Don Simpson
| Don Simpson | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Donald Clarence Simpson October 29, 1943 Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
| Died | January 19, 1996 (aged 52) Bel Air, Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Drug-related heart failure |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Donald C. Simpson |
| Education | West Anchorage High School |
| Alma mater | University of Oregon |
| Occupation | Film producer, screenwriter, actor |
| Years active | 1976–1996 |
Donald Clarence "Don" Simpson (October 29, 1943 – January 19, 1996) was an American film producer, screenwriter, and actor. Simpson, along with his producing partner Jerry Bruckheimer, produced such hit films as Flashdance (1983), Beverly Hills Cop (1984), Top Gun (1986), and The Rock (1996). Their films would go on to earn $3 billion worldwide.
Simpson was born in Seattle, Washington, the son of June Hazel (Clark), a housewife, and Russell J. Simpson, a mechanic at Boeing at the time of his birth He grew up in Anchorage, Alaska where he attended West Anchorage High School. Simpson went on to attend the University of Oregon. After graduation, he moved to San Francisco where he worked for a theatrical advertising agency and did public relations for the First International Erotic Film Festival.
In the early 1970s, Simpson moved to Los Angeles and got a job marketing exploitation films for Warner Bros. In 1973, Simpson got a job at Paramount Pictures. While there, he co-wrote the 1976 film Cannonball, in which he also had a small role. By 1981, he was named president of production at Paramount.
Simpson left Paramount in 1982 and forged a partnership with fellow producer Jerry Bruckheimer. The two would go on to produce some of the most financially successful films of the 1980s: Flashdance (1983), Beverly Hills Cop (1984), Top Gun (1986) and Beverly Hills Cop II (1987). In 1985 and again in 1988, he and Bruckheimer were named Producers of the Year by the National Association of Theatre Owners.
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