Oren Koules (born January 31, 1961) is an American entertainment industry and professional sports industry executive best known for producing the Saw film series.
He played Donnie Greco in Saw, Saw III, and Saw IV and was one of the producers of Saw, Saw II, Saw III, Saw IV, Saw V, Saw VI, Saw 3D, Jigsaw, Spiral, Saw X, and Saw XI.
Career[]
Oren Koules was born and raised in La Grange Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. He was sent to figure skating lessons as a child but garnered an interest in playing ice hockey. Eventually, he dropped out of high school to pursue a career as a professional hockey player.
From 1979 to 1982, Koules competed in the Western Hockey League. He played for six teams, including the Medicine Hat Tigers, Portland Winter Hawks, Brandon Wheat Kings, and Spokane Flyers. In 1980, Koules played for the Spokane Flyers and scored 28 goals with 45 assists for 73 points, making it the best year in his hockey career. In 1982, he played for three professional teams: Hampton Roads Gulls, Virginia Raiders, and Saginaw Gears.
He was not drafted by an NHL team but attended two tryout camps for the Chicago Blackhawks. After his hockey career, Koules became a commodities trader at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange in 1983. He was one of the youngest members on the floor and eventually purchased a full membership to the exchange. However, he ultimately sold his seat and left in good standing in 1991.
Upon arriving in Hollywood, Koules was introduced to former Los Angeles Times reporter Dale Pollock, and the two formed Peak Productions soon after. Together, they produced films like Mrs. Winterbourne and Set It Off. The early success of Peak Productions led Koules to a job as the Senior Vice President of Production at Paramount Pictures. In 1998, Koules and Mark Burg founded Evolution Entertainment and later produced a Denzel Washington-led thriller, John Q, released in 2002. In 2001, Koules purchased the Helena Bighorns, a Junior A hockey team, and the Helena Ice Arena.
In 2003, Koules and Mark Burg saw a seven-minute teaser of a film written by Australian screenwriters Leigh Whannell and James Wan. Koules and Burg were stunned by the footage and agreed to produce what would later become the first Saw film. They used $1 million out of pocket for funding and shot the movie in 18 days. They also created a subsidiary of Evolution Entertainment called Twisted Pictures to produce the film. Saw was released in 2004 and followed by a sequel in 2005. By 2007, the Saw franchise hit $420 million at the box office. By 2011, the series had made roughly $870 million at the box office. Evolution Entertainment was also responsible for producing Two and a Half Men, starting in 2003. In June 2011, Koules sold his ownership in Evolution Entertainment but continued to own and oversee the Saw franchise and Two and a Half Men.
In August 2007, Koules acquired the Tampa Bay Lightning from Palace Sports and Entertainment. In February 2008, OK Hockey LLC, a group led by Koules, agreed to purchase the team. The deal offered by the 8-person ownership group, which included Len Barrie, was approved by the NHL in June 2008 for a price of $206 million. By February 2010, Jeffrey Vinik, a minority owner in the Boston Red Sox, had agreed to purchase the Lightning for $160 million. The NHL Board of Governors unanimously approved the sale the following month. In August 2011, Koules expressed interest in owning an NHL franchise again one day.
Personal Life[]
Koules married talent agent Risa Shapiro in 1994, with whom he has a child, Miles Koules, a professional ice hockey player playing for the Atlanta Gladiators. Koules and Shapiro separated in 2005 and eventually divorced in 2007. In 2008, Koules married Shereen Arazm, a businesswoman and restaurateur. On a flight from Canada to Los Angeles, they met by happenstance as Koules was filming Saw II in Toronto, Arazm's hometown. The pair has two daughters together, Sam and Neve.
Filmography[]
Films[]
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 1996 | Mrs. Winterbourne |
| Set It Off | |
| 1999 | Black and White |
| 2000 | Lockdown |
| 2001 | Good Advice |
| Diary of a Sex Addict | |
| 2002 | Run Ronnie Run |
| John Q | |
| Malevolent | |
| 2003 | Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd |
| Love Don't Cost a Thing | |
| 2004 | Saw |
| 2005 | Saw II |
| 2006 | Saw III |
| 2007 | Dead Silence |
| Catacombs | |
| Saw IV | |
| 2008 | Repo! The Genetic Opera |
| Saw V | |
| Vlog | |
| 2009 | Saw VI |
| 2010 | Lottery Ticket |
| The Tortured | |
| Saw 3D | |
| 2013 | Jake Squared |
| 2017 | Jigsaw |
| 2021 | Spiral |
| 2023 | Saw X |
| 2024 | Saw XI |
Television Series[]
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2004 | The Casino |
| 2005-2006 | Love, Inc. |
| 2008 | Vlog |
| 2003-2012 | Two and a Half Men |
Television Films[]
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2003 | The Three Amigos |
Trivia[]
- Two of Oren Koules' children had guest appearances in the Saw movie series: His daughter, Sam Koules, played Melissa Nelson in Jigsaw, whereas his son, Miles Koules, played a deliverer in Spiral.
Gallery[]
External Links[]
Oren Koules on Wikipedia
Oren Koules at the Internet Movie Database
Oren Koules on Twitter