---
name: "Robert Zemeckis"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/robert-zemeckis"
fi1m_id: "robert-zemeckis"
imdb_id: "nm0000709"
tmdb_id: 24
wikidata_id: "Q187364"
roles: ["Director","Producer","Writer"]
born: "14 May 1951"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 14
average_fi1m_score: 68
average_as: "director"
average_over: 14
updated: "2026-10-05T11:27:33.777683+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 Zemeckis

## Identity

Robert Zemeckis

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/robert-zemeckis
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** robert-zemeckis
- **IMDb ID:** nm0000709
- **TMDB ID:** 24
- **Wikidata ID:** Q187364
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Zemeckis, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q187364, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000709/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/24

Director and producer. Born 14 May 1951 in Chicago, Illinois, USA.

## Details

- **Work:** Director, Producer, Writer
- **Born:** 14 May 1951, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- **Active:** 1984–present
- **Also known as:** Bob Zemeckis, Robert Lee Zemeckis
- **Frequently works with:** [Steve Starkey](https://film.one/person/steve-starkey.md), [Jack Rapke](https://film.one/person/jack-rapke.md), [Christopher Lloyd](https://film.one/person/christopher-lloyd.md), [Tom Hanks](https://film.one/person/tom-hanks.md), [Bob Gale](https://film.one/person/bob-gale.md), [Lea Thompson](https://film.one/person/lea-thompson.md), [Michael J. Fox](https://film.one/person/michael-j-fox.md), [Neil Canton](https://film.one/person/neil-canton.md)
- **Academy Awards:** 1 Oscar (1 won · 1 nominated)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 68, as director, over 14 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1980s 83 (4), 1990s 73 (3), 2000s 63 (4), 2010s 57 (1), 2020s 47 (2)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 68 to 62 across 14 titles
- **Score spread:** 3 at 80+, 6 at 60–79, 5 under 60
- **Genres:** Comedy 7, Drama 7, Adventure 5, Fantasy 5, Animation 3, Family 3
- **Screen time:** 27 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $3,679m across 14 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Zemeckis, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q187364, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000709/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/24

## Streaming the US now

- **Disney+:** [*Back to the Future*](https://film.one/film/back-to-the-future.md) (92), [*Who Framed Roger Rabbit*](https://film.one/film/who-framed-roger-rabbit.md) (89), [*A Christmas Carol*](https://film.one/film/a-christmas-carol.md) (50)
- **Apple TV:** [*Forrest Gump*](https://film.one/film/forrest-gump.md) (66), [*What Lies Beneath*](https://film.one/film/what-lies-beneath.md) (63)
- **Tubi:** [*Romancing the Stone*](https://film.one/film/romancing-the-stone.md) (77)
- **Peacock:** [*Death Becomes Her*](https://film.one/film/death-becomes-her.md) (76)

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

## Fi1m on Robert Zemeckis

> Robert Zemeckis uses elaborate screen tricks to tell stories about time and family. We admire his ingenuity, but *Here* shows how little it counts for when the characters have nothing interesting to say.

In *Here* (2024), rectangles open inside a fixed frame, letting different decades occupy the same patch of ground. Zemeckis makes time visible without moving the camera; the idea is easy to grasp and worth trying. The trouble is that the people have to explain themselves almost as soon as they arrive. We grew frustrated listening to them announce their feelings and the year, because neither gave us much reason to care about their lives. The device comes from Richard McGuire’s graphic novel, but Zemeckis and co-writer Eric Roth have not found enough drama to sustain it.

That was not always the balance. *Back to the Future* (1985) established him as an inventive storyteller, while *Who Framed Roger Rabbit* (1988) made live action and animation work together for the story. *Forrest Gump* (1994) put its central character into historical footage, but also found jokes and songs in the history. With *The Polar Express* (2004), performance capture became a major part of his filmmaking. The interest in time and family remained, but testing what a camera could do increasingly occupied him.

*Here* reunites Zemeckis with Tom Hanks, Robin Wright and Roth, as well as cinematographer Don Burgess and composer Alan Silvestri, all collaborators on *Forrest Gump*. Familiar collaborators do not solve the central problem: scenes must keep arriving, making their point and disappearing. Burgess’s unmoving view gives the film a clear rule, but it also means nobody can be followed out of the house. Goldsmith’s editing divides the years into such brief visits that relationships barely have time to develop. The de-aged faces are a further distraction, though Wright gives us something to watch beyond the process.

