Rob Cohen: Movies & Box Office

Robert Alan Cohen, widely known as Rob Cohen, is an accomplished American film and television director and producer. Born on March 12, 1949, he embarked on his illustrious career as an executive producer at 20th Century Fox, where he played a pivotal role in the production and development of multiple high-definition film and television programs including The Witz, The Witches of Eastwick, and Light of Day. Cohen notably moved into full-time directing during the 1990s and is praised for his work in directing the action films The Fast and the Furious, and XXX. Graduating magna cum laude from Harvard University in 1971 with a cross major in anthropology and visual studies, his prolific career started with a commissioned recruiting film for Harvard's Admissions Office in 1970. He later established his identity in Hollywood as the one who discovered the great American screenplay The Sting. Cohen later took the helm as the Vice President of TV Movies at 20th Century Fox Television after a strategic push to 'long form' TV movies.

Cohen's directorial prowess is marked by his success in films like Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, Dragonheart, Daylight, and the Golden Globe award-winning film The Rat Pack. At 52, Cohen rebranded himself as an action director, reaping huge success with The Fast and the Furious in 2001. The film opened with a $40 million weekend and catapulted the careers of the then relatively unknown actors Paul Walker and Vin Diesel. Following his directorial success, Cohen also ventured into commercial direction, having produced over 150 television commercials for products ranging from Disney's Star Wars to Burger King.