Jeffrey Lurie

 ( 1951 Births ) 

In 1983, Lurie left academia to join General Cinema Corporation, the conglomerate that began as an early movie theater chain (founded by his grandfather, Philip Smith).By the late 1960s, General Cinema had begun acquiring bottling franchises, including a Pepsi operation. General Cinema then evolved over the years to become Harcourt General Inc., a $3.7-billion conglomerate based in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, with 23,700 employees worldwide. In its heyday it was the nation's fourth-largest chain of movie theaters, owneing several publishing houses, three insurance companies, and a leading global consulting firm. At the time he joined, General Cinema was headed by his uncle, Richard A. Smith. At General Cinema, Lurie worked as an executive in the company as liaison between General Cinema and the production community in Hollywood, and as an advisor in the company's national film buying office.

In 1984, General Cinema acquired a minority interest in Carter Hawley Hale, at the time the tenth-largest clothing retailer in the United States, whose holdings included Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman-Marcus. In 1993, its holding company, by then named Harcourt General, spun-off General Cinema as a separate company. After competition forced the closure of a number of General Cinema locations, General Cinema filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on October 11, 2000, with accompanying resignation of Richard A. Smith and a further employed Smith family member. On December 7, 2001, AMC Theatres agreed to buy GC Companies, Inc. as part of GC's Chapter 11 reorganization plan, an acquisition completed on March 29, 2002. Lurie departed General Cinema.

By 1985, Lurie had also created his first film company, Chestnut Hill Productions; through it, he produced a number of feature film releases, "not necessarily considered artistic masterpieces", including Foxfire (1996), starring Angelina Jolie. The company also produced television commercials.

Chestnut Hill Productions has since produced a string of Hollywood movies and TV shows, initially starting off with a multi-feature joint venture with TriStar Pictures to develop projects. In 1987, three Chestnut Hill projects were picked up by MGM/UA Communications Co., two each by Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures, and one by Universal Pictures; a majority of the eight Chestnut Hill productions would be received by TriStar Pictures, which then became an independent production company. (TriStar Pictures received first look at all projects handled by Chestnut Hill Productions, with Tri-Star and Chestnut Hill co-financing development and Tri-Star picking up the cost of production.)

Lurie's wife, Christina, has joined him as a producer in his film work, which as of 2011 was operating as Screen Pass Productions. On February 27, 2011, the movie Inside Job (2010), produced by the Luries and detailing the financial crisis of 2008, won an Academy Award (Oscar) for best documentary film;

In a released statement, the Luries said they were “humbled” by the award.