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Alan F. Horn

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For those named Alan Horne, see Horne baronets.
Alan F. Horn
Born
Alan Frederick Horn

(1943-02-28) February 28, 1943 (age 81)
New York City, New York, U.S.
Alma materUnion College
Harvard University
OccupationFilm executive
Years active1973–present
Employer(s)Warner Bros. (1999–2012; 2022–present)
Walt Disney Studios (2012–2021)
TitleChairman, Chief Creative Officer
SpouseCindy Harrell
Children2, including Cody

Alan Frederick Horn (born February 28, 1943) is an American entertainment industry executive.[1] Horn became president and COO of Warner Bros. from 1999 to 2012. Horn next served as the chairman of Walt Disney Studios from 2012 to 2020.[2] During his tenure at Disney, Horn also served as the chief creative officer from 2019 to 2021.[3][4] Horn agreed to depart from Disney, effective December 31, 2021.[3]

In July 2022, Horn rejoined Warner Bros., having assumed a new position as a consultant with Warner Bros. Discovery.[5]

Personal life

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Horn was raised on Long Island, New York, in Riverhead.[6][7][8] He graduated from Union College in Schenectady, New York, in 1964. In 1971, he received an MBA from Harvard Business School.[9][10] He was a captain in the United States Air Force.[11]

Horn currently lives in the East Gate Bel Air section of Los Angeles, California,[12] with his wife, Cindy Harrell, a former model.[13][14] They have two daughters, actress Cody, and Cassidy.

Career

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Horn worked at Norman Lear's television production companies, Tandem Productions and Embassy Communications, the latter of which he was chairman before becoming president of 20th Century Fox in October 1986 soon after it was acquired by Rupert Murdoch.[15] He was one of the founders of Castle Rock Entertainment in 1987.[16] There, he oversaw films including A Few Good Men (1992), The Green Mile (1999), When Harry Met Sally (1989), and the TV sitcom Seinfeld (1989–1998).[11]

Horn became president and COO of Warner Bros. in 1999, where he ran the studio in partnership with chairman and CEO Barry Meyer for 12 years. Under Horn's leadership, Warner Bros. had many hits, including the Harry Potter series (2001–2011) and Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Trilogy (2005–2012). He was also the executive producer on all three films in The Hobbit Trilogy.[11] At age 68, Horn was forced to retire as president and COO of Warner Bros., at the behest of Time Warner Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Bewkes who wanted to groom younger talent to take over at the studio, with Meyer relinquishing his role as studio CEO in March 2013 to be succeeded by Kevin Tsujihara.

In 2012, at the urging of The Walt Disney Company chairman and CEO Bob Iger, Horn was lured out of retirement to become the chairman of Walt Disney Studios, replacing Rich Ross who had been dismissed from the position after having conflicts with Pixar executives. Horn established a successful working relationship with Pixar, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, and 20th Century Studios which operated with great autonomy under Disney's overall ownership, while also overseeing strong box office releases from Walt Disney Pictures and Walt Disney Animation Studios.[17]

In 2017, he said of his past professional success:[18]

I have this ... theory that whoever is working in a job deserves to stay ... unless they prove that they don't deserve to be in the job.

On May 1, 2019, Horn was given the added title of chief creative officer (CCO) of Walt Disney Studios.[4] In December 2020, it was announced that effective January 1, 2021, Alan Bergman would become the new chairman of the Walt Disney Studios while Horn would remain as the studios' chief creative officer.[2]

In October 2021, it was announced that Horn would be retiring for a second time at the end of the year, and his position would likely not be filled.[19]

In July 2022, it was reported that Horn would assume a new position with Warner Bros. Discovery. Starting August 1, 2022, Horn began serving as a business consultant during its transitionary period following the acquisition of WarnerMedia by Discovery, Inc.[5]

References

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  1. ^ Friedman, Roger (April 18, 2012). "Alan Horn, Former Warner Bros. Chief, To Run Disney". Forbes. Archived from the original on June 2, 2012. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
  2. ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 21, 2020). "Alan Bergman Elevates To Disney Studios Content Chairman; Alan Horn Staying On As Chief Creative Officer". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  3. ^ a b Lang, Brent (October 11, 2021). "Alan Horn Retiring as Disney Studios Chief Creative Officer". Variety. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  4. ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (May 1, 2019). "Alan Bergman Promoted To Disney Studio Co-Chairman; Alan Horn Expands Role As Disney Chief Creative Officer". Deadline. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
  5. ^ a b Weprin, Alex; McClintock, Pamela (July 28, 2022). "Alan Horn to Help Shape Warner Bros. Film Studio During Transition". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  6. ^ "Hillary Clinton Raises Record $2.1 Million at Event Hosted by Jewish Hollywood Moguls". Algemeiner Journal. October 21, 2014. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
  7. ^ Brook, Vincent (December 15, 2016). From Shtetl to Stardom: Jews and Hollywood: Chapter 1: Still an Empire of Their Own: How Jews Remain Atop a Reinvented Hollywood. Purdue University Press. p. 15. ISBN 9781557537638.
  8. ^ "Alan Horn Archives". Riverhead News Review. August 31, 2012. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
  9. ^ "Students in Schenectady spellbound by Harry Potter's wand". Union.edu. November 20, 2010. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
  10. ^ "Alan Horn (MBA 1971) - Alumni". Harvard Business School. February 5, 2017. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
  11. ^ a b c "Alan F. Horn". The Walt Disney Company. Archived from the original on December 31, 2019. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
  12. ^ The Huffington Post FundRace 2008 Contributions map Archived November 17, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ Fiamma Sanò (April 27, 2010). "Cody Horn". Vogue.it. Archived from the original on October 19, 2016. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
  14. ^ Vilanova, John (May 23, 2013). "#Hamptons35 Flashback: Cindy Harrell Horn, Circa 1982". Hamptons Magazine.
  15. ^ Galbraith, Jane (May 21, 1986). "New Fox Focus On In-House Pix, Planning $100-Mil Public Offering". Variety. p. 4.
  16. ^ "Warner Bros. studio chief Alan Horn to deliver 2010 Commencement address". Union College. February 23, 2010. Archived from the original on March 20, 2012. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
  17. ^ Rainey, James (April 11, 2016). "Alan Horn: Disney Chairman Guides Studio to Hits of the Future". Variety. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
  18. ^ Galloway, Stephen (August 1, 2017). "Alan Horn". The Hollywood Masters. Season 1. Episode 7. Event occurs at 35 minutes. Netflix.
  19. ^ Barnes, Brooks (October 11, 2021). "Alan Horn, a top creative executive, is the latest high-ranking Disney departure". The New York Times.
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