Christopher Eberts is a former Canadian film producer whose career tells one of Hollywood’s most dramatic cautionary tales. The nephew of legendary producer Jake Eberts, Christopher built an impressive film portfolio worth over $300 million before his career came crashing down amid fraud charges. He’s best known for producing major films like “Lord of War” (2005), “Lucky Number Slevin” (2006), and “The Punisher” (2004). Still, his legacy is now overshadowed by his 2015 conviction for defrauding a retired firefighter.
Biography
Christopher Eberts was born in 1966 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, making him around 58 or 59 years old today. He grew up in a family with deep connections to both finance and film. His uncle, Jake Eberts, was one of the most celebrated independent producers in cinema history, founding Goldcrest Films and producing 37 Academy Award-winning films, including “Chariots of Fire” and “Gandhi.”
Christopher’s father, Gordon Howard Eberts (1940-2020), co-founded Gordon Capital Corp. in Toronto with his brother Jake. His grandparents were Elizabeth “Toppy” MacDougall Eberts, an interior decorator, and Edmond “Ted” Eberts, who worked for an aluminium manufacturer. The Eberts family had a strong academic tradition, with four generations attending McGill University.
Following family tradition, Christopher earned a BA in English, Film, and Communications from McGill University. After graduation, he spent four years in the Merchant Banking Division of Salomon Brothers in New York City. When he decided to pivot to film, his uncle Jake wasn’t exactly thrilled about it. Jake told the Montreal Gazette in 2000 that Christopher had called to announce his career change, and Jake replied, “You’re out of your mind. Don’t even think about it.”
Despite the discouragement, Christopher pushed ahead with his Hollywood ambitions. Sadly, Jake Eberts died on September 6, 2012, from uveal melanoma (a rare form of eye cancer) at age 71. He was 71 when he passed away, which occurred before Christopher’s legal troubles became public.
Career
Christopher Eberts’ film career began with solid credentials. He served as Vice President of Production at 20th Century Fox, where he oversaw all phases of feature film development and production. This role included soliciting, analysing, and assigning directors and casts, securing financing, and arranging distribution.
His producing career spanned roughly a decade from 1999 to 2009. He started as an executive producer on “Woman Wanted” in 1999, then made “The Watcher,” starring Keanu Reeves, in 2000. In the early 2000s, he worked on “Half Past Dead” with Steven Seagal and the Oscar-nominated documentary “Prisoner of Paradise.”
His career hit its peak in the mid-2000s with several commercially successful films. “The Punisher” (2004) starred John Travolta, while “Lord of War” (2005), featuring Nicolas Cage, earned $73 million at the box office. He also produced “Lucky Number Slevin” (2006) with Bruce Willis and Morgan Freeman, which became one of his most recognised projects.
In 2007, Eberts partnered with Arnold Rifkin, former president of the William Morris Agency, to form the Rifkin-Eberts production company in Santa Monica. The partnership actually originated with “Lucky Number Slevin,” when Eberts called Rifkin late at night to secure Bruce Willis for the film. However, their professional relationship soured within a year, leading to a lawsuit in December 2008 when Eberts claimed Rifkin had misled him about Willis’s continued involvement in their slate.
His later projects included “Deception” (2007) with Hugh Jackman, “Night Train” (2009), and “Blood and Bone” (2009), which marked his last producing credit. In total, Christopher worked on approximately 18 film productions during his career.
Personal Life and Legal Troubles
Christopher married Kristin Tutor Eberts, an interior designer and the daughter of billionaire construction magnate Ronald N. Tutor, Executive Chairman of Tutor Perini Corporation. They have two children together, including their daughter Stella, born in 2007.
However, Eberts’ personal and professional life began unravelling by early 2009. He filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in February 2009, listing liabilities over $1 million. Just three months later, he met Jeff Elliott, a retired firefighter from Normal, Illinois, who had written a memoir about his son’s recovery from a brain tumour.
Elliott dreamed of adapting his book into a film, and Eberts seemed perfect for the job. Arriving in a Bentley and living in a $7 million mansion, Eberts convinced Elliott to invest $615,000 of family savings plus an additional $25,000 for an unrelated project. The problem? Only about $61,000 (roughly 10%) went toward actual film expenses.
Court records revealed that Eberts used the remaining funds for his extravagant lifestyle. He spent $43,303 on artwork, $9,438 on a luxury wristwatch, and thousands more on designer clothing, custom shoes, cosmetic medicine, fine wines, and furniture. He also made payments to his father and bankruptcy attorney.
When screenwriter Howie Klausner noticed bounced checks in December 2010, he alerted Elliott. Elliott filed a federal civil lawsuit in April 2011. When Eberts failed to appear at trial, Judge Michael Mihm found he had “fraudulently induced Elliott to invest funds” and showed “a complete lack of any conscience.” The court awarded Elliott approximately $1.15 million in damages.
But Christopher’s troubles didn’t end there. In June 2013, a grand jury indicted him on 10 counts of wire fraud and three counts of money laundering. While out on bond, he tested positive for cocaine and opiates, failed to disclose an October 2014 state forgery conviction, and remarkably, attempted to solicit $250,000 from an undercover FBI agent for another fraudulent scheme.
After his family helped pay Elliott $400,000 (with assistance from Kristin), Eberts pleaded guilty on March 16, 2015, to all 10 counts. On July 15, 2015, then-49-year-old Eberts received a 46-month federal prison sentence, the maximum under guidelines. Judge Joe Billy McDade’s assessment was brutal, stating Eberts was “not trustworthy” and likely to continue conning people, concluding, “I don’t think there is anything else you know how to do.”
Eberts appealed, but the Seventh Circuit affirmed his sentence in July 2016. Based on his conviction and possible good-time credit, he was likely released in late 2018 or early 2019. Court documents indicated he faced deportation to Canada upon release.
Interestingly, no divorce filing or announcement has been found between Christopher and Kristin. Sources continue to reference them as married. Kristin sold their custom-designed Holmby Hills mansion for $29.9 million in December 2020 and continues operating her interior design firm, TutorEbertsDesign.
Net Worth
Christopher Eberts’ net worth is difficult to pin down accurately. The $25 million figure sometimes attributed to him appears to refer to Kristin’s estimated net worth rather than Christopher’s personal finances.
Given his 2009 bankruptcy filing, the $1.15 million civil judgment against him, criminal forfeiture orders, and substantial restitution payments, Christopher’s personal net worth is likely significantly diminished relative to his peak-producing years. During his Hollywood heyday, film producers at his level could earn substantial income through financing arrangements, distribution deals, and profit participation from successful films like “Lord of War,” which grossed $73 million.
However, the legal consequences and restitution obligations have clearly taken their toll. His current financial status remains opaque, as Christopher has effectively vanished from public life since his release from federal prison. He maintains no discernible social media presence and hasn’t worked on any film projects since 2009.