---
name: "Robert F. Colesberry"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/robert-f-colesberry"
fi1m_id: "robert-f-colesberry"
imdb_id: "nm0171348"
tmdb_id: 1994
wikidata_id: "Q1365858"
roles: ["Producer","Director"]
born: "7 March 1946"
died: "9 February 2004"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 8
average_fi1m_score: 74
average_as: "producer"
average_over: 5
updated: "2026-10-05T02:24:30.508227+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Robert F. Colesberry

## Identity

Robert F. Colesberry

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/robert-f-colesberry
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** robert-f-colesberry
- **IMDb ID:** nm0171348
- **TMDB ID:** 1994
- **Wikidata ID:** Q1365858
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_F._Colesberry, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1365858, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0171348/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1994

Producer and director. Born 7 March 1946 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Died 9 February 2004.

## Details

- **Work:** Producer, Director
- **Born:** 7 March 1946, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- **Died:** 9 February 2004
- **Active:** 1980–2002
- **Also known as:** Bob Colesberry
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 8: 1 acting, 1 directing, 1 writing, 5 producing
- **Academy Awards:** 1 Oscar nomination
- **Average Fi1m score:** 74, as producer, over 5 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1980s 76 (6), 2000s 73 (2)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 73 to 64 across 4 titles
- **Score spread:** 2 at 80+, 2 at 60–79, 1 under 60
- **Genres:** Drama 5, Comedy 3, Mystery 1, Science Fiction 1, Sport 1, Thriller 1
- **Screen time:** 10 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $113m across 5 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_F._Colesberry, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1365858, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0171348/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1994

## Streaming the US now

- **The Roku Channel:** [*After Hours*](https://film.one/film/after-hours.md) (80), [*Housekeeping*](https://film.one/film/housekeeping.md) (78)
- **HBO Max:** [*The Wire*](https://film.one/tv/the-wire.md) (90)
- **Apple TV:** [*Mississippi Burning*](https://film.one/film/mississippi-burning.md) (72)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

Robert F. Colesberry Jr., also known as Bob Colesberry, was an American film and television producer. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and studied at Southern Connecticut State University before earning a BFA from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in 1974.

Colesberry worked as a producer on films including *The King of Comedy* (1982), *The Natural* (1984), *After Hours* (1985), *Mississippi Burning* (1988) and *K-PAX* (2001). He was executive producer of the HBO miniseries *The Corner* (2000) and co-creator and executive producer of the HBO series *The Wire* (2002), on which he also directed the second-season finale and appeared in a recurring role as Detective Ray Cole. He was married to producer Karen L. Thorson.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, latimes.com, nytimes.com, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (8)

### Performed in (1)

- *Mississippi Burning* (1988), Fi1m 72, as Cameraman — [page](https://film.one/film/mississippi-burning.md)

### Directed (1)

- *The Wire* (2002), Fi1m 90, Director, Executive Producer — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-wire.md)

### Wrote (1)

- *Fame* (1980), Fi1m 70, First Assistant Director, Lyricist — [page](https://film.one/film/fame.md)

### Produced (5) — the average rests on these

- *K-PAX* (2001), Fi1m 56, Producer, Unit Production Manager — [page](https://film.one/film/k-pax.md)
- *Housekeeping* (1987), Fi1m 78, Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/housekeeping.md)
- *After Hours* (1985), Fi1m 80, Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/after-hours.md)
- *The Natural* (1984), Fi1m 67, Associate Producer, Unit Production Manager — [page](https://film.one/film/the-natural.md)
- *The King of Comedy* (1982), Fi1m 88, Associate Producer, Production Manager — [page](https://film.one/film/the-king-of-comedy.md)

## Complete filmography (29)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *The Wire* (2002), series, as Det. Ray Cole (uncredited) · Director, Executive Producer — Fi1m 90, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-wire.md)
- *K-PAX* (2001), Producer, Unit Production Manager — Fi1m 56, [page](https://film.one/film/k-pax.md)
- *61** (2001), Producer
- *Peroxide Passion* (2001), Executive Producer
- *The Corner* (2000), series, Executive Producer
- *Ride with the Devil* (1999), Producer
- *Long Time Since* (1998), Executive Producer
- *The Devil's Own* (1997), Producer
- *The Scarlet Letter* (1995), Co-Producer
- *The Road to Wellville* (1994), Producer
- *Being Human* (1994), Producer
- *Billy Bathgate* (1991), as Jack Kelly · Producer
- *Come See the Paradise* (1990), Producer
- *Mississippi Burning* (1988), as Cameraman · Producer — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/film/mississippi-burning.md)
- *The House on Carroll Street* (1988), Producer
- *Housekeeping* (1987), Producer — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/film/housekeeping.md)
- *After Hours* (1985), Producer — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/film/after-hours.md)
- *Death of a Salesman* (1985), Producer
- *Falling in Love* (1984), Associate Producer, Unit Production Manager
- *The Natural* (1984), Associate Producer, Unit Production Manager — Fi1m 67, [page](https://film.one/film/the-natural.md)
- *Reckless* (1984), as Marine Recruiter · Associate Producer, Unit Production Manager
- *Copkiller* (1983), Production Coordinator
- *Baby It's You* (1983), Production Manager, Associate Producer
- *The King of Comedy* (1982), Associate Producer, Production Manager — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/film/the-king-of-comedy.md)
- *Fame* (1980), Lyricist, First Assistant Director — Fi1m 70, [page](https://film.one/film/fame.md)
- *Windows* (1980), Assistant Director
- *Short Eyes* (1977), Assistant Director
- *Nasty Habits* (1977), Location Coordinator
- *Little Girl, Big Tease* (1976), Associate Producer

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 0 won, 1 nominated

- 1989: Best Picture (nominated), for *Mississippi Burning*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/robert-f-colesberry