Avi Arad

Infobox Person


image_size = 150px
name = Avi Arad
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birth_date = 1948 (age 60)
birth_place = Ramat Gan, Israel
occupation = Film Producer
death_date =
death_place =

Avi Arad ( _he. אבי ארד) is an Israeli-American businessman. He became the CEO of the company Toy Biz in the 1990s, and soon afterward became the chief creative officer of Marvel Entertainment, a Marvel director, and chairman, CEO and the founder of Marvel Studios. [http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=23471 "Marvel Announces New Independent Producer Deal with Avi Arad"] (May 31, 2006 press release, via Ain't It Cool News]

Biography

Early life and career

Born in Ramat Gan, Israel, and raised in that country, Arad came to the United States during his college years and enrolled at Hofstra University to study industrial management. He earned a bachelor of business administration from the University in 1972. [ [http://www.hofstra.edu/Academics/Colleges/Zarb/zarbfos/zarbfos_arad.html Hofstra University: Frank G. Zarb School of Business - Faces of Success: Avi Arad '72] ]

Marvel Comics

Along with Toy Biz co-owner Isaac Perlmutter, Avi Arad came into conflict with Carl Icahn and Ron Perelman over control of Marvel Comics in the wake of its 1996 bankruptcy. In the end, Arad and Perlmutter came out on top, with Toy Biz taking over Marvel Comics in a complicated deal that included obtaining the rights to Spider Man and other superheroes that Marvel had sold earlier. He was involved in Marvel's emergence from bankruptcy and the expansion of the company's profile through licensing and movies.

On July 4, 2003, Arad became a naturalized citizen of the United States.Fact|date=September 2007

Later career

Arad is credited as executive producer on the 1990s Marvel animated TV series, starting with 1992's "X-Men" for Fox Kids. Arad was the executive producer of Spike TV's "".

On May 31, 2006, Arad resigned his various Marvel positions, including his leadership of Marvel Studios to form his own production company, Avi Arad Productions. Although he is still producing projects for Marvel, his first feature outside Marvel was the August 2007 film "". His second venture will be an adaptation of the manga Ghost in the Shell.

Producer filmography

*"" (TBA)
*"Mass Effect" (TBA)
*"Lost Planet" (TBA)
*"Ghost in the Shell" (TBA)
*"Power Pack" (TBA)
*"Magneto" (2009)
*"Silver Surfer" (TBA)
*"Luke Cage" (TBA)
*"Iron Fist" (2009)
*"Doctor Strange" (TBA)
*"Fantastic Four 3" (TBA)
*"Deathlok" (TBA)
*"Daredevil 2" (TBA)
*"She-Hulk" (TBA)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/She-Hulk#Film
*"Ghost Rider 2" (TBA)
*"Cloak and Dagger" (TBA)
*"Juggernaut" (TBA)
*"Spider-Man 4" (2011)
*"X-Men 4" (TBA)
*"Black Widow" (Cancelled)
*"Untitled Venom film" (2009)
*"Black Panther" (TBA)
*"The Incredible Hulk 2" (TBA)
*"Shang-Chi" (TBA)
*"Nick Fury" (TBA)
*"Hawkeye" (TBA)
*"Runaways" (TBA)
*"Maximum Ride" (2011-2012)
*"The Avengers" (2011)
*"" (2011)
*"Ant-Man" (2010)
*"Thor" (2010)
*"Iron Man 2" (2010)
*"" (2009)
*"The Incredible Hulk" (2008)
*"Iron Man" (2008)
*"" (2008)
*"" (2007)
*"" (2007)
*"Spider-Man 3" (2007)
*"Ghost Rider" (2007)
*"" (2006)
*"Fantastic Four" (2005)
*"Elektra" (2005)
*"" (2004)
*"Spider-Man 2" (2004)
*"The Punisher" (2004)
*"Hulk" (2003)
*"X2" (2003)
*"Daredevil" (2003)
*"Spider-Man" (2002)
*"Blade II" (2002)
*"X-Men" (2000)
*"Blade" (1998)

Footnotes

References

* [http://www.jrep.com/bin/en.jsp?enPage=ArticlePage&enDisplay=view&enDispWhat=object&enZone=Articles&enDispWho=Article^l1064 The Rise of Captain Marvel] The Jerusalem Report, August 8, 2005 (dead link as of Sept. 15, 2007)

External links

*imdb name|id=0032696|name=Avi Arad
* [http://www.latinnewswire.net LatinNewswire (no date): "Avi Arad"] (link to audio interview)