, Gracie Films, made an overall deal with Sony Pictures in 1990, producing two new series for ABC, The Critic and Phenom, and directed the feature I'll Do Anything for Columbia Pictures.
In 1996, Brooks executive produced the film Bottle Rocket, directed by Wes Anderson, for Columbia Pictures and produced Cameron Crowe’s Jerry Maguire, for Tri Star pictures. In 1997, Brooks co-wrote, produced, and directed As Good As It Gets. The film was nominated for 7 Academy awards including Best Picture, with stars Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt winning Oscars for their performances.
In 2004, Brooks wrote and directed the film, Spanglish for Columbia Pictures, and in July 2007 co-wrote and produced The Simpsons Movie, the movie version of the Fox series.
