Michael Nathanson is a senior executive with over three decades of experience in the motion picture and entertainment industry. Mr. Nathanson has served as either Chairman or President of four major motion picture companies including OddLot Entertainment, MGM Pictures, Columbia Pictures, and New Regency. He is also a successful film producer with acclaimed credits including the Academy Award® winning LA CONFIDENTIAL and A TIME TO KILL. Mr. Nathanson most recently served as President of OddLot Entertainment, a film and television production company. OddLot made independently financed pictures, distributed through an agreement negotiated by Nathanson with Lionsgate. Along with running the day to day activities of the Company, he produced or supervised, among others, ENDER'S GAME with Harrison Ford, DRAFT DAY with Kevin Costner, and THE WAY WAY BACK with Steve Carell. Prior to OddLot Entertainment, Mr. Nathanson served as President and Chief Operating Officer of MGM Pictures. Mr. Nathanson oversaw the production, marketing, and distribution of a slate of twelve to fifteen movies a year, including the JAMES BOND, PINK PANTHER, and LEGALLY BLOND franchises and managed a combined annual production and marketing budget exceeding $750 million. Under Mr. Nathanson's stewardship, MGM enjoyed some of its most profitable years. Leveraging these successes, Mr. Nathanson and his team took MGM public (NYSE); ultimately leading to the Company being acquired by a consortium of investors including the Sony Corporation and private equity firms TPG and Providence. Prior to MGM, Mr. Nathanson was President of Worldwide Production at Columbia Pictures for five years. Before being promoted to President, he served three years as Executive Vice President. During his years as President, Columbia was owned by the Sony Corporation. Mr. Nathanson was in charge of all Production, Business Affairs, and Development. He interfaced with all facets of the Sony Corporation from Television, Music, Games, Hardware, and Consumer Products in order to maximize Sony's film content. Mr. Nathanson was responsible for and directly supervised the acquisition of the intellectual property rights to SPIDERMAN and MEN IN BLACK for Columbia Pictures, which enhanced the value of the Company for decades to follow. In addition, Mr. Nathanson was Chairman and CEO of New Regency where he was responsible for more than tripling the Company's annual film production output to seven pictures a year. Mr. Nathanson was responsible for all aspects of production, business affairs, finance, and legal while at Regency as well as managing the Company's global distribution and marketing partnership with Warner Bros. He was one of the principal architects in creating innovative international television output agreements resulting in partnerships with Rai, Canal, Plus, BSKY B, Toho Towa Co, and Samsung. In addition, Mr. Nathanson produced two pictures a year while at Regency including receiving an Oscar nomination for the Academy Award® winning LA CONFIDENTIAL. The Company also made TIN CUP, HEAT, FREE WILLY, and THE DEVILS ADVOCATE, among others. Earlier in his career, Mr. Nathanson was a vice president at both United Artists and Warner Bros. He also spent several years at NBC Sports in New York. A sample of more than five hundred films which Mr. Nathanson has overseen or produced includes: Three JAMES BOND movies THE PINK PANTHER, BARBERSHOP, FREE WILLY franchise, THE PRINCE OF TIDES, BOYZ N THE HOOD, A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT, A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN, IN THE LINE OF FIRE, GROUNDHOG DAY, DRACULA, WAR GAMES, MR MOM, PURPLE RAIN, YOURS, MINE, AND OURS, JOYFUL NOISE Mr. Nathanson is presently running his own production company, ONC Entertainment. He recently Executive Produced the Academy Award® nominated film COME HELL OR HIGH WATER, which is currently in release. Mr. Nathanson grew up in New York City, attending Ithaca College. Mr. Nathanson is the recipient of The Louis B. Mayer Motion Picture Business Leader of the Year 2006 and the Sheba Humanitarian Award 2005 and is a member of The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) and The American Film Institute (AFI).
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Biography from IMDb.
- Producer, also actor
- 17 on MovieCove · 20 credits in all
What are Michael G. Nathanson's films like?
Across their 17 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 3 · Wry 0 · Earnest 14
A split, not a type: Light 9 · Serious 4 · Dark 4
A split, not a type: Grounded 9 · Stylized 7 · Heightened 1
Gentle 3 · Charged 8 · Intense 6
Steady 7 · Shifting 7 · Whiplash 3
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 8 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 5
Slow burn 1 · Even-paced 13 · Relentless 3
Casual 7 · Engaged 8 · Full focus 2
A split, not a type: Easy watch 9 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 5
Resolved 12 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 1
Moods and endings
- Happy8
- Bittersweet8
- Ambiguous1
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Michael G. Nathanson's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 12 of their 17 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (6).
