Trivia

Roth was one of several victims of the Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme after having his entire retirement fund wiped out.

Attended UCLA film school with singer Jim Morrison (The Doors), who became a good friend.

Wife Debra is a lawyer and bioethicist and Associate Professor at the UCLA Institute for Society & Genetics.

Attended UCSB and Columbia as an undergraduate, and UCLA as a graduate student.

Was awarded the Distinguished Achievement in Screenwriting Award at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television Screenwriters Showcase on June 9, 2008.

Father of Vanessa Roth, with first wife, Linda, who was an archaeologist.

As of 2026, he has contributed with nine films that were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar (8 as a writer, 1 as producer): Forrest Gump (1994), The Insider (1999), Munich (2005), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011), A Star Is Born (2018), Mank (2020), Dune: Part One (2021), and Killers of the Flower Moon (2023). Of those, Forrest Gump (1994) is a winner in the category.

He was set to show-run the Doug Stamper spin-off of House of Cards (2013).

Father of two daughters, named Vanessa and Samantha, and three sons, named Joshua, Geoffrey and Alec, from his two marriages.