Alan F. Horn

Personal life

Horn grew up Jewish in Riverhead on Long Island, New York. He graduated from Union College in Schenectady, New York, in 1964. In 1971, he received an MBA degree from Harvard Business School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Horn and his wife, Cindy Harrell, a former model. live in the East Gate Bel Air section of Los Angeles They have two daughters, actress Cody, and Cassidy.

Career

Horn worked at Norman Lear's television production companies, Tandem Productions and Embassy Communications, the latter of which he was chairman before becoming president of 20th Century Fox in October 1986, soon after it was acquired by Rupert Murdoch. Horn was one of the founders of Castle Rock Entertainment in 1987. There, he supervised films including A Few Good Men (1992), The Green Mile (1999), When Harry Met Sally (1989), and the sitcom Seinfeld (1989–1998).

Horn became president and COO of Warner Bros. in 1999, where he ran the studio in partnership with chairman and CEO Barry Meyer for 12 years. Under Horn's leadership, Warner Bros. had many hits, including the Harry Potter series (2001–2011) and Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Trilogy (2005–2012). He was also the executive producer of the three films in The Hobbit Trilogy. At age 68, Horn was forced to retire as president and COO of Warner Bros., at the behest of Time Warner Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Bewkes who wanted to groom younger talent to take over at the studio, with Meyer relinquishing his role as studio CEO in March 2013 to be succeeded by Kevin Tsujihara.

In 2012, at the urging of The Walt Disney Company chairman and CEO Bob Iger, Horn was lured out of retirement to become the chairman of Walt Disney Studios, replacing Rich Ross who had been dismissed from the position after having conflicts with Pixar executives. Horn established a successful working relationship with Pixar, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, and 20th Century Studios which operated with great autonomy under Disney's ownership, while also overseeing strong box office releases from Walt Disney Pictures and Walt Disney Animation Studios.

In 2017, he said of his professional success:

On May 1, 2019, Horn was given the added title of chief creative officer (CCO) of Walt Disney Studios. In December 2020, it was announced that effective January 1, 2021, Alan Bergman would become the new chairman of the Walt Disney Studios while Horn would remain as the studios' chief creative officer. In October 2021, it was announced that Horn would be retiring for a second time at the end of the year, and the position would likely not be filled. In July 2022, it was reported that he would hold a position with Warner Bros. Discovery. Starting August 1, 2022, Horn began serving as a business consultant during a transitionary period after the acquisition of WarnerMedia by Discovery, Inc.

References

References

1. Friedman, Roger. (April 18, 2012). "Alan Horn, Former Warner Bros. Chief, To Run Disney". Forbes.
2. D'Alessandro, Anthony. (December 21, 2020). "Alan Bergman Elevates To Disney Studios Content Chairman; Alan Horn Staying On As Chief Creative Officer". [[Deadline Hollywood]].
3. D'Alessandro, Anthony. (May 1, 2019). "Alan Bergman Promoted To Disney Studio Co-Chairman; Alan Horn Expands Role As Disney Chief Creative Officer". Deadline.
4. Lang, Brent. (October 11, 2021). "Alan Horn Retiring as Disney Studios Chief Creative Officer". Variety.
5. (July 28, 2022). "Alan Horn to Help Shape Warner Bros. Film Studio During Transition".
6. (October 21, 2014). "Hillary Clinton Raises Record $2.1 Million at Event Hosted by Jewish Hollywood Moguls".
7. Brook, Vincent. (December 15, 2016). "From Shtetl to Stardom: Jews and Hollywood: Chapter 1: Still an Empire of Their Own: How Jews Remain Atop a Reinvented Hollywood". Purdue University Press.
8. (August 31, 2012). "Alan Horn Archives".
9. (November 20, 2010). "Students in Schenectady spellbound by Harry Potter's wand".
10. (February 5, 2017). "Alan Horn (MBA 1971) - Alumni".
11. "Alan F. Horn".
12. Fiamma Sanò. (April 27, 2010). "Cody Horn". Vogue.it.
13. Vilanova, John. (May 23, 2013). "#Hamptons35 Flashback: Cindy Harrell Horn, Circa 1982". Hamptons Magazine.
14. link. (November 17, 2011)
15. Galbraith, Jane. (May 21, 1986). "New Fox Focus On In-House Pix, Planning $100-Mil Public Offering".
16. (February 23, 2010). "Warner Bros. studio chief Alan Horn to deliver 2010 Commencement address".
17. Rainey, James. (April 11, 2016). "Alan Horn: Disney Chairman Guides Studio to Hits of the Future". Variety.
18. Galloway, Stephen. (August 1, 2017). "Alan Horn".
19. (October 11, 2021). "Alan Horn, a top creative executive, is the latest high-ranking Disney departure". The New York Times.