- Draft Day (2014) · producer · free
- The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984) · executive in charge of production · free
- The Sunchaser (1996) · producer · free
- Goodbye Lover (1998) · producer · free
- Balls Out: Gary the Tennis Coach (2009) · producer · free
- Carpool (1996) · producer · free
Subscription and free streaming for Michael G. Nathanson's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
20 credits, 17 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.
Hell or High Water(2016)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
Draft Day(2014)
Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films
Joyful Noise(2012)
Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films
Yours, Mine & Ours(2005)
Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films
Goodbye Lover(1998)
Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films
Dangerous Beauty(1998)
Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
L.A. Confidential(1997)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Murder at 1600(1997)
Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films
Bogus(1996)
Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films
Carpool(1996)
Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films
A Time to Kill(1996)
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
The Sunchaser(1996)
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films
Empire Records(1995)
Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films
Copycat(1995)
Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films
Illicit Dreams (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)
Wisdom (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all filmsA Dog’s Perfect Christmas (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 17 titles, 16 of them dated from 1984 to 2016.
Biggest box office
A Time to Kill (1996)
Highest rated
L.A. Confidential (1997)
Most popular right now
A Time to Kill (1996)
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
Awards
3 major nominations and no wins, 1998.
- Oscar, nominated · Best Picture
- BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Film
+1 other major body · 1 nomination
- Producers Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures
Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.
How do Michael G. Nathanson's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 58th percentile, the median of all 17; across their 17 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 64th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up4
- 50th to 74th6
- 25th to 49th5
- Below 25th2
Shape of the crowd
7 of their 17 titles are Mixed.
- Universally Loved3
- Crowd Pleaser6
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed7
Reviewers score the acting 71/100 in their films, across 16 reviewed titles; fans 79, detractors 48. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Michael G. Nathanson's work okay for kids?
Across up to 12 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity and profanity run heavier than most films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does Michael G. Nathanson work with?
People who share at least 2 of Michael G. Nathanson's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Arnon Milchan shares the most, 12.
Directors
- Jon AmielShared titles: The Man Who Knew Too Little (1997), Copycat (1995)See all 2 shared titles with Jon Amiel
Actors
- Kevin SpaceyShared titles: Whatever You Desire: Making 'L.A. Confidential' (2008), L.A. Confidential (1997), A Time to Kill (1996)See all 3 shared titles with Kevin Spacey
- Danny DeVitoShared titles: Whatever You Desire: Making 'L.A. Confidential' (2008), L.A. Confidential (1997)See all 2 shared titles with Danny DeVito
- Guy PearceShared titles: Whatever You Desire: Making 'L.A. Confidential' (2008), L.A. Confidential (1997)See all 2 shared titles with Guy Pearce
- James CromwellShared titles: Whatever You Desire: Making 'L.A. Confidential' (2008), L.A. Confidential (1997)See all 2 shared titles with James Cromwell
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- John DebneyShared titles: Draft Day (2014), Carpool (1996)See all 2 shared titles with John Debney
- Dante SpinottiShared titles: Goodbye Lover (1998), L.A. Confidential (1997)See all 2 shared titles with Dante Spinotti
- William SteinkampShared titles: Goodbye Lover (1998), A Time to Kill (1996)See all 2 shared titles with William Steinkamp
- Christopher YoungShared titles: Murder at 1600 (1997), Copycat (1995)See all 2 shared titles with Christopher Young
Producers
- Arnon MilchanShared titles: Whatever You Desire: Making 'L.A. Confidential' (2008), Dangerous Beauty (1998), Goodbye Lover (1998), L.A. Confidential (1997), Murder at 1600 (1997), The Man Who Knew Too Little (1997), A Time to Kill (1996), Bogus (1996), Carpool (1996), The Sunchaser (1996), Copycat (1995), Empire Records (1995)See all 12 shared titles with Arnon Milchan
- Gigi PritzkerShared titles: Hell or High Water (2016), Draft Day (2014)See all 2 shared titles with Gigi Pritzker
- John PenottiShared titles: Hell or High Water (2016), Balls Out: Gary the Tennis Coach (2009)See all 2 shared titles with John Penotti
- Joseph M. Caracciolo Jr.Shared titles: The Man Who Knew Too Little (1997), Copycat (1995)See all 2 shared titles with Joseph M. Caracciolo Jr.
Mixed roles
- Curtis HansonShared titles: Whatever You Desire: Making 'L.A. Confidential' (2008), L.A. Confidential (1997)See all 2 shared titles with Curtis Hanson
