Volatile and Vengeful: How Scott Rudin Wielded Power in Show Business

For decades, the producer has cultivated and castigated people at all levels of entertainment. Now his past is catching up with him.

Scott Rudin has long been one of the most celebrated and powerful producers in Hollywood and, especially, on Broadway — an EGOT who won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and 17 Tony Awards while developing a reputation as one of the vilest bosses in the industry. Respected for his taste and talent — with films like “The Social Network” and “No Country for Old Men” and shows including “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “The Book of Mormon” — he is also known within the entertainment world for terrorizing underlings, hurling staplers, cellphones, mugs and other improvised projectiles in moments of rage. But the abuse of assistants is just a small part of the way he has wielded his power.