Arthur Sarkissian's 40-year career has established him as one of Hollywood's most successful producers. Over the course of his career, Sarkissian has developed and produced feature films that have dominated the domestic and global landscape, with box office receipts totaling close to one billion dollars. His biggest hits include the Rush Hour franchise, While You Were Sleeping, Last Man Standing and The Foreigner. Sarkissian's latest feature films are the action-thriller The Protege directed by starring Maggie Q, Michael Keaton and Samuel L. Jackson along with the thriller Memory starring Liam Neeson, both directed by Martin Campbell. Throughout his long career, Sarkissian has put a premium on creativity, with a progressive eye and entrepreneurship that have been the common denominators in his formula for success. It is this approach and ability to produce a big budget blockbuster that has made him one of the most sought after producers in the business. In the '70s and '80s, he produced films like Beyond Reason and Wanted: Dead or Alive. However, it was not until the 1990's that Sarkissian's films transcended box-office expectations. In 1995, Sarkissian released While You Were Sleeping, starring Sandra Bullock, which became one of the year's biggest hits grossing over $190 million worldwide. In 1997, Sarkissian discovered and developed the first Rush Hour film, pairing the unlikely duo of Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan, as well as tapping the then up-and-coming director Brett Ratner. The first film-which grossed more than $140 million domestically and another $103 million internationally-made history by being the highest grossing independent film released in September or October as well as becoming one of the highest grossing films in the history of New Line Cinema. In 2001, the second installment of the Rush Hour series solidified Sarkissian's position as a hit-maker when the movie earned $347 million worldwide. Rush Hour 3 was released in 2007, turning the franchise into a $900 million hit. In the fall of 2012 and in conjunction with CBS Television, Sarkissian created and executive produced his first TV series, Vegas, about the legendary Las Vegas Sheriff Ralph Lamb, to critical acclaim. More recently, Sarkissian produced a spin-off television series of the Rush Hour franchise again in conjunction with CBS Television. Other projects on the horizon for Sarkissian include: The Red Circle, a retelling of Jean-Pierre Melville's classic 1970 film; Le Cercle Rouge and the next install in the Rush Hour franchise.
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Biography from IMDb.
- May 11, 1960 (66)
- Leninakan, Armenian SSR, USSR [now Gyumri, Armenia]
- Producer, also actor
- 17 on MovieCove · 25 credits in all
What are Arthur Sarkissian's films like?
Across their 17 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 1 · Wry 2 · Earnest 14
A split, not a type: Light 9 · Serious 4 · Dark 4
Grounded 9 · Stylized 6 · Heightened 2
A split, not a type: Gentle 4 · Charged 6 · Intense 7
Steady 5 · Shifting 9 · Whiplash 3
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 8 · Some laughs 5 · Funny 4
Slow burn 5 · Even-paced 9 · Relentless 3
A split, not a type: Casual 8 · Engaged 7 · Full focus 2
A split, not a type: Easy watch 8 · Affecting 5 · Heavy 4
Resolved 13 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy7
- Bittersweet5
- Tragic2
- Ambiguous3
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Arthur Sarkissian's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 14 of their 17 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (8).
- The Foreigner (2017) · producer · free
- Kill the Irishman (2011) · producer · free
- Rush Hour 2 (2001) · producer · free
- Rush Hour 3 (2007) · producer · free
- Last Man Standing (1996) · producer · free
- Silver Skies (2016) · producer · free
- Wanted: Dead or Alive (1986) · producer · free
- Spontaneous Combustion (1989) · producer · free
- MovieSphere+, show their 2 titles on MovieSphere+
- Best of British Television, show their title on Best of British Television
- FOX One, show their title on FOX One
- Howdy, show their title on Howdy
- Screambox, show their title on Screambox
- Sundance Now, show their title on Sundance Now
- ViX, show their title on ViX
Subscription and free streaming for Arthur Sarkissian's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
25 credits, 17 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.
