MICHAEL LONDON

(Producer)
Michael London began work on SIDEWAYS in 1998 after reading the then-unpublished novel of the same name by Rex Pickett. In 1999 the book attracted the attention of Alexander Payne, who had just completed ELECTION, but it would be four years before Payne’s schedule would allow him to begin shooting the project.

In the meantime, London produced two of 2003's most acclaimed films: THIRTEEN and THE HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG. London found THIRTEEN, which Catherine Hardwicke co-wrote with Nikki Reed, and nurtured the uncompromising mother-daughter story of sex, drugs and adolescent angst to become one of last year's most honored independent films. The film, which was distributed by Fox Searchlight, won the Sundance Film Festival Director’s Award and earned many accolades including an Oscar nomination for Holly Hunter and Golden Globe nominations for both Hunter and Evan Rachel Wood. London also was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature.

THE HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG, writer/director Vadim Perelman’s adaptation of Andrew Dubus’ novel of the same name, won the National Board of Review Award for Best Debut Director, earned three Oscar nominations, including those for Ben Kingsley and Shohreh Aghdashloo, and a Golden Globe nomination for Kingsley. London earned a second Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best First Feature.

London, who has an overall producing deal with Paramount Pictures, also produced FORTY DAYS AND FORTY NIGHTS, starring Josh Hartnett, and THE GURU.

Previously London was executive vice president of production at Twentieth Century Fox. He began his career as a reporter and pop music critic for the Los Angeles Times in the 1980s.