Detroit-born Bruckheimer developed his love of films when he discovered Steve McQueen action movies at an early age, while his organisational skills stood him in good stead for his future career. "I had an ability to organize things and put them together," he says. "For example, I was never a good athlete, but I put together a baseball team so I could play. Then I got a hockey team together so I could play that too". His first job as producer came in 1972 with The Culpepper Cattle Company, a Western which follows the fortunes of a young farmhand desperate to make it as a cattle rancher. Other early productions included 1980's American Gigolo, which made a star of Richard Gere, Michael Mann's 1981 thriller Thief and the horror remake Cat People, with Nastassja Kinski.

Adrenaline

In 1983 he made Flashdance, his first collaboration with long-time producing partner Don Simpson. It was a smash hit, making more than $100m in the US alone, and set the tone for future Simpson/Bruckheimer productions with its adrenaline-powered story and several set-pieces set to rock music. It was a formula that saw them through a string of 80s and early 90s hits, notably Beverly Hills Cop (1984), which turned Eddie Murphy into a worldwide star and 1986's Top Gun, which did the same for Tom Cruise. Together they pioneered the "high concept" movie - films which would begin with a simple idea or premise and then given to scriptwriters to flesh out. Days Of Thunder (1990), Bad Boys (1995), Crimson Tide (1995) and The Rock (1996) were among the other hit projects to emerge from their 14-year partnership. Sadly the partnership came to a premature end in 1996 when Don Simpson died of heart failure aged 52. Simpson, who was known for his flamboyant lifestyle and volatile temper, had been battling with drug problems for years before his death. Afterwards, Bruckheimer says, he was faced with the challenge of having to prove himself to the industry. Yet, thanks to the likes of 1998's Armageddon and Enemy Of The State and 2001's Black Hawk Down, as well as the success of smaller films such as 2000's Coyote Ugly, he has done just that. Even 2001's Pearl Harbor made nearly $200m in the US despite largely negative reviews. He's also scored a hit on the small screen with CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, currently doing battle in the US ratings with another of his shows, Without A Trace. But while Bruckheimer's name above the credits virtually assures box office success, the critics aren't usually so impressed with his brand of loud, flashy blockbuster. "It scared me a little when they liked Pirates," he says of the film's largely positive reviews. "Because if the critics love it, I think, 'Is it going to be a hit?'" His success with Pirates of the Caribbean is perhaps his crowning achievement. It is the ultimate high concept movie - a film based on a theme park ride.

He tops Hollywood power list

TV and film producer Jerry Bruckheimer has been named the most powerful figure in entertainment by a US list.

Bruckheimer has worked on films such as Pirates of the Caribbean and Black Hawk Down plus TV shows like CSI. "Bruckheimer has become a brand," said Entertainment Weekly magazine in its 14th annual list of the 101 most powerful people in Hollywood. A spokesman for Bruckheimer said he was "flattered" by the honor - but wanted people to judge him on his work. Bruckheimer produced one of the most successful films of the summer in Pirates of the Caribbean and Bad Boys II, the sequel to the 1995 film starring Will Smith, was a more modest hit. And besides CSI, which is the most popular show in the US, Bruckheimer's has also produced TV hits including CSI: Miami and Without a Trace. Bruckheimer made his name as part of a production team in the 1980s with Don Simpson. Together, they produced landmark films like Flashdance, Beverley Hills Cop, Top Gun and Days of Thunder. Since Simpson's death in 1996, Bruckheimer has produced blockbusters including Con Air, The Rock, Enemy of the State, Armageddon and Pearl Harbor. Entertainment Weekly's top ten also included director Steven Spielberg, Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks, Harry Potter author JK Rowling, actor Tom Cruise and rapper Eminem. Last year's number one, Denzel Washington, went down to number 22.