Memory of a Killer(2026)
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all shows
The Man You Don't Know(2024)
Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films
The Relentless Patriot(2024)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
Memory(2022)
Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films
The Protégé(2021)
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all filmsOdious (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)
The Foreigner(2017)
Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
Silver Skies(2016)
Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films
Vegas (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
Kill the Irishman(2011)
Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films
Rush Hour 3(2007)
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films
Rush Hour 2(2001)
Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films
Rush Hour(1998)
Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films
Last Man Standing(1996)
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films
While You Were Sleeping(1995)
Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films
Spontaneous Combustion(1989)
Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films
Wanted: Dead or Alive(1986)
Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films
Quiet Cool (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)
Beyond Reason (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
Rush Hour 4 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Tenor By Night (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
The Mother (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Tink (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 23 titles, 19 of them dated from 1982 to 2026.
Biggest box office
Rush Hour 2 (2001)
Highest rated
Sour Grapes (2016)
Most popular right now
Rush Hour (1998)
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do Arthur Sarkissian's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 49th percentile, the median of all 16; across their 17 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 51st percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up5
- 50th to 74th3
- 25th to 49th7
- Below 25th2
Shape of the crowd
7 of their 17 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Divisive1
- Cult Classic1
- Crowd Pleaser7
- Broadly Agreed3
- Mixed5
Reviewers score the acting 62/100 in their films, across 16 reviewed titles; fans 71, detractors 40. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Arthur Sarkissian's work okay for kids?
Across up to 10 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, sex & nudity, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does Arthur Sarkissian work with?
People who share at least 2 of Arthur Sarkissian's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Jackie Chan shares the most, 4.
Directors
- Martin CampbellShared titles: Memory (2022), The Protégé (2021), The Foreigner (2017)See all 3 shared titles with Martin Campbell
- Brett RatnerShared titles: Rush Hour 3 (2007), Rush Hour 2 (2001), Rush Hour (1998)See all 3 shared titles with Brett Ratner
- Christopher MartiniShared titles: The Man You Don't Know (2024), The Relentless Patriot (2024)See all 2 shared titles with Christopher Martini
Writers
- Jeff NathansonShared titles: Rush Hour 3 (2007), Rush Hour 2 (2001)See all 2 shared titles with Jeff Nathanson
- Ross LaMannaShared titles: Rush Hour 2 (2001), Rush Hour (1998)See all 2 shared titles with Ross LaManna
Actors
- Jackie ChanShared titles: The Foreigner (2017), Rush Hour 3 (2007), Rush Hour 2 (2001), Rush Hour (1998)See all 4 shared titles with Jackie Chan
- Ray FearonShared titles: Memory (2022), The Protégé (2021), The Foreigner (2017)See all 3 shared titles with Ray Fearon
- Chris TuckerShared titles: Rush Hour 3 (2007), Rush Hour 2 (2001), Rush Hour (1998)See all 3 shared titles with Chris Tucker
- Ray StevensonShared titles: Memory (2022), Kill the Irishman (2011)See all 2 shared titles with Ray Stevenson
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- David TattersallShared titles: Memory (2022), The Protégé (2021), The Foreigner (2017)See all 3 shared titles with David Tattersall
- Lalo SchifrinShared titles: Rush Hour 3 (2007), Rush Hour 2 (2001), Rush Hour (1998)See all 3 shared titles with Lalo Schifrin
- Mark HelfrichShared titles: Rush Hour 3 (2007), Rush Hour 2 (2001), Rush Hour (1998)See all 3 shared titles with Mark Helfrich
- PhotekShared titles: Memory (2022), The Protégé (2021)See all 2 shared titles with Photek
Producers
- Jonathan GlickmanShared titles: Rush Hour 3 (2007), Rush Hour 2 (2001), Rush Hour (1998), While You Were Sleeping (1995)See all 4 shared titles with Jonathan Glickman
- Roger BirnbaumShared titles: Rush Hour 3 (2007), Rush Hour 2 (2001), Rush Hour (1998), While You Were Sleeping (1995)See all 4 shared titles with Roger Birnbaum
- Jay SternShared titles: Rush Hour 3 (2007), Rush Hour 2 (2001), Rush Hour (1998)See all 3 shared titles with Jay Stern
- Derek ChanShared titles: The Man You Don't Know (2024), The Relentless Patriot (2024)See all 2 shared titles with Derek Chan