William Vince Biography

William Vince, a Canadian film producer, in a short, but prolific career, produced 37 feature films including the 2006 Oscar nominated film Capote.  Struck down by cancer at the age of 44, Bill Vince was a man who truly left a mark on all those that came into contact with him.  

Born in West Vancouver, B.C. Bill was an extremely talented hockey player who was playing in the major junior Western Hockey League by the age of sixteen. Unfortunately, his promising hockey career was cut short by injury at the age of twenty. After a stint working for Xerox, Bill got a job, via his brother Robert, working on a film set. It became a passion he would dedicate the rest of his life to.    

Over his 20-year career, Bill established an international reputation as a successful producer with wide-ranging technical knowledge and experience in all aspects of international feature film production. This included development, financing, pre-production, production, post-production and distribution.

As the founder of Infinity Features, Bill guided the company's expanding motion picture and television slate, including producing the critically acclaimed Capote. Among its many international awards, the film garnered five academy award nominations, including best picture and Phillip Seymour Hoffman was awarded the best actor Oscar for his role in the film.

Bill was involved in the production of films that included Air Bud, the first film in the highly successful Air Bud franchise, which he produced with his brother, Robert. Recently, he was a producer for the romantic comedy Just Friends (New Line Cinema) and Saved! (MGM) as well as Shattered (Icon), a psychological thriller starring Pierce Brosnan and Maria Bello. Bill’s final movies, made in 2007 and 2008 were Paul McGuigan's science fiction thriller, Push, and Terry Gilliam's adventure fantasy, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. Both of these films will be released in 2009.

As a person who loved turning dreams into reality, Bill helped a multitude of people in the film industry realize their dreams. From writers, to directors, to actors, to crew, his legacy can be found in the careers of hundreds of film industry veterans who either got their start with him, or were given the chance to move up the career ladder, on one of his productions.

Another part of Bill’s legacy can be found in the charitable acts he undertook with little fanfare. From his creation of the non-profit organization Intersections Media, and its support of Projections, a film training program for youth at risk in the downtown eastside of Vancouver, to funding a calendar to raise awareness of dyslexia, Bill was a generous supporter of causes that were close to him.

An amazing energy source, Bill was a person that always believed in dreaming big. Whether it was his acclaimed restoration of the abandoned Golden Harvest Movie Theatre in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, or his making of Capote, Bill had an amazing capacity to push projects he believed in to completion. His career and life were a testament to the value of hard work, dedication, discipline, passion and compassion.  In both work and play, Bill was an inspiration to all that came to know him.

The William Vince Foundation was created to honour his legacy.

 

William Vince – Producer Filmography

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009) (producer)
Push (2009) (producer)
Edison and Leo (2008) (executive producer)
Stone of Destiny (2008) (executive producer)
Butterfly on a Wheel (2007) (producer)
... aka Shattered (Singapore: English title) (USA: new title)
... aka Desperate Hours (Europe: English title)
... aka The Butterfly (International: English title)
Just Friends (2005) (producer)
Ripley Under Ground (2005) (producer)
Capote (2005) (producer)
Bad Girls from Valley High (2005) (producer)
... aka Bad Girls from Valley High (USA: DVD title)
Make the Movie Live the Movie (2004) (TV) (executive producer)
The Final Cut (2004) (co-producer) 
Saved! (2004) (producer)
Dreaming of Julia (2003) (executive producer)
... aka Cuban Blood (USA: new title)
The Snow Walker (2003) (producer)
Dead Heat (2002) (producer)
... aka I Fought the Law (Canada: English title: working title)
Liberty Stands Still (2002) (executive producer) 
Here's to Life! (2000) (producer)
Ricky 6 (2000) (producer)
The 4th Floor (1999) (producer)
Air Bud: Golden Receiver (1998) (executive producer)
... aka Air Bud 2
Hoods (1998) (producer)
Air Bud (1997) (producer)
... aka Disney's Air Bud (USA: complete title)
Wounded (1997) (producer)
Underworld (1996) (producer)
White Tiger (1996) (producer)
Breach of Trust (1995) (producer)
... aka Crash (Canada: English title)
... aka Dirty Money
Dream Man (1995) (V) (producer)
The Final Cut (1995) (producer)
Malicious (1995) (producer)
Killer (1994) (producer)
... aka Bulletproof Heart
Final Round (1994) (producer)
... aka Human Target
Double Cross (1994) (supervising producer)
Anything for Love (1993) (V) (line producer) (producer)
... aka Just One of the Girls (USA: TV title)
Breaking Point (1993) (supervising producer)
... aka Double Suspicion
Samurai Cowboy (1993) (supervising producer)
... aka Samurai Cowboy (Canada: French title)
Tomcat: Dangerous Desires (1993) (producer)
... aka Dangerous Desires
Cafe Romeo (1992) (associate producer)