Laura Ellen Ziskin (March 3, 1950–June 12, 2011) was an American film producer. She was the executive producer of Pretty Woman (1990) and producer of Spider-Man (2002), Spider-Man 2 (2004), Spider-Man 3 (2007), and The Amazing Spider-Man (2012; posthumous credit). She was the first woman to produce the Academy Awards telecast alone, producing the 74th Academy Awards (2002) and the 79th Academy Awards (2007). Description above from the Wikipedia article Laura Ziskin, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Biography from TMDB.
- March 3, 1950
- June 12, 2011 (aged 61)
- Sherman Oaks, California, USA
- Producer, also writer and actor
- 21 on MovieCove · 24 credits in all
What are Laura Ziskin's films like?
Across their 23 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 1 · Wry 1 · Earnest 21
A split, not a type: Light 9 · Serious 8 · Dark 6
A split, not a type: Grounded 13 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 6
Gentle 7 · Charged 8 · Intense 8
Steady 11 · Shifting 11 · Whiplash 1
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 13 · Some laughs 8 · Funny 2
A split, not a type: Slow burn 12 · Even-paced 7 · Relentless 4
A split, not a type: Casual 13 · Engaged 8 · Full focus 2
A split, not a type: Easy watch 10 · Affecting 8 · Heavy 5
Resolved 21 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy7
- Bittersweet11
- Tragic2
- Ambiguous2
- Cyclical1
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Laura Ziskin's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 14 of their 21 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Laura Ziskin's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
24 credits, 21 with a MovieCove page; 14 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
The Butler(2013)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
The Amazing Spider-Man(2012)
Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films
Spider-Man 3(2007)
Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films
Stealth(2005)
Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films
Making the Amazing(2004)
Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films
Spider-Man 2(2004)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
Nikki and Nora (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)
Tarzan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)
Spider-Man(2002)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
Dinner with Friends(2001)
Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films
Fail Safe(2000)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
As Good as It Gets(1997)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
To Die For(1995)
Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films
Hero(1992)
Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films
The Doctor(1991)
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
What About Bob?(1991)
Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
Pretty Woman(1990)
Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films
Everybody's All-American(1988)
Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films
The Rescue(1988)
Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films
D.O.A.(1988)
Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films
No Way Out(1987)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
Murphy's Romance(1985)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
Eyes of Laura Mars(1978)
Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films
The Oscars (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)
Career shape
A full career of 24 titles from 1953 to 2013.
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
Awards
2 major awards from 7 major nominations, 2002–2015.
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Nonfiction Special
+1 other major body · 1 win
- Producers Guild Award, won
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Special Class Program
- Producers Guild Award, won
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Made for Television Movie
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special
Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.
How do Laura Ziskin's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 77th percentile, the median of all 21; across their 23 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 79th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up13
- 50th to 74th2
- 25th to 49th5
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
11 of their 21 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved4
- Crowd Pleaser11
- Broadly Agreed4
- Mixed2
Reviewers score the dialogue 57/100 and the plot and story 47/100 in their films, across 19 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Laura Ziskin's work okay for kids?
Across up to 13 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does Laura Ziskin work with?
People who share at least 2 of Laura Ziskin's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Sam Raimi shares the most, 6.
Directors
- Sam RaimiShared titles: Covered in Black: Creating Venom (2007), Spider-Man 3 (2007), Behind the Scenes of 'Spider-Man' (2004), Making the Amazing (2004), Spider-Man 2 (2004), Spider-Man (2002)See all 6 shared titles with Sam Raimi
- Charles de LauzirikaShared titles: 8 Arms to Hold You (2004), Making the Amazing (2004)See all 2 shared titles with Charles de Lauzirika
Writers
- Alvin SargentShared titles: The Amazing Spider-Man (2012), Spider-Man 3 (2007), Spider-Man 2 (2004), What About Bob? (1991)See all 4 shared titles with Alvin Sargent
Actors
- Tobey MaguireShared titles: Covered in Black: Creating Venom (2007), Spider-Man 3 (2007), Behind the Scenes of 'Spider-Man' (2004), Making the Amazing (2004), Spider-Man 2 (2004), Spider-Man (2002)See all 6 shared titles with Tobey Maguire
- Kirsten DunstShared titles: Covered in Black: Creating Venom (2007), Spider-Man 3 (2007), Making the Amazing (2004), Spider-Man 2 (2004), Spider-Man (2002)See all 5 shared titles with Kirsten Dunst
- J.K. SimmonsShared titles: Spider-Man 3 (2007), Making the Amazing (2004), Spider-Man 2 (2004), Spider-Man (2002)See all 4 shared titles with J.K. Simmons
- Rosemary HarrisShared titles: Spider-Man 3 (2007), Making the Amazing (2004), Spider-Man 2 (2004), Spider-Man (2002)See all 4 shared titles with Rosemary Harris
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Bob MurawskiShared titles: Spider-Man 3 (2007), Spider-Man 2 (2004), Spider-Man (2002)See all 3 shared titles with Bob Murawski
- Bill PopeShared titles: Spider-Man 3 (2007), Spider-Man 2 (2004)See all 2 shared titles with Bill Pope
- Dave ParkerShared titles: 8 Arms to Hold You (2004), Making the Amazing (2004)See all 2 shared titles with Dave Parker
- James Newton HowardShared titles: Pretty Woman (1990), Everybody's All-American (1988)See all 2 shared titles with James Newton Howard
Producers
- Paul PrischmanShared titles: 8 Arms to Hold You (2004), Making the Amazing (2004)See all 2 shared titles with Paul Prischman
Mixed roles
- Grant CurtisShared titles: Spider-Man 3 (2007), 8 Arms to Hold You (2004)See all 2 shared titles with Grant Curtis
- Don BurgessShared titles: Behind the Scenes of 'Spider-Man' (2004), Spider-Man (2002)See all 2 shared titles with Don Burgess
