Carolyn Pfeifer

CAROLYN PFEIFFER[-Bradshaw] (Producer), co-chairman of Alive Films, began her career in Europe, where she translated scripts and then became assistant to Claudia Cardinale, working on such films as Fellini's 8½, Visconti's THE LEOPARD and Blake Edwards' THE PINK PANTHER. She later worked with Alain Delon as an assistant producer and then joined Omar Sharif for four years, working on all his films, including DOCTOR ZHIVAGO. In 1966, she went to London, where she started her own public relations company representing such clients as Barbra Streisand, Robert Redford, Liza Minnelli, Apple Corp. (of Beatles fame) and Paul McCartney and Wings.

In 1975, she returned to the United States to join Shep Gordon's fledgling Alive Enterprises as a producer. Her first production, Alice Cooper's "Welcome to my Nightmare," won an Emmy for editing. It was later nominated for a Grammy for Best Video Album in 1984. At Alive, Pfeiffer also worked in music management with performers and rock stars and, simultaneously, she and Gordon formed Alive's film division, which started operations in 1978.

Pfeiffer first teamed with director Alan Rudolph to produce the musical comedy ROADIE, which starred Meatloaf, Blondie and Art Carney, for United Artists. Their collaboration continued on ENDANGERED SPECIES, starring Robert Urich and JoBeth Williams, for MGM, and on RETURN ENGAGEMENT, a feature-length documentary on the G. Gordon Liddy-Timothy Leary debates.

In 1983 Island Alive was formed, and Rudolph and Pfeiffer made CHOOSE ME. The movie was both a critical and commercial hit. During Pfeiffer's regime as President of Island Alive, the company released EL NORTE, KOYAANISQATSI, STOP MAKING SENSE, INSIGNIFICANCE, A PRIVATE FUNCTION, KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN (for which William Hurt won an Academy Award), BETTY BLUE and MARLENE.

Since 1985, with a newly-formed Alive Films, Pfeiffer has continued her long-time partnership with Shep Gordon. The company's first production and release was Alan Rudolph's TROUBLE IN MIND. This was followed by Gregory Nava's A TIME OF DESTINY, starring William Hurt and Timothy Hutton; Lindsay Anderson's THE WHALES OF AUGUST, starring Lillian Gish, Bette Davis, Vincent Price and Ann Sothern; Alan Rudolph's THE MODERNS, starring Keith Carradine, Geraldine Chaplin, Genevieve Bujold and John Lone; and Sam Shepard's FAR NORTH, starring Jessica Lange, Tess Harper and Charles Durning.

Alive Films has also produced the genre films PRINCE OF DARKNESS and THEY LIVE for director John Carpenter and SHOCKER and THE PEOPLE UNDER THE STAIRS for director Wes Craven.

Since 1990, Pfeiffer has gone on to produce three more films, including GRAND ISLE, from the classic novel The Awakening, for Turner Pictures, starring Kelly McGillis and Ellen Burstyn.

Pfeiffer is on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors for the Independent Feature Project West and on the Producers Executive Committee of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

She and her daughter Shannon live in Los Angeles and Jamaica.