Harvey Weinstein

Early life

Weinstein was born in the Flushing neighborhood of Queens, in New York City, to diamond cutter Max Weinstein (died 1976) and his wife, Miriam (née Postel; died 2016). The family is Jewish, and Weinstein's maternal grandparents immigrated to the United States from Poland. Harvey grew up with a younger brother, Bob, in the Electchester housing co-op in New York City; he graduated from John Bowne High School and then attended the State University of New York at Buffalo. With his brother, Bob, and Corky Burger, he formed Harvey & Corky Productions, which independently produced rock concerts in Buffalo through most of the 1970s. Among the top acts it brought to town were Frank Sinatra, the Who, Jackson Browne, and the Rolling Stones. Weinstein's longtime friend Jonathan A. Dandes followed him to Buffalo and has described Harvey as "aggressive" and "consumed" in matters of business. Although Weinstein attended the University at Buffalo from 1969 to 1973, he did not ultimately graduate, choosing instead to concentrate on his business interests.

Career

1970s: Early work and creation of Miramax

In the late 1970s, using profits from their concert promotion business, Weinstein and his brother founded the independent film distribution company Miramax Films, named after their parents Miriam and Max. The company's initial releases were primarily music-oriented concert films such as Paul McCartney's Rockshow.

1980s: Success with arthouse and independent films

In the early 1980s, Miramax Films acquired the rights to two British films of benefit shows filmed for the human rights organization Amnesty International. Working closely with Martin Lewis, the producer of the original films, the Weinstein brothers edited the two films into one movie tailored for the American market. The resulting film was released as The Secret Policeman's Other Ball in May 1982, and it became Miramax Films' first hit. The movie raised considerable sums of money for Amnesty International and was credited by Amnesty with having helped to raise its profile in the United States. The Weinsteins slowly built upon this success throughout the 1980s with arthouse films which achieved critical attention and modest commercial success.

Weinstein and Miramax Films gained wider attention in 1988 with the release of Errol Morris' documentary The Thin Blue Line, which detailed the struggle of Randall Dale Adams, a wrongfully convicted inmate sentenced to death row. The publicity that soon surrounded the case resulted in Adams' release and nationwide publicity for Miramax Films. In 1989, their successful launch release of Steven Soderbergh's Sex, Lies, and Videotape propelled Miramax Films to become the most successful independent studio in America.

In 1989, Miramax Films also released two arthouse films, Peter Greenaway's The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover and director Pedro Almodóvar's film Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!, both of which received an X-rating from the MPAA rating board, effectively stopping nationwide release for these films. Weinstein sued the MPAA over the rating system. His lawsuit was later thrown out, but the MPAA introduced the NC-17 rating two months later.

1990s–2004: Further success, Disney ownership deal

Miramax Films continued to grow its library of films and directors until, in 1993, after the success of The Crying Game, Disney offered the Weinsteins $80 million for ownership of Miramax Films. The brothers agreed to the deal which in turn cemented their Hollywood clout and also ensured that they would remain at the head of their company. The following year, Miramax Films released its first blockbuster, Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction, and distributed the popular independent film Clerks.

Miramax Films won its first Academy Award for Best Picture in 1997 with the victory of The English Patient. Pulp Fiction was nominated in 1995 but lost to Forrest Gump. This started a string of critical successes that included Good Will Hunting (1997) and Shakespeare in Love (1998), with both films receiving several awards, including numerous Academy Awards.

2005–2017: The Weinstein Company

On September 30, 2005, the Weinstein brothers left Miramax Films to form their own production company, The Weinstein Company (TWC), with several other media executives, directors Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez, and Colin Vaines, who had successfully run the production department at Miramax Films for 10 years. In February 2011, filmmaker Michael Moore took legal action against the Weinstein brothers, claiming they owed him $2.7 million in profits for his documentary Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004), which he said were denied to him by "Hollywood accounting tricks." In February 2012, Moore dropped the lawsuit for an undisclosed settlement.

Weinstein was thanked or praised in 34 Academy Award acceptance speeches—as many times as God, and second only to Steven Spielberg (with 43 mentions), as found by an analysis of speeches made between 1966 and 2016.

On October 8, 2017, Harvey Weinstein was fired from TWC after a list of sexual abuse charges was released to the press. After months of unsuccessful attempts to sell the company or its library, TWC filed for bankruptcy, with Lantern Entertainment subsequently purchasing all assets in 2018. The company was shut down on July 16, 2018, and its website sometime thereafter.

While lauded for opening up the independent film market and making it financially viable, Weinstein has been criticized for the techniques he applied in his business dealings. Peter Biskind's book Down and Dirty Pictures: Miramax, Sundance and the Rise of Independent Film denounced Miramax's release history and editing of arthouse films. For example, the book states that 54 had been originally made as an arthouse film but, after Ryan Phillippe's sudden rise to stardom, Weinstein forced director Mark Christopher to re-edit and re-shoot the film to make it more mainstream.

