Moritz Borman

Moritz Borman was born on 16 April 1955 in Hamburg, West Germany. The Neue Zurcher Zeitung described him in 2012 as a native of Hamburg. He began his career in German television in the 1970s, working as a producer and director, before moving to the United States. Details of his parents and childhood have not been made public.

After his start in German television, Borman moved to Los Angeles and became a Directing Fellow at the American Film Institute in 1977. Wikipedia and Deadline describe his studies at the AFI, and the NZZ noted that he had trained in directing there before turning to production.

In Los Angeles Borman first produced programmes for European television and commercials for American and European advertising agencies. His first feature film was John Huston's Under the Volcano (1984), starring Albert Finney and Jacqueline Bisset, which received two Academy Award nominations. He went on to produce The Lightship (1985), with Robert Duvall and Klaus Maria Brandauer, and Homer and Eddie (1989), with Whoopi Goldberg and James Belushi.

In the 1990s he concentrated on film financing and library acquisitions. In 1997 he formed Pacifica, backed by German media funds, which was involved in Clay Pigeons, Where the Money Is, Up at the Villa, The Crow: Salvation and Nurse Betty. In 2000 Pacifica merged with Nigel Sinclair and Guy East's Intermedia Films to create IM Internationalmedia AG, listed on Frankfurt's Neuer Markt in May 2000. Variety reported in March 2002 that Borman had been named the company's chief executive. Intermedia-era credits include The Wedding Planner, K-19: The Widowmaker, The Quiet American, Dark Blue, The Life of David Gale, Basic, National Security, Mindhunters, Suspect Zero and Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.

Returning to producing, Borman produced Oliver Stone's Alexander (2004), World Trade Center (2006), W. (2008), Savages (2012) and Snowden (2016), and was a producer of Terminator Salvation (2009). Later credits include Basic Instinct 2, The Nutcracker in 3D, Escobar: Paradise Lost, The Little Prince and Playmobil: The Movie (2019). At his death he was producing John Lee Hancock's Netflix legal drama about Monsanto with Eric Kopeloff and Philip Schulz-Deyle.

Borman lived in Los Angeles for decades; the NZZ reported in 2012 that he had lived there for 25 years. He remained closely tied to Germany and died in Munich while a film was shooting there. Names of a spouse, partner or children were not made public in reports of his death.

Borman's longest-running cause outside film was wildlife conservation. He served for more than 30 years as chairman of the Tony Fitzjohn/George Adamson African Wildlife Preservation Trust, which supports work at Mkomazi in Tanzania and Kora National Park in Kenya. Colleagues also stressed his belief in independent film and in connecting European financing with Hollywood productions.

Borman is remembered as a producer and financier who connected European money and talent with American filmmaking, through Pacifica, Intermedia and his long partnership with Oliver Stone. His films grossed close to 2 billion US dollars worldwide by 2023 and include Oscar-nominated work such as Under the Volcano and The Quiet American. His partners Eric Kopeloff and Philip Schulz-Deyle said his legacy would endure through the films he made and the filmmakers he inspired.

Borman was a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Films he produced earned Academy Award nominations, including Under the Volcano (best actor for Albert Finney and best original score) and The Quiet American (best actor for Michael Caine). No personal awards for Borman were listed in the main reports of his death.

Selected films: Under the Volcano (1984), The Lightship (1985), Homer and Eddie (1989), The Crow: Salvation (2000), Where the Money Is (2000), Nurse Betty (2000), The Wedding Planner (2001), K-19: The Widowmaker (2002), The Quiet American (2002), Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003), Alexander (2004), World Trade Center (2006), W. (2008), Terminator Salvation (2009), Savages (2012), Snowden (2016) and Playmobil: The Movie (2019). He appeared alongside Oliver Stone, John Travolta and Benicio del Toro at the Savages press conference at the 2012 San Sebastian International Film Festival.

In 2009 Borman sued his fellow Terminator Salvation producers Derek Anderson and Victor Kubicek and their company Halcyon, alleging breach of contract and failure to pay his producing fees. Deadline reported that the suit was settled quickly out of court.

Moritz Borman died on 1 July 2026 in Munich, aged 71, while his Netflix film about Monsanto, directed by John Lee Hancock, was being shot in the city. His producing partners Eric Kopeloff and Philip Schulz-Deyle announced his death on 2 July and said he died of apparent natural causes. Oliver Stone paid tribute the next day, saying Borman "died without telling anyone, I think, and surprised us all." Funeral and burial details have not been made public.