If there were true justice in the world, I would be saying thank you every day, from the moment I get up till the moment I lie down-that's how lucky I've been, how many great people I've known, how much goodness I've experienced. In place of that-I would like to say thanks for several years, but I have dinner reservations-I have listed some of the people who have meant the most to me:
Key Friends and Players, People So Unusual They Fit
in No Category or Box; I Was Lucky to Walk the Earth
at the Same Time as All of Them
Bryan Lourd: He's a friend and confidant. There has never been another agent like him. He is one of a kind, and truly important in my life and in the lives of Hollywood 's biggest stars.
Bernie Yuman: We talk every day, and it's the part of the day I look forward to most. There is, in fact, not a moment when I am confused about who Bernie is-my friend, one of the best, and a man who I know loves me, and who knows I love him, dearly.
Mike Meldman: I was never interested in development until I visited Mike's golf courses-he builds the best in the world. He's a friend who makes it fun, and is the reason I am in the real estate business.
Steve Roth: This kid, this friend, this talented agent and businessman, lives around the corner, which keeps my life interesting. I want to thank him for use of his lawn-he knows what I mean.
Gerald Parsky: He saw me through the toughest time in my career, and got me away not just whole, but with a huge settlement. Thank you!
Paul Bloch: I have worked with him and admired him for more years than can be counted… He handles all the press and PR that I get credit for. He is one of the great ones.
Steven Soderbergh: I know he's in the book, on one of those pages where I recount some adventure, but he's been so important in my life I wanted to mention him again. And there-I just did.
Diane Sawyer: If I owned a TV station, this is who I would hire first. She is what owners in the sports world call a franchise player, an absolutely stellar talent.
Ken Ziffren: My lawyer, my confidant, my friend. Thanks for keeping me out of jail (that's a joke).
Harvey Gettleson: He can read a deal like Gretzky reads the ice: Thanks for your guidance, expertise, and friendship.
George Schlatter: George produced some of the most important shows and television events ever, many with me. I admired him long before we met. I appreciate everything he's done.
Leonard Goldberg: We had a film company together for a time, but imagine what would have happened if we started together when we were kids. We would have made billions!
Rich Cohen: Without him, no book. We had lots of fun, and will have lots more. Thank you.
Tommy Armour, who has been like a son to me. I love him. Some of my best times in life are on the golf course with him.
Jonathan Karp, Cary Goldstein, and the team at Twelve: For helping me share my journey with the world.
Jessica Goodman, Dan Fellman, and the rest of the team at Warner Bros., and of course Kim Pinkstaff, who help me get it done.
Diana Jenkins: When I met Diana she was in her thirties, very young and beautiful, and still, I felt as if I was meeting Auntie Mame. She is wonderful. I hope I know her forever.
Lisa G.: You know who you are, and you know how much I love you.
Of course I want to thank my brother, Melvyn; his wife, Linda; and their family: Abby, Matt, Sofia, Richard, Meredith, and Jack. My children: Michael and his wife, Maria; Julie; Jamie and her husband, Jacoby; and Jody. My grandchildren, all of whom have names that come right out of the Bible, just like they do: Sarah, Rachel, Joseph, and Ari. My nieces, Keira and Kyla, and their parents, Mitchell and Donna. I love you all, and I am proud of you. Every generation bigger and stronger than the last, that's what I say.
