Joel Silver (born July 14, 1952) is an American film producer, known for action films like Lethal Weapon and Die Hard. He is owner of Silver Pictures and co-founder of Dark Castle Entertainment.
He began his career at Lawrence Gordon Productions, where he eventually became president of motion pictures for the company. He earned his first screen credit as the associate producer on The Warriors and, with Gordon, produced 48 Hrs.,Streets of Fire and Brewster's Millions. In 1985, he formed Silver Pictures and produced successful action films such as Commando (1985), the Lethal Weapon franchise, the first two films of the Die Hard series and the The Matrix franchise of action films.
He appears on-screen at the beginning of Who Framed Roger Rabbit as Raoul J. Raoul, the director of the animated short Something's Cookin. He directed "Split Personality", (1992), an episode of the HBO horror anthology, Tales from the Crypt.
He currently runs two production companies, Silver Pictures and Dark Castle Entertainment co-owned by Robert Zemeckis. Along with Jared Kass, Silver was co-creator of the sport of Ultimate.
Golden Raspberry Awards
Worst Picture
Known For
Road House
(2024)
Producer
The Matrix
(1999)
Producer
Predator
(1987)
Producer
Predator 2
(1990)
Producer
Suburbicon
(2017)
Executive Producer
SuperFly
(2018)
Producer
Project X
(2012)
Executive Producer
Sherlock Holmes
(2009)
Producer
Demolition Man
(1993)
Producer
The Nice Guys
(2016)
Producer
Die Hard
(1988)
Producer
Orphan
(2009)
Producer
Die Hard 2
(1990)
Producer
Thir13en Ghosts
(2001)
Producer
Commando
(1985)
Producer
The Matrix Reloaded
(2003)
Producer
Full Filmography
Production
Hooper
(1978)
Executive Producer's Assistant
The Warriors
(1979)
Associate Producer
Xanadu
(1980)
Co-Producer
48 Hrs.
(1982)
Producer
Jekyll and Hyde... Together Again
(1982)
Executive Producer
Streets of Fire
(1984)
Producer
Commando
(1985)
Producer
Brewster's Millions
(1985)
Producer
Weird Science
(1985)
Producer
Jumpin' Jack Flash
(1986)
Producer
Predator
(1987)
Producer
Lethal Weapon
(1987)
Producer
Die Hard
(1988)
Producer
Action Jackson
(1988)
Producer
Lethal Weapon 2
(1989)
Producer
Road House
(1989)
Producer
Predator 2
(1990)
Producer
Die Hard 2
(1990)
Producer
The Adventures of Ford Fairlane
(1990)
Producer
Parker Kane
(1990)
Executive Producer
Hudson Hawk
(1991)
Producer
The Last Boy Scout
(1991)
Producer
Ricochet
(1991)
Producer
MTV's 10th Anniversary Special
(1991)
Executive Producer
Lethal Weapon 3
(1992)
Producer
Two-Fisted Tales
(1992)
Executive Producer
Demolition Man
(1993)
Producer
Ri¢hie Ri¢h
(1994)
Producer
Fair Game
(1995)
Producer
Assassins
(1995)
Producer
The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies
(1995)
Producer
Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight
(1995)
Executive Producer
W.E.I.R.D. World
(1995)
Executive Producer
Executive Decision
(1996)
Producer
Bordello of Blood
(1996)
Executive Producer
Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants
(1996)
Executive Producer
Conspiracy Theory
(1997)
Producer
Fathers' Day
(1997)
Producer
Double Tap
(1997)
Producer
Lethal Weapon 4
(1998)
Producer
The Matrix
(1999)
Producer
House on Haunted Hill
(1999)
Producer
Made Men
(1999)
Producer
Tales from the Crypt: The Robert Zemeckis Collection
(1999)
Producer
Dungeons & Dragons
(2000)
Executive Producer
Romeo Must Die
(2000)
Producer
Exit Wounds
(2001)
Producer
Thir13en Ghosts
(2001)
Producer
Swordfish
(2001)
Producer
The Matrix Revisited
(2001)
Executive Producer
Proximity
(2001)
Executive Producer
Jane Doe
(2001)
Executive Producer
Ghost Ship
(2002)
Producer
Ritual
(2002)
Executive Producer
The Matrix Revolutions
(2003)
Producer
The Matrix Reloaded
(2003)
Producer
Cradle 2 the Grave
(2003)
Producer
Gothika
(2003)
Producer
The Animatrix
(2003)
Executive Producer
Bet Your Life
(2004)
Executive Producer
House of Wax
(2005)
Producer
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
(2005)
Producer
V for Vendetta
(2006)
Producer
Shark Bait
(2006)
Producer
The Brave One
(2007)
Producer
The Invasion
(2007)
Producer
Fred Claus
(2007)
Producer
Return to House on Haunted Hill
(2007)
Executive Producer
The Reaping
(2007)
Producer
Speed Racer
(2008)
Producer
RocknRolla
(2008)
Producer
Sherlock Holmes
(2009)
Producer
Orphan
(2009)
Producer
Whiteout
(2009)
Producer
Ninja Assassin
(2009)
Producer
The Hills Run Red
(2009)
Producer
The Book of Eli
(2010)
Producer
The Losers
(2010)
Producer
Unknown
(2011)
Producer
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
(2011)
Producer
Project X
(2012)
Executive Producer
El Gringo
(2012)
Executive Producer
The Factory
(2012)
Producer
The Philly Kid
(2012)
Executive Producer
Dragon Eyes
(2012)
Producer
The Apparition
(2012)
Producer
Stash House
(2012)
Producer
Bullet to the Head
(2012)
Executive Producer
Transit
(2012)
Executive Producer
Getaway
(2013)
Producer
Enemies Closer
(2013)
Executive Producer
Non-Stop
(2014)
Producer
Veronica Mars
(2014)
Executive Producer
The Nice Guys
(2016)
Producer
Collide
(2016)
Producer
Suburbicon
(2017)
Executive Producer
SuperFly
(2018)
Producer
Road House
(2024)
Producer
Acting
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
(1988)
Raoul
Making 'The Matrix'
(1999)
Self
The Matrix Revisited
(2001)
Self - Producer
The Making of Exit Wounds
(2002)
Self
The Matrix Reloaded: Pre-Load
(2003)
Self
Making 'Enter the Matrix'
(2003)
Self
Executions: The Making of 'The Animatrix'
(2003)
Self
Scrolls to Screen: A Brief History of Anime
(2003)
Self
The Matrix Recalibrated
(2004)
Self
The Matrix Reloaded: Car Chase
(2004)
Himself
Mind Over Matter: The Physicality of the Matrix Future
(2004)
Self
The Matrix Revolutions: Double Agent Smith
(2004)
Himself
Sherlock Holmes: Reinvented
(2010)
Self
Tales from the Warner Bros. Lot
(2013)
Self
Crew