Joel Silver

Joel Silver is an American Hollywood film producer, director and co-creator of the sport of Ultimate.

Silver grew up in South Orange, New Jersey, the son of a writer and a public relations executive. He attended Columbia High School in Maplewood, New Jersey, where he is credited with inventing the sport of Ultimate Frisbee. In 1970, he entered Lafayette College, where he formed the first collegiate Ultimate team. He finished his undergraduate studies at the New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.

Silver began his career at Lawrence Gordon Productions, where he ultimately ascended to president of motion pictures for the company. He earned his first screen credit as the associate producer on The Warriors and, with Gordon, produced 48 Hrs., Streets of Fire and Brewster’s Millions. In 1985, he formed Silver Pictures and produced hit action films such as Commando, the Lethal Weapon franchise, the first two films of the Die Hard and The Matrix franchise of action films.

He appears on-screen at the beginning of Who Framed Roger Rabbit as Raoul J. Raoul, the director of the animated short “Something’s Cookin”.