We would not mistake that failure for an inability to work simply. *Cast Away* (2000), with its long stretches of limited dialogue, is a useful reminder that Zemeckis does not always need people to explain themselves. Even *Here* has discipline in the way it sticks to its fixed view, and Wright is worth watching despite the restrictions. But the family drama is too thin to reward the experiment. Start with *Back to the Future* or *Who Framed Roger Rabbit*; leave *Here* until curiosity about the method is reason enough.

## Biography

Robert Zemeckis is an American director, producer and screenwriter. He studied filmmaking at the University of Southern California, where he met frequent collaborator Bob Gale. His early feature films as director include *I Wanna Hold Your Hand* (1978), *Used Cars* (1980) and *Romancing the Stone* (1984).

Zemeckis directed and co-wrote *Back to the Future* (1985) and its sequels. Other films he has directed include *Who Framed Roger Rabbit* (1988), *Death Becomes Her* (1992), *Forrest Gump* (1994), *Contact* (1997), *Cast Away* (2000), *The Polar Express* (2004), *Flight* (2012) and *Here* (2024). On the latter he also served as producer and co-wrote the screenplay.

He has worked repeatedly with composer Alan Silvestri since 1984 and directed Tom Hanks in five films. Zemeckis received the Academy Award for Best Director for *Forrest Gump*.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, britannica.com, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (14)

- *Here* (2024), Fi1m 40, Director, Producer, Screenplay — [page](https://film.one/film/here.md)
- *Roald Dahl's The Witches* (2020), Fi1m 54, Screenplay, Producer, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/roald-dahls-the-witches.md)
- *Allied* (2016), Fi1m 57, Director, Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/allied.md)
- *A Christmas Carol* (2009), Fi1m 50, Director, Producer, Screenplay — [page](https://film.one/film/a-christmas-carol.md)
- *The Polar Express* (2004), Fi1m 58, Producer, Screenplay, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/the-polar-express.md)
- *Cast Away* (2000), Fi1m 81, Director, Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/cast-away.md)
- *What Lies Beneath* (2000), Fi1m 63, Director, Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/what-lies-beneath.md)
- *Contact* (1997), Fi1m 76, Producer, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/contact.md)
- *Forrest Gump* (1994), Fi1m 66, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/forrest-gump.md)
- *Death Becomes Her* (1992), Fi1m 76, Director, Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/death-becomes-her.md)
- *Back to the Future Part II* (1989), Fi1m 74, Story, Characters, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/back-to-the-future-part-ii.md)
- *Who Framed Roger Rabbit* (1988), Fi1m 89, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/who-framed-roger-rabbit.md)
- *Back to the Future* (1985), Fi1m 92, Director, Writer — [page](https://film.one/film/back-to-the-future.md)
- *Romancing the Stone* (1984), Fi1m 77, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/romancing-the-stone.md)

