Topic: Gary Goetzman

Gary M. Goetzman (born November 6, 1952) is an American film and television producer, and is perhaps best known as co-founder of Playtone with Tom Hanks. Born in Los Angeles, Goetzman began his career as a child actor. In 1984, director Jonathan Demme tapped Goetzman to co-produce the Talking Heads concert film Stop Making Sense. That initiated a successful run as a music supervisor (with Sharon Boyle), on such films as Something Wild, Colors, Modern Girls and Married to the Mob, among many others. In 1991, Demme again turned to Goetzman, making him executive producer on The Silence of the Lambs.

In 1993, Goetzman was executive producer of Demme's Philadelphia, starring Tom Hanks. It was here he began a working relationship with Hanks and went on to co-found The Playtone Company. Since then, Goetzman has produced hits such as My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Evan Almighty, Charlie Wilson's War and the film version of Mamma Mia!. Goetzman was also the recipient of an Emmy Award for his role as co-producer of the Band of Brothers mini-series; he also won a Golden Globe as co-producer of the HBO mini-series John Adams. He and Hanks collaborated again in 2010 for HBO's The Pacific.

Aside from producing films, Goetzman has been known to play small parts in movies he is connected to. He has also enjoyed a successful parallel career as a music composer and producer, working with such artists as Smokey Robinson, Jane Child and Thelma Houston.