Weinstein re-edited several Asian films and dubbed them in English. Weinstein tried to release the English-dubbed versions of Shaolin Soccer and Hero in the United States theatrically, but they scored badly in test screenings, leading Weinstein to release the films in United States cinemas in their original language. Furthermore, Weinstein re-edited 1993 Cannes Palme d'Or winner Farewell My Concubine for American theatrical release; 1993 Cannes jury head Louis Malle was furious. "The film we admired so much in Cannes is not the film seen in this country, which is twenty minutes shorter—but it seems longer, because it doesn't make any sense", complained Malle.

Sexual abuse accusations, convictions and appeals

In October 2017, The New York Times and The New Yorker reported that more than a dozen women accused Weinstein of sexually harassing, assaulting, or raping them. Many other women in the film industry subsequently reported similar experiences with Weinstein, who denied "any nonconsensual sex". As a result of these allegations, Weinstein was dismissed from his production company, suspended from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, and expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Weinstein also resigned from the Directors Guild of America and was denounced by leading figures in politics whom he had supported. The Los Angeles Police Department opened a criminal investigation for alleged rape, and New York and London police began investigating other sexual assault allegations. On October 10, 2017, Weinstein's wife, Georgina Chapman, announced that she was leaving him; their divorce was finalized in July 2021.

The sexual abuse allegations precipitated a wave of "national reckoning" against sexual harassment and assault in the United States known as the Weinstein effect. Compounded by other sexual harassment cases earlier in the year, the Weinstein reports and subsequent #MeToo hashtag campaign, which encouraged individuals to share their suppressed stories of sexual misconduct, created a cavalcade of allegations across multiple industries that brought about the swift ouster of many men in positions of power both in the United States and, as it spread, around the world.

Ronan Farrow reported in The New Yorker in November 2017 that Weinstein had hired British-Israeli private intelligence firm Black Cube in order to stop the publication of the abuse allegations against him. Using false identities, private investigators from Black Cube reportedly tracked and met journalists and actresses, in particular Rose McGowan, who accused Weinstein of rape. Weinstein reportedly had Black Cube, Kroll and other agencies "target, or collect information on, dozens of individuals, and compile psychological profiles that sometimes focused on their personal or sexual histories". Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak admitted to having introduced Weinstein to Black Cube, but denied knowing how Weinstein would employ their services.

Weinstein reportedly sought help from Farrow's father Woody Allen to help stop Farrow from reporting on the claims of sexual abuse against Weinstein. Allen declined to help. Weinstein also reportedly used Black Cube to attempt to silence journalists Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor reporting on the allegations against him. According to Kantor, a Black Cube agent posing as a women's rights advocate attempted to manipulate and dupe her. Weinstein approached Hillary Clinton in an attempt to help him stop Farrow from publishing the sexual misconduct allegations against him. Clinton publicist Nick Merrill emailed Farrow and unsuccessfully attempted to convince him to not publish the story. According to Rose McGowan, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, California Governor Gavin Newsom's wife, aided Weinstein lawyer David Boies in attempting to bribe McGowan and keep her silent about her allegations against Weinstein.

California conviction

On July 20, 2021, Weinstein was flown to Los Angeles and taken to the Twin Towers Correctional Facility. The trial in Los Angeles commenced in October 2022. Weinstein was charged with 11 counts of rape, forcible oral copulation and sexual battery, stemming from alleged acts between 2004 and 2013. He was found guilty of three of seven charges (four of the initial 11 charges were dropped) on December 19, 2022. Convictions included charges of rape, forced oral copulation and third-degree sexual misconduct. On February 23, 2023, Weinstein was sentenced to 16 years in prison for these convictions. His sentence in California prisons must be served separately from (i.e., consecutively to rather than concurrently to) his time served in New York. Weinstein is appealing the Los Angeles conviction. On April 11, 2023, Weinstein was extradited from California and back to upstate New York's Mohawk Correctional Facility. After the New York convictions were overturned in April 2024, and plans were made to retry him in New York City, Weinstein was transferred back to Rikers Island prison.

On June 8, 2022, Weinstein was formally charged by the Metropolitan Police with two counts of indecent assault against a woman in London between July 31 and August 31, 1996.

On July 9, 2024, New York prosecutors announced an investigation was underway for additional claims against Weinstein for sexual assault, including for claims that fall within the state's statute of limitations, though no indictment was immediately sent to the grand jury.

New York conviction overturned

On April 25, 2024, the New York Court of Appeals overturned the New York rape convictions and said that the trial judge had made "egregious errors" with the attorney stating Weinstein had been "tried on his character, not the evidence." The Court of Appeals ordered a retrial.

After the New York appeal ruling, a number of actresses who had made allegations against Weinstein responded:

Ashley Judd, who was among the first to disclose her rape, told the New York Times: "That is unfair to survivors. We still live in our truth. And we know what happened." Later at a press conference, Judd added: "This is what it's like to be a woman in America, living with male entitlement to our bodies."

Rosanna Arquette, who disclosed that Weinstein assaulted her, said in a statement to the Hollywood Reporter: "Harvey was rightfully convicted. It's unfortunate that the court has overturned his conviction. As a survivor, I am beyond disappointed."

