Harvey Weinstein is a convicted sex offender and former film producer known for his influential career in Hollywood before his widely publicized fall from grace. He is the co-founder of Miramax and later The Weinstein Company, both of which have produced many commercially successful films and won accolades from the Academy Awards. Weinstein was one of the biggest first figures in the #MeToo movement after being accused of sexual assault and rape by more than 80 women. Weinstein allegedly used his power and influence inside Hollywood to groom and silence women in the film industry.
After graduating from the University of Buffalo, he started Miramax Film Corp alongside his brother Bob in 1979. The pair had their first major success ten years after purchasing the rights to "sex, lies, and videotape." By 1993 Disney had purchased the company, but the brothers remained co-chair, producing notable Hollywood classics throughout the 1990s, including Quintin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction," "Heavenly Creatures," "The Crying Game," " Shakespeare in Love," and "Flirting with Disaster." At the start of the 21st century, the company had amassed more than 40 Oscars, and the brothers were one of the most influential filmmakers in Hollywood.
In 2005, Harvey and his brother left Miramax to start the Weinstein Company, a now defunct-film studio that produced dozens of awarding-winning movies, including "Inglorious Basterds," "The King's Speech," "Imitation Game," and "The Reader." The studio filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy following Weinstein's public downfall and dismal from the company in 2017.
After his removal from the Weinstein Company and condemnation from colleagues, he was also expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. By May 2018, Weinstein was arrested in New York and convicted of one count of third-degree rape and one count of criminal sexual assault in the first degree. He was sentenced to 23 years in prison and is housed at the Wende Correctional Facility while awaiting extradition to Los Angeles for more misconduct charges.
