A "whizkid" with special effects, Robert is from the Spielberg camp of film-making (Steven Spielberg produced many of his films). Usually working with writing partner Bob Gale, Robert's earlier films show he has a talent for zany comedy (Romancing the Stone, 1941) and special effect vehicles (Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Back to the Future). Although these films are made purely for entertainment, with rarely much character development or a thoughtful plot, they are good fun. His later films, though, have become more serious and thoughtful, with the hugely successful Tom Hanks vehicle Forrest Gump and the Jodie Foster film Contact, both critically acclaimed movies. Again, these films incorporate stunning effects. Robert has proved he can work a serious story around great effects, a feat many directors cannot achieve.
Sits on USC School of Cinema-Television's Board of Councilors Attended University of Southern California, School of Cinema. Received Student Academy Award for his film, A Field of Honor. First television script that he and Bob Gale sold in Hollywood was for "Chopper", an episode of Kolchak: The Night Stalker. His first wife, Mary Ellen Trainor, appeared in three of his films: Romancing the Stone (as Joan Wilder's kidnapped sister, Elaine), Death Becomes Her (as Vivian Adams), and Forrest Gump (as Jenny's babysitter). Announced through his company ImageMovers in August 2002 that he will direct a film adaptation of the popular horror/fantasy comic book "Route 666." The comic, published by CrossGen Comics, centers on a young woman who is besieged by demons and other strange creatures during the Cold War. Father, with Mary Ellen Trainor, of Alexander Zemeckis. Owns two production companies - ImageMovers, and DarkCastle Entertainment, with he co-owns with Joel Silver. Often casts Christopher Lloyd. Classmates at USC School of Cinema included George Lucas,John Milius, and others. Is of Lithuanian Heritage Is a good friend of director Peter Jackson. The two of them have used four of the same actors: Michael J. Fox, who appeared in the Back to the Future trilogy, played the lead role in Jackson's The Frighteners, which Zemeckis produced; Peter Dobson, who also appeared in The Frighteners, also played Elvis Presley in Forrest Gump, although Kurt Russell provided the voice; Elijah Wood made his film debut in Back to the Future Part II, then went on to play Frodo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings trilogy; Miranda Otto, who played a distraught neighbor in What Lies Beneath, played Eowyn in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Three of the actors he has worked with have acted on camera for one of his films and provided a character voice in another film. Kurt Russell, who appeared in Used Cars, provided the voice of Elvis Presley in Forrest Gump. He has also played Elvis in a made-for-TV film for John Carpenter. Charles Fleischer, who voiced Roger Rabbit in Who Framed Roger Rabbit, also played a mechanic in the past and future sequences of Back to the Future Part II. Kathleen Turner, the voice of Jessica Rabbit, played the lead role in Romancing the Stone. Shares the same birthday as George Lucas. Interviewed in "Directors Close Up: Interviews with Directors Nominated for Best Film by the Directors Guild of America", ed. by Jeremy Kagan, Scarecrow Press, 2006.