Rose McGowan, who also shared her story of assault from Weinstein, said in a video statement: "No matter what they overturn, they cannot take away who we are and what we know, what we've gone through and what we can achieve in this life. We are not victims. We are people that were injured by evil."

Despite the successful appeal, Weinstein remains set to face a retrial for the overturned New York convictions in the fall of 2024. During a court hearing on July 19, 2024, Judge Curtis Farber ruled that Weinstein would be retried and tentatively set for the retrial to start on November 12, 2024. Despite this, Farber also ruled that previous plans to have the retrial start in September 2024 were still an option, and the start date of the retrial would depend on pretrial discoveries. Weinstein's lawyers have called for the retrial to begin as soon as possible. On January 29, 2025, Judge Farber set the retrial date to April 15, 2025, The jury selection process for the retrial began on April 15, 2025, with opening statements and witness testimony then beginning on April 23, 2025. Jury deliberations in the retrial would then begin on June 5, 2025. On June 11, 2025, Weinstein was found guilty of one count of criminal sexual act and not guilty of another. No verdict would be reached on an allegation made by a third woman. On May 15, 2026, mistrial was declared in his retrial for the Jessica Mann case after the presiding jury remained deadlocked. A hearing was then set for June 24, 2026 to determine whether or not prosecutors would seek another retrial for Mann's case.

Dismissal of Jessica Mann case

On June 25, 2026, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg declared that Weinstein would not receive a fourth criminal trial for the alleged rape of Jessica Mann. However, Weinstein remains convicted in two separate cases, one in New York and one in California. In the New York case he is scheduled for sentencing in September, 2026. In the California case, Weinstein's appeal of his 2022 rape conviction was unanimously denied by the three-judge panel of the Appeals Court, but the panel did set aside his 16-year sentence in the case because it was based, in part, on a New York conviction which has since been overturned; he will be re-sentenced.

Personal life

Weinstein has been married twice. In 1987, he married his assistant Eve Chilton; the couple divorced in 2004. They had three daughters. In 2007, Weinstein married English fashion designer and actress Georgina Chapman. They have a daughter and a son. On October 10, 2017, after the sexual harassment accusations became public, Chapman announced that she was leaving Weinstein. They reached a settlement in January 2018, and their divorce was finalized in July 2021.

Activism

Weinstein was active on issues such as gun control, poverty, AIDS, juvenile diabetes, and multiple sclerosis research. Until October 2017, he served on the board of the Robin Hood Foundation, a New York City-based non-profit that targets poverty, and co-chaired one of its annual benefits. Weinstein was critical of the lack of universal healthcare in the United States.

Weinstein has been a longtime supporter of and contributor to the Democratic Party, including the campaigns of President Barack Obama and presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and John Kerry. Weinstein supported Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign. In 2012, he hosted an election fundraiser for Obama at his home in Westport, Connecticut.

Fashion

Weinstein was active in the fashion industry. He produced the fashion reality show Project Runway, making stars of designer Michael Kors, model Heidi Klum and editor Nina Garcia. Weinstein was instrumental in the revival of Halston, collaborating with Tamara Mellon, Sarah Jessica Parker, and stylist Rachel Zoe. He licensed the option to revive the Charles James brand. Celebrities were asked to wear Marchesa (the label of his then-partner and later then-wife, Georgina Chapman) at least once if they were cast in a Weinstein movie. Weinstein's production companies were frequently involved in fashion-themed movies, including Madonna's W.E., Robert Altman's Prêt-à-Porter, and Tom Ford's A Single Man. Stars of Weinstein's films appeared on more than a dozen Vogue covers.

Health

In 1999, Weinstein underwent surgery for Fournier gangrene.

In July 2024, Weinstein was admitted to the prison ward of Bellevue Hospital with what his lawyers said were COVID-19 and double pneumonia. On September 9, 2024, he underwent emergency heart surgery at Bellevue and was said to be in critical condition for a time afterward. In October 2024, it was reported that he had been diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia. On December 2, 2024, it was reported that Weinstein was hospitalized in Manhattan due to blood test results that were described as "alarming".

Selected filmography

Awards and honors

Weinstein has won numerous awards. On September 26, 2000, he was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters (DHL) by the University at Buffalo. On April 19, 2004, Weinstein was appointed an honorary commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in recognition of his contributions to the British film industry. This award was honorary because Weinstein is not a citizen of a Commonwealth country. On March 2, 2012, Weinstein was made a knight of the French Legion of Honour, in recognition of Miramax's efforts to increase the presence and popularity of foreign films in the United States.

The University at Buffalo revoked Weinstein's honorary doctorate, saying his conduct "contradicts the spirit of the honorary degree", while French President Emmanuel Macron revoked his Legion of Honour, both in late 2017. On September 18, 2020, Weinstein was stripped of his honorary CBE, following his conviction for rape and sexual assault earlier that year.

The table below lists additional awards nominated to or won by Weinstein. Those not shared with others have also since been rescinded. Wins are highlighted in pink.