James G. Robinson, the former auto executive who co-founded Morgan Creek Entertainment and left a lasting mark on Hollywood with films ranging from Ace Ventura: Pet Detective to Robin Hood: Men in Tights, has died at the age of 90.
His passing on 15th February was confirmed by a family obituary.
Robinson’s path to Hollywood was an unlikely one. Born in Baltimore, he built his career in the automotive industry before shifting into bridge financing for films and eventually stepping into producing full time.
In 1988, he co-founded Morgan Creek Entertainment with experienced Hollywood executive Joe Roth, and the company went on to become a genuinely prolific force in American cinema.
Its credits include Young Guns, Dead Ringers, Pacific Heights, The Last of the Mohicans, and the enormously successful Ace Ventura series, among many others.
More recently, Robinson had producing credits on the 2023 film The Exorcist: Believer and the Dead Ringers television series.
He spoke to Variety in 1997 about what drove him.
“When you’re working at a studio, where it’s nice and comfortable, there’s no pain and in my mind no short gain,” he said.
“Bottom line is that the greatest feeling in the world is when you make a movie that you know is good and plays unusually well. That’s an emotional home run.”
Robinson is perhaps as well remembered in certain circles for a letter he sent to Lindsay Lohan during the production of Morgan Creek’s 2006 film Georgia Rule, in which he called her “discourteous, irresponsible and unprofessional” and described her as a “spoiled child” who had “endangered the quality of this picture.”
The letter became notorious in the industry. Director Garry Marshall later told Variety simply: “We needed that letter to get her back to work.”
Robinson is survived by his wife of 61 years, Barbara Lois Robinson; sons Michael, James, Matthew, David, and Thomas; and daughter Elizabeth Robinson deVilliers.
His son David Robinson currently serves as president of Morgan Creek Entertainment Group.