Actors I Have Worked With
Casey Affleck
Karen Allen
Dan Aykroyd
Kevin Bacon
Ellen Barkin
Kim Basinger
Ned Beatty
Ralph Bellamy
Joey Bishop
Karen Black
Ronee Blakley
Jim Broadbent
George Burns
James Caan
Scott Caan
Sid Caesar
Mickey Callan
Keith Carradine
Vincent Cassell
Jackie Chan
Kyle Chandler
Geraldine Chaplin
Chevy Chase
Don Cheadle
Michael Chiklis
Julie Christie
George Clooney
Robbie Coltrane
Sean Connery
Tom Courtenay
Tom Cruise
Timothy Daly
Matt Damon
Beverly D'Angelo
Tony Danza
John Denver
Michael Douglas
Charles Durning
Shelley Duvall
Bob Einstein
Ethan Embry
Peter Falk
Ralph Fiennes
Albert Finney
Josh Flitter
Andy Garcia
Teri Garr
Henry Gibson
Isabel Glasser
Scott Glenn
Jeff Goldblum
Elliott Gould
Steve Guttenberg
Gene Hackman
Thomas Hulce
Eddie Izzard
Eddie Jemison
Martin Kove
Shelley Long
Jon Lovitz
Bernie Mac
Ralph Macchio
Lee Majors
Noriyuki "Pat" Morita
Michael Murphy
Craig T. Nelson
Wayne Newton
Marisol Nichols
Al Pacino
Brad Pitt
Donald Pleasence
Shaobo Qin
Randy Quaid
Carl Reiner
Paul Reiser
Molly Ringwald
Emma Roberts
Eric Roberts
Julia Roberts
Mickey Rourke
Jaden Smith
Elisabeth Shue
Henry Silva
Paul Sorvino
Sylvester Stallone
Rod Steiger
Daniel Stern
Sharon Stone
George Strait
Barbra Streisand
Hilary Swank
Richard Thomas
Uma Thurman
Lily Tomlin
Susan Tyrell
Lesley Ann Warren
Bruce Willis
Oprah Winfrey
James Woods
Joanne Woodward
Catherine Zeta-Jones
Clients and People I Promoted in the Management
and Music Years
Paul Anka
Charles Aznavour
Shelley Berman
Joey Bishop
Pat Boone
Jackson Browne
Jimmy Buffett
George Burns
Harry Chapin
Eric Clapton
Joe Cocker
Alice Cooper
Charlie Daniels
Tony Danza
John Davidson
Mac Davis
John Denver
Neil Diamond
Bob Dylan
Dan Fogelberg
Peter Frampton
Connie Francis
Kinky Friedman
Jerry Garcia
Bobby Goldsboro
Dorothy Hamill
Uriah Heep
Florence Henderson
Don Imus
Waylon Jennings
Elton John
Shari Lewis & Lambchop
Gordon Lightfoot
Ed McMahon
Jimmy McNichols
Lee Majors
Barry Manilow
Bob Marley
Ian Matthews
Curtis Mayfield
Roger Miller
Joni Mitchell
Jane Morgan
Muppets
Michael Murphy
Wayne Newton
Ted Nugent
Robert Palmer
Tom Paxton
Robert Plant
Elvis Presley
Richard Pryor
Phil Ramone
Kenny Rogers
Mort Sahl
Boz Scaggs
Bob Seger
Frank Sinatra
Phoebe Snow
Rod Stewart
Steven Stills
Mary Travers
Frankie Valli
Sylvie Vartan
Joe Walsh
Barry White
Paul Williams
Edgar Winter
Chuck Woolery
Neil Young
Frank Zappa
Movies I Produced
1975 Nashville
1977 September 30, 1955
1977 Oh, God!
1980 Cruising
1981 All Night Long
1982 Diner
1984 The Karate Kid
1986 The Karate Kid, Part II
1987 Happy New Year
1988 My Stepmother Is an Alien
1989 The Karate Kid, Part III
1992 Pure Country
1994 The Specialist
1994 The Next Karate Kid
1997 Vegas Vacation
1998 The Avengers
1998 Soldier
2001 Ocean's Eleven
2004 Ocean's Twelve
2007 Ocean's Thirteen
2007 Nancy Drew
2010 The Karate Kid
Movies I Acted In
1993 The Firm, as Sonny Capps
1997 Vegas Vacation, as Jilly
2001 Ocean's Eleven, as High Roller
2002 Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, as Larry Goldberg
2004 Full Frontal, as Jerry
2004 Ocean's Twelve, as American Businessman
2007 Ocean's Thirteen, as Denny Shields
Directors and Writers I've Worked With
Robert Altman
Paul W.S. Anderson
Paul Attanasio
John G. Avildsen
Richard Benjamin
James Bridges
Christopher Cain
Jeremiah S. Chechik
George Clooney
Avery Corman
Andrew Fleming
William Friedkin
Larry Gelbart
Ted Griffin
Robert Mark Kamen
Stephen Kessler
Brian Koppelman
Alex Kurtzman
Richard LaGravenese
David Levien
Barry Levinson
Luis Llosa
Doug McGrath
Don MacPherson
Aline Brosh McKenna
George Nolfi
Robert Orci
David Webb Peoples
Sydney Pollack
Billy Ray
Carl Reiner
Gary Ross
Michael Soccio
Steven Soderbergh
Stephen Sommers
Joan Tewkesbury
Harald Zwart