Martin Brest Bio
Martin Brest (born August 8, 1951) is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer whose work spans five decades. He is best known for directing the action comedies Beverly Hills Cop (1984) and Midnight Run (1988), as well as the drama Scent of a Woman (1992), which earned Al Pacino an Academy Award for Best Actor. Over the course of his career, Brest has been recognized with Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations, and two of his films have been selected for the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress. His 2003 film Gigli marked the end of his feature film activity in the public eye.
Early Life and Background
Martin Brest was born on August 8, 1951, in a working-class neighborhood in the Bronx, New York, to Eastern European Jewish immigrant parents. Growing up in a household shaped by modest means, he found an early cultural touchstone in the television series The Honeymooners, later recalling that he felt the show was made for his neighborhood and that the character of Ralph Kramden, an angry soul whose spirit blossoms, deeply moved him.
He graduated from Stuyvesant High School in 1969 and went on to earn his Bachelor of Fine Arts from New York University’s School of the Arts in 1973. During his time at NYU, Brest made the student short film Hot Dogs for Gauguin (1972), which starred a then-unknown Danny DeVito and featured a small part by Rhea Perlman. The film was later chosen by the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress to be preserved as a cultural, artistic, and historical treasure, and it remains part of the Museum of Modern Art’s permanent collection. Brest completed his education with a Master of Fine Arts from the AFI Conservatory in 1977.
Path to Directing
Brest’s journey into feature filmmaking began with his student work at New York University, where Hot Dogs for Gauguin drew attention for its sharp character work and emerging talent. The success of that short opened the door to his major studio debut with Going in Style (1979), starring George Burns, Art Carney, and Lee Strasberg. The film established Brest as a director with a clear eye for character-driven comedy.
His early career also included a brief, unhappy stint on WarGames (1983), when he was fired three weeks into production amid conflicts with the film’s executive producer and was replaced by John Badham. The dismissal left him uncertain about his future in Hollywood until producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer recruited him to direct Beverly Hills Cop (1984) with Eddie Murphy. That opportunity launched Brest into the top tier of Hollywood directors and set the stage for a remarkable run of hit films throughout the 1980s and early 1990s.
Martin Brest Career
Early Career (1972–1983)
Brest’s earliest directorial credit came with the NYU student film Hot Dogs for Gauguin in 1972, followed by his feature debut, Going in Style, in 1979. The film starred three screen legends and earned Brest early industry notice for his comedic timing and affectionate handling of older characters. He was then hired to direct WarGames in 1983, but was removed from the project early in production, a setback that briefly stalled his momentum in Hollywood.
Breakthrough (1984–1992)
Brest rebounded with Beverly Hills Cop (1984), starring Eddie Murphy. The film grossed over $300 million worldwide, received Golden Globe nominations for Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy) and Best Actor for Murphy, and earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay. In 2024, Beverly Hills Cop became the second of Brest’s films to be selected for the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress.
He followed this success with Midnight Run (1988), an action comedy starring Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin. The film was another critical and commercial hit, earning Brest a Golden Globe nomination for Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy) and De Niro a Best Actor nomination in the same category. Brest was briefly attached to Rain Man in pre-production and cast Tom Cruise opposite Dustin Hoffman before Barry Levinson ultimately directed the film.
Brest then helmed Scent of a Woman (1992), starring Al Pacino as a blind retired military officer. The film earned Brest a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture (Drama), along with Golden Globe wins for Pacino and screenwriter Bo Goldman, and a Best Supporting Actor nomination for Chris O’Donnell. Scent of a Woman received four Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director for Brest, with Pacino winning Best Actor.
Notable Works and Milestones
Brest’s signature works include Beverly Hills Cop, Midnight Run, and Scent of a Woman, each of which combined strong ensemble casts with a careful balance of humor, drama, and sentiment. His 1972 student short Hot Dogs for Gauguin was selected for the National Film Registry in 2009, and Beverly Hills Cop joined the Registry in 2024. Brest has also been honored with the American Film Institute’s Franklin J. Schaffner Achievement Award, celebrating his extraordinary creative talents and artistic achievements. His essays about art and artists have appeared in various books.
Martin Brest Award Nominations
Across his career, Martin Brest has received recognition from major industry organizations for both his feature films and his early work. Beverly Hills Cop earned him Golden Globe nominations for Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy) and a Best Original Screenplay nomination at the Academy Awards. Midnight Run brought another Golden Globe nomination for Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy), and Scent of a Woman resulted in Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay, along with multiple Golden Globe nominations for the cast and film.
Martin Brest Awards Won
Martin Brest has earned a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture (Drama) for Scent of a Woman (1992), as well as the American Film Institute’s Franklin J. Schaffner Achievement Award, which celebrates the recipient’s extraordinary creative talents and artistic achievements. His films have also received the rare honor of National Film Registry selections by the U.S. Library of Congress, with Hot Dogs for Gauguin chosen in 2009 and Beverly Hills Cop chosen in 2024.
Martin Brest Family
Martin Brest was born to Eastern European Jewish immigrant parents in a working-class neighborhood in the Bronx. The cultural and economic environment of his upbringing, including shared experiences with the families depicted in classic television, helped shape the character-driven sensibility that would define his filmmaking.
Personal Life
Public details about Martin Brest’s personal life, including long-term relationships and children, are limited. After the troubled production of Gigli in 2003, a 2014 Playboy article observed that Brest had largely withdrawn from public life, a period often described as him going into seclusion. In 2021, he appeared as a featured guest at a Los Angeles screening of Beverly Hills Cop and Midnight Run, where he was interviewed by filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson, and in 2023 he gave an interview to Variety reflecting on his career and the end of his time directing major features.