Jim Gianopulos

James N. Gianopulos is an American businessman. He served as chairman and CEO of 20th Century Fox and most recently as chairman and CEO of Paramount Pictures until his departure in September 2021. Early life Gianopulos was born in 1952 in Brooklyn, New York City. He is a second-generation Greek American. He graduated from Boston University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1973, received a Juris Doctor from the Fordham University School of Law in 1976, and attended the Master's program at the New York University School of Law. Career Gianopulos started his career by working at Columbia Pictures and Paramount. In 1992, he was appointed President of 20th Century Fox International, where he was responsible for the marketing and distribution for the studio's films and television programs. From 2000 to 2012, Gianopulos was chairman and CEO of Fox Filmed Entertainment with Tom Rothman. During that time, the company earned over $30 billion from the box office and made the then two highest-grossing films, Titanic and Avatar; and twenty movies he greenlit each grossed over $100 million domestically ($ million in current dollars) and 26 movies that fetched $100 million internationally. Fox films during his tenure were nominated for more than 150 Academy Awards and won three Best Picture Awards, including Slumdog Millionaire, which won the Best Picture Oscar in 2008.