Don Simpson reigned over Hollywood after joining forces with his producing partner Jerry Bruckheimer in the 1980s. Around town, the studio executive-turned-producer’s addiction to sex workers and drugs was no secret — and for decades, he wielded his power in the industry to continue his nefarious and erratic ways.
Simpson’s rise and fall in the filmmaking world, as well as the demise of his partnership with Bruckheimer is explored in “’80s Hits and ‘80s Excesses,” the fourth episode of Variety and iHeart Podcasts’ true crime podcast “Variety Confidential.” Host Tracy Pattin and co-host Matt Donnelly, Variety’s senior entertainment and media writer, examine how Simpson rose through the ranks at Paramount and became known for creating box office successes, like “Flashdance,” “Beverly Hills Cop” and “Top Gun.” High-grossing films brought Simpson great influence in Hollywood, which he used to fuel his drug abuse and dependency on women, particularly sex workers, later becoming known as one of the biggest clients of the infamous Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss. “The dark prince of movie making,” Pattin refers to Simpson. “His magic touch for producing hits gave him a license to prey on women.”
In the end, Simpson’s troubling personal life strained his most important professional relationship. After 12 years of working together, Bruckheimer announced the end of their powerhouse producing partnership in December 1995. Shortly after, in January 1996, Simpson was found dead of a drug overdose in his Los Angeles home.
“[Bruckheimer and Simpson] really were a force in Hollywood from 1983 to 1995,” Pattin explains. “Simpson and Bruckheimer produced 10 films that made over $3 billion at a time when Harvey Weinstein was rising to power. Simpson’s excesses in reckless behavior were enabled and covered up. … The success of his film served as a clever vehicle for his real interests, which a lot like Weinstein, focused mostly on money and power.”
Donnelly describes Simpson as “someone who was accused of sexual assault, was a known drug abuser and had frequent angry outbursts that caused fear among his staff and even his friends,” later adding, “He was an incredibly lucrative movie cash machine, and even if you look at how long it took the relationship with Bruckheimer to deteriorate, I think that this, given the time and the incredible success, it was very hard to say no or to turn away from someone like Don with his influence and clearly his relationships with filmmakers.”
“Variety Confidential,” a six-episode series, will explore stories of sex, money and murder in the entertainment industry. The podcast dives deep into the Variety Archives, the publication’s research tool utilizing 118 years of Variety Magazine articles and reporting. Season 1, titled “The Secret History of the Casting Couch,” will detail the notorious Hollywood casting couch through the decades and draw parallels between recent sex scandals and those of the past, illustrating that sexual predation in the industry is as old as the Hollywood Hills.
“Variety Confidential,” distributed by iHeart Podcasts, is available on the iHeartRadio app, Variety.com, as well as other major podcast platforms. New episodes post weekly.
“Variety Confidential,” was created by Jon Ponder, Tracy Pattin, Dea Lawrence, Variety’s COO and CMO, and Steve Gaydos, Variety’s EVP of content and executive editor. Sydney Kramer, managing director and senior executive producer for the Variety Content Studio, is a producer along with Ponder and Pattin.
Citations and Sources
Books
Fleming, Charles, High Concept: Don Simpson and the Hollywood Culture of Excess, Doubleday, 1998
Variety
Archerd, Army, Just For Variety, May 9, 1990
Days Of Thunder drizzles at $15-mil, Variety, July 4, 1990
Film Reviews: Days of Thunder, Variety, June 27, 1990
It’s Official: Simspon, Bruckheimer Land Five Year Deal at Disney, Variety, Jan. 18, 1991
Obituaries: Don Simpson, Variety, Feb. 4, 1996
RUSH HOUR FOR SUMMER FIX, Variety, April 25, 1990
Simpson Bruckheimer Par Part Ways, Variety Nov. 16, 1990
‘TOP GUN’ DUO SIGNS DREAM DEAL, Variety, Feb. 1, 1990
‘TOP GUN’ PRODUCERS GO SEPARATE WAYS,’ Variety, Dec. 20, 1995
Additional Sources
Fordy, Tom, Inside the dark and disturbed life of Don Simpson – the egomaniac who made Top Gun fly, The Telegraph, May 31, 2022,https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/inside-dark-disturbed-life-don-simpson-egomaniac-made-top/
King, Thomas R., and Lippman, John, Fatal Attraction: How Sex and Drugs Brutally Ripped Apart Hot Hollywood Team, Wall Street Journal Page One, Jan. 26, 1996, https://www.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/king1-26-96.htm
Mr. Simpson, Your Slut is on Line 3, Spy Magazine, March 1990
Additional Websites
I Don’t Pay Them To Come Over; I Pay Them To Go Away, Jan. 15, 2020, https://quoteinvestigator.com/2020/01/15/pay/
Don Simpson, Luke Ford, lukeford.net, https://www.lukeford.net/profiles/profiles/don_simpson.htm