Biography
Richard Sakai is an American television and film producer. Born on 28 January 1954 in San Francisco, California, he began his career as an assistant to James L. Brooks in 1977. He worked on the sitcom Taxi (1978), rising to producer and directing several episodes.
In 1984, Sakai joined Brooks' production company Gracie Films, where he became president. He has produced numerous films including Jerry Maguire (1996), for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture, As Good as It Gets (1997), Spanglish (2004) and The Simpsons Movie (2007).
Sakai is one of the original producers of the animated series The Simpsons (1989–), for which he has won several Emmy Awards. He has also directed episodes of Newhart and Who's the Boss?.
