Mario Kassar
- Producer
- Additional Crew
- Actor
At 18 years old, Mario Kassar made his first film. Shortly
thereafter, he moved to Los Angeles in the mid 1970s to begin his career as
filmmakers. Kassar quickly became known as a creative producer in
the L.A. motion pictures industry; also noted as one of the inventors
of the foreign market and co-pro financing.
Kassar's early efforts as an independent filmmaker began with small
scale release films such as "The Amateur" and "Victory" while starting
Carolco International, his own independent theatrical motion picture
distribution company in 1976. Kassar began releasing a slew
of independent features and first hit with the release of the Rambo
franchise First Blood (1982) starring
Syllvester Stallone, which was a major motion picture in 1982. Stallone
was rumored to have signed a 10 picture deal with Carolco allowing the
sequel "First Blood: Rambo II".
Total Recall (1990) and The
"Terminator" franchise are the most memorable pictures Kassar was
associated with. Both stories starred
Arnold Schwarzenegger, and were
produced through Carolco (excluding Part One of Terminator which was
financed by Orion).
Other Carolco productions included the under-water thriller "DeepStar
Six", the erotic suspenseful "Basic Instinct", "Cliffhanger" - a
Stallone vehicle also a hit in 1993, the success of the
Roland Emmerich sci-fi film "Stargate"
established a cable series in 1997 entitled
Stargate SG-1 (1997) starring
Richard Dean Anderson. Worth
mentioning is "Chaplin" with
Robert Downey Jr. playing the life of
legendary actor Charlie Chaplin.
Kassar re-opened a production company in 2002 called C-2 Pictures to
produce "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines," which was one of the most
expensive films that year. The 2003 release allowed a window for the
franchise to gain new-life.
Kassar is still making pictures, however is very
family oriented and enjoys committing his time to his real-life
affairs. Kassar will be most remembered for helping to create a
successful business model for the international market. With the
efforts of other pioneers like
Dino De Laurentiis, Kassar paved the way for Hollywood foreign sales and exhibition --
his effort during the 1980s is now the 'industry standard' in today's
Studio system.
His films have generated more than $3 billion dollars worldwide.
thereafter, he moved to Los Angeles in the mid 1970s to begin his career as
filmmakers. Kassar quickly became known as a creative producer in
the L.A. motion pictures industry; also noted as one of the inventors
of the foreign market and co-pro financing.
Kassar's early efforts as an independent filmmaker began with small
scale release films such as "The Amateur" and "Victory" while starting
Carolco International, his own independent theatrical motion picture
distribution company in 1976. Kassar began releasing a slew
of independent features and first hit with the release of the Rambo
franchise First Blood (1982) starring
Syllvester Stallone, which was a major motion picture in 1982. Stallone
was rumored to have signed a 10 picture deal with Carolco allowing the
sequel "First Blood: Rambo II".
Total Recall (1990) and The
"Terminator" franchise are the most memorable pictures Kassar was
associated with. Both stories starred
Arnold Schwarzenegger, and were
produced through Carolco (excluding Part One of Terminator which was
financed by Orion).
Other Carolco productions included the under-water thriller "DeepStar
Six", the erotic suspenseful "Basic Instinct", "Cliffhanger" - a
Stallone vehicle also a hit in 1993, the success of the
Roland Emmerich sci-fi film "Stargate"
established a cable series in 1997 entitled
Stargate SG-1 (1997) starring
Richard Dean Anderson. Worth
mentioning is "Chaplin" with
Robert Downey Jr. playing the life of
legendary actor Charlie Chaplin.
Kassar re-opened a production company in 2002 called C-2 Pictures to
produce "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines," which was one of the most
expensive films that year. The 2003 release allowed a window for the
franchise to gain new-life.
Kassar is still making pictures, however is very
family oriented and enjoys committing his time to his real-life
affairs. Kassar will be most remembered for helping to create a
successful business model for the international market. With the
efforts of other pioneers like
Dino De Laurentiis, Kassar paved the way for Hollywood foreign sales and exhibition --
his effort during the 1980s is now the 'industry standard' in today's
Studio system.
His films have generated more than $3 billion dollars worldwide.