Robert Mark Kamen
Biography
Robert Mark Kamen (born October 9, 1947) is an American screenwriter, best known as the creator of The Karate Kid franchise, as well as for his later collaborations with French filmmaker Luc Besson, which includes the screenplay for The Fifth Element (originally devised by Besson) and the Transporter and Taken franchises. He now produces wine from his vineyards near Sonoma, California.
Kamen was born in 1947. He grew up in the Bronx in New York City. He graduated from New York University in 1969. He received his Ph.D. in American Studies from The University of Pennsylvania.
Kamen is a frequent collaborator of French writer and director Luc Besson, who co-created The Fifth Element, The Transporter, and the Taken series.
The two first worked together on the Natalie Portman and Jean Reno thriller The Professional. After the success of The Fifth Element, Besson invited Kamen to join him in his goal of creating a "mini-studio" in Europe, making "movies that would travel, international movies, you know, action movies."
