Lawrence Bender (born October 17, 1957) is an American film professional best known as a movie producer. He first gained wide notice producing Reservoir Dogs (1992) and has produced most films by director Quentin Tarantino, except for the exploitation pastiche Death Proof.
After working behind the scenes in television during the 1980s, Bender moved into feature production. One of his earlier producing credits is the 1989 horror film Intruder, which involved filmmakers such as Sam Raimi and actor Bruce Campbell. He later produced acclaimed projects including Good Will Hunting and the documentary An Inconvenient Truth, a film associated with the Academy Award conversation that year.
His filmography spans genres: he produced the two-part action saga Kill Bill, contributed to the cultural landmark Pulp Fiction, and helped bring the From Dusk Till Dawn trilogy to screen. He has also held executive-producer roles on television adaptations such as the Earthsea miniseries.
Bender frequently appears briefly in projects he backs; these cameo appearances include a police officer pursuing Mr. Pink in Reservoir Dogs, a long-haired yuppie-type seen in several Tarantino-related films and in Four Rooms, and a hotel clerk in Kill Bill Volume 2.
Off-screen, since 2005 he has written as a blogger for The Huffington Post and manages Lawrence Bender Productions. He has also collaborated with industrial rock group Nine Inch Nails and musician Trent Reznor on plans to develop the concept album Year Zero into a television series. Bender continues to be a frequent collaborator of Quentin Tarantino.