## Complete filmography (77)

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

- *Here* (2024), Producer, Director, Screenplay — Fi1m 40, [page](https://film.one/film/here.md)
- *Pinocchio* (2022), Screenplay, Producer, Director
- *Finch* (2021), Executive Producer
- *Roald Dahl's The Witches* (2020), Screenplay, Director, Producer — Fi1m 54, [page](https://film.one/film/roald-dahls-the-witches.md)
- *I'm Thinking of Ending Things* (2020), Thanks
- *Project 88: Back to the Future Too* (2020), Creator
- *WHAT / IF* (2019), series, Executive Producer
- *Project Blue Book* (2019), series, Executive Producer
- *Welcome to Marwen* (2018), Director, Screenplay, Producer
- *Manifest* (2018), series, Executive Producer, Producer
- *Back to the Future: The Hill Valley Chronicles* (2018), series, Director, Writer
- *Elemental: Hydrogen vs. Hindenburg* (2017), Executive Producer
- *Allied* (2016), Director, Producer — Fi1m 57, [page](https://film.one/film/allied.md)
- *Doc Brown Saves the World* (2015), Director, Writer
- *Back To the Present: The Special* (2015), Actor
- *The Walk* (2015), Screenplay, Director, Producer
- *Bound by Flesh* (2012), Executive Producer
- *Plaga zombie: zona mutante: revolución tóxica* (2012), Thanks
- *Flight* (2012), Director, Producer
- *Real Steel* (2011), Executive Producer
- *Mars Needs Moms* (2011), Producer
- *Behind the Burly Q* (2010), Executive Producer
- *A Christmas Carol* (2009), Director, Screenplay, Producer — Fi1m 50, [page](https://film.one/film/a-christmas-carol.md)
- *Looking Back to the Future* (2009), Thanks
- *Beowulf* (2007), Producer, Director
- *The Reaping* (2007), Producer
- *Monster House* (2006), Executive Producer
- *Last Holiday* (2006), Executive Producer
- *Le court des grands* (2005), Director
- *The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio* (2005), Producer
- *House of Wax* (2005), Producer
- *The Polar Express* (2004), Screenplay, Director, Producer — Fi1m 58, [page](https://film.one/film/the-polar-express.md)
- *Gothika* (2003), Producer
- *Matchstick Men* (2003), Executive Producer
- *Ghost Ship* (2002), Producer
- *Ritual* (2002), Producer
- *Thir13en Ghosts* (2001), Producer
- *Cast Away* (2000), Director, Producer — Fi1m 81, [page](https://film.one/film/cast-away.md)
- *What Lies Beneath* (2000), Producer, Director — Fi1m 63, [page](https://film.one/film/what-lies-beneath.md)
- *House on Haunted Hill* (1999), Producer
- *The Pursuit of Happiness* (1999), Director
- *Tales from the Crypt: The Robert Zemeckis Collection* (1999), Director
- *Contact* (1997), Director, Producer — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/film/contact.md)
- *Perversions of Science* (1997), series, Executive Producer
- *Bordello of Blood* (1996), Story, Executive Producer
- *The Frighteners* (1996), Executive Producer
- *W.E.I.R.D. World* (1995), Executive Producer
- *Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight* (1995), Executive Producer
- *DeGenerazione* (1994), Thanks
- *Forrest Gump* (1994), Director — Fi1m 66, [page](https://film.one/film/forrest-gump.md)
- *Tales from the Cryptkeeper* (1993), series, Producer
- *Johnny Bago* (1993), series, Director
- *Trespass* (1992), Writer, Executive Producer
- *The Public Eye* (1992), Executive Producer
- *Death Becomes Her* (1992), Director, Producer — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/film/death-becomes-her.md)
- *Two-Fisted Tales* (1992), Director, Executive Producer
- *Back to the Future* (1991), series, Characters
- *Parker Lewis Can't Lose* (1990), series, as Robert Zemeckis
- *Back to the Future Part III* (1990), Director, Story, Characters
- *Back to the Future Part II* (1989), Director, Characters, Story — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/film/back-to-the-future-part-ii.md)
- *Back to the Future (Part II): Behind-the-Scenes Special Presentation* (1989), Thanks
- *Tales from the Crypt* (1989), series, Director, Producer
- *Who Framed Roger Rabbit* (1988), Director — Fi1m 89, [page](https://film.one/film/who-framed-roger-rabbit.md)
- *Citizen Steve* (1987), as Screenwriter
- *Amazing Stories* (1986), Director
- *Amazing Stories* (1985), series, Director
- *Back to the Future* (1985), Director, Writer — Fi1m 92, [page](https://film.one/film/back-to-the-future.md)
- *Romancing the Stone* (1984), Director — Fi1m 77, [page](https://film.one/film/romancing-the-stone.md)
- *Used Cars* (1980), Writer, Director
- *1941* (1979), Story, Screenplay
- *I Wanna Hold Your Hand* (1978), Writer, Director
- *A Field of Honor* (1973), Director, Writer
- *The Lift* (1972), Director
- *Barracuda*, Executive Producer
- *Arrivals: A New Manifest Mystery*, series, Executive Producer
- *The Last Mrs. Parrish*, Director
- *School for Scumbags*, Executive Producer

