Roy Lee, Producer of The Departed

Roy Lee, BA ’91, is executive producer of the blockbuster film The Departed, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jack Nicholson, directed by Martin Scorsese – and the best picture winner at the Academy Awards. The film is a remake of the Hong Kong hit Infernal Affairs and is set in Boston. Mob crime and police detective work intertwine as undercover agents infiltrate both worlds. The Departed won four Oscars, including best picture, directing, film editing, and writing (adapted screenplay).

Lee grew up in Bethesda, Maryland. After earning his bachelor’s degree from GW, he earned a law degree from American University and worked briefly as a corporate attorney. In 1996, Lee moved to Hollywood to pursue a film career. His first job was for the production company Alphaville, where he worked on films like The Mummy and Michael.

In 2001, Lee founded Vertigo Entertainment with Doug Davidson. The production company initially had a first-look production agreement with Miramax/Dimension Films, but in 2004 signed a multi-year deal with Universal Studios and Focus Features. The producers’ first film, The Ring, was a wildly successful horror flick based on the Japanese Ringu. It grossed more than $249 million.

Lee, a Korean-American, has brought several successful film remake ideas to the U.S. from Asian countries. He has imported films from Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, and Thailand, selling their rights to U.S. movie studios on behalf of their Asian distribution companies. The Departed, his most critically-acclaimed film, has grossed more than $131 million to date.