## Gallery

- ![Robert Zemeckis](https://film.one/media/person/10070/gallery-9d28fefbbf13.jpg) Robert Zemeckis — Dick Thomas Johnson from Tokyo, Japan, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d7/Robert_Zemeckis_%22The_Walk%22_at_Opening_Ceremony_of_the_28th_Tokyo_International_Film_Festival_%2821835891403%29_%28cropped%29.jpg/1280px-Robert_Zemeckis_%22The_Walk%22_at_Opening_Ceremony_of_the_28th_Tokyo_International_Film_Festival_%2821835891403%29_%28cropped%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Robert Zemeckis "The Walk" at Opening Ceremony of the 28th Tokyo International Film Festival (2015)](https://film.one/media/person/10070/gallery-b98ea7178aea.jpg) Robert Zemeckis "The Walk" at Opening Ceremony of the 28th Tokyo International Film Festival (2015) — Dick Thomas Johnson from Tokyo, Japan, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/30/Robert_Zemeckis_%22The_Walk%22_at_Opening_Ceremony_of_the_28th_Tokyo_International_Film_Festival_%2821835891403%29.jpg/1280px-Robert_Zemeckis_%22The_Walk%22_at_Opening_Ceremony_of_the_28th_Tokyo_International_Film_Festival_%2821835891403%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![第28回 東京国際映画祭 オープニングセレモニー ロバート・ゼメキス (ザ・ウォーク) (2015)](https://film.one/media/person/10070/gallery-3be2d890d5e5.jpg) 第28回 東京国際映画祭 オープニングセレモニー ロバート・ゼメキス (ザ・ウォーク) (2015) — Dick Thomas Johnson from Tokyo, Japan, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d4/Robert_Zemeckis_%22The_Walk%22_at_Opening_Ceremony_of_the_28th_Tokyo_International_Film_Festival_%2821835892443%29.jpg/1280px-Robert_Zemeckis_%22The_Walk%22_at_Opening_Ceremony_of_the_28th_Tokyo_International_Film_Festival_%2821835892443%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![第28回 東京国際映画祭 オープニングセレモニー ロバート・ゼメキス (ザ・ウォーク) (2015)](https://film.one/media/person/10070/gallery-95d50a8f7ded.jpg) 第28回 東京国際映画祭 オープニングセレモニー ロバート・ゼメキス (ザ・ウォーク) (2015) — Dick Thomas Johnson from Tokyo, Japan, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cc/Robert_Zemeckis_%22The_Walk%22_at_Opening_Ceremony_of_the_28th_Tokyo_International_Film_Festival_%2822431039396%29.jpg/1280px-Robert_Zemeckis_%22The_Walk%22_at_Opening_Ceremony_of_the_28th_Tokyo_International_Film_Festival_%2822431039396%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Robert Zemeckis](https://film.one/media/person/10070/gallery-00d92ffa631c.jpg) Robert Zemeckis — Image via TMDB
- ![Robert Zemeckis](https://film.one/media/person/10070/gallery-01481d800d31.jpg) Robert Zemeckis — Image via TMDB
- ![Robert Zemeckis](https://film.one/media/person/10070/gallery-4c631c8e7b6c.jpg) Robert Zemeckis — Image via TMDB
- ![第28回 東京国際映画祭 オープニングセレモニー ロバート・ゼメキス (ザ・ウォーク) (2015)](https://film.one/media/person/10070/gallery-9fcbb6378686.jpg) 第28回 東京国際映画祭 オープニングセレモニー ロバート・ゼメキス (ザ・ウォーク) (2015) — Dick Thomas Johnson from Tokyo, Japan, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cb/Robert_Zemeckis_%22The_Walk%22_at_Opening_Ceremony_of_the_28th_Tokyo_International_Film_Festival_%2822443713802%29.jpg/1280px-Robert_Zemeckis_%22The_Walk%22_at_Opening_Ceremony_of_the_28th_Tokyo_International_Film_Festival_%2822443713802%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![第28回 東京国際映画祭 オープニングセレモニー ロバート・ゼメキス (ザ・ウォーク) (2015)](https://film.one/media/person/10070/gallery-d84bf8561641.jpg) 第28回 東京国際映画祭 オープニングセレモニー ロバート・ゼメキス (ザ・ウォーク) (2015) — Dick Thomas Johnson from Tokyo, Japan, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/14/Robert_Zemeckis_%22The_Walk%22_at_Opening_Ceremony_of_the_28th_Tokyo_International_Film_Festival_%2829971352382%29_%282%29.jpg/1280px-Robert_Zemeckis_%22The_Walk%22_at_Opening_Ceremony_of_the_28th_Tokyo_International_Film_Festival_%2829971352382%29_%282%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Robert Zemeckis](https://film.one/media/person/10070/gallery-b83e6efaebaf.jpg) Robert Zemeckis — Image via TMDB
- ![Robert Zemeckis](https://film.one/media/person/10070/gallery-68c740d4f986.jpg) Robert Zemeckis — Image via TMDB
- ![Robert Zemeckis](https://film.one/media/person/10070/gallery-9fb3b7d545b1.jpg) Robert Zemeckis — Image via TMDB

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 1 won, 1 nominated

- 1995: Best Director (won)
- 1986: Best Writing, Original Screenplay (nominated), for *Back to the Future*

### Golden Globes — 1 won

- 1995: Best Director (won)

### Other awards — 4 won

- Officer of Arts and Letters 2016: Officer of Arts and Letters (won)
- Hugo Awards 1998: Best Dramatic Presentation (won), for *Who Framed Roger Rabbit*
- Hugo Awards 1989: Best Dramatic Presentation (won), for *Who Framed Roger Rabbit*
- Hugo Awards 1986: Best Dramatic Presentation (won), for *Who Framed Roger Rabbit*

*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-zemeckis