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UPFRONTS 2013: The Overachievers
Veteran entertainment business affairs executive Richard Fowkes died yesterday in Los Angeles after a battle with brain cancer. He was 66. Most recently, Fowkes had been EVP of business affairs at Legendary Entertainment since 2007 after having spent a good portion of his career with Paramount Pictures.
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A total gentleman and fine lawyer. I dealt with him when I managed Eddie Murphy and during our days at Paramount.
What a loss! Truly one of the nicest human beings in the biz, with a lovely family to match.
He was such a nice person at paramount.
Such sad news. Richard was an incredible man. One of the kindest and most generous people I have ever met. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.
He was a solid exec and, more importantly, a good man. He will be missed.
I completely agree with you. I have worked on the other sides of deals with Richard for a number of years, in NYC and LA. His passing is a great loss both personally and professionally.
Richard was an incredible man. I had the great pleasure of working with him at Paramount. My thoughts and prayers are with his family.
Richard was a true gentleman and consummate professional. Condolences to his family. He will be missed.
Richard was one of the kindest, loving and most gentle people I have known. Yet he was an excellent negotiator, able to say “no” in the nicest way. During my 5 years as EVP of Business and Legal Affairs at Paramount, I was continually amazed at his knowledge of the business and his wonderful way of dealing with people. My heart goes out to his family. He is in a better place.
Barry,
That was a lovely and correct tribute to Richard.
Wow. I spent many an hour on the same side and on the opposite side of the table over the years and I can only think of one word that sums up this man for me, “Gentleman”. He was truly a class act and this entire town is lessened by his departure.
My consolences to Richard’s family, friends and colleagues. Richard was one of the finest and most respected, liked and admired executives in the business, He always had a kind word of encouragement and support, rare indeed in this town. What a tragic loss.
Richard was among the last of a breed of old school executives who was always a gentleman, always helpful when he could be, always returned your calls. A total pro, and still one of the nicest people I’ve ever met in or out of the business. I will miss him. He’s one of a kind. My thoughts go out to his loved ones.
Completely shocked by this news. Richard was one of the nicest people I have ever worked with. My condolences to his family.
I’m shocked over tbis richard was negotiating film genius
Richard was a brilliant executive, but more importantly, a lovely man. He will be sorely missed. My condolences to his family
Richard was sui generis: brilliant, incredibly kind, witty, handsome; the epitome of integrity, graciousness and gentlemanly behavior. Nothing made him as happy as talking, so lovingly and glowingly, about his family. He was an artistic man who composed music, and had many eclectic interests. He handled his illness with tremendous courage, strength and optimism.
I’m privileged to have known him as a colleague and friend, and I send deepest condolences
to his family. No one who has known him will not miss him. He was a class act and a wonderful human being.
The family landscaper and color gardener will miss wowing Richard with my color extravaganzas.My thoughts and prayers to the family..
Jon Shepodd
I so respected, admired and liked him– an actual person who
could be negotiate, giving up nothing but not making you feel like you had to lose when he won. He taught me so much about business affairs because he had patience and humanity. I am so pleased that he went to Legendary after Paramount, where they could appreciate him as so many of his colleagues always had. RIP, and condolences to his family. He was one of a kind, sadly.
A great lawyer and a wonderful person. He will be sorely missed.
Richard was a gentleman. He worked for a tough group at Paramount and he could be tough himself. Yet he always took the time to try to understand your position and explain his. When he didn’t buy what you were saying he would let you know in a funny way, and when he didn’t believe what he was being told to say he would do the same.
He was a good guy and he made deal making more pleasant without being a pushover.
Richard took me under his wing when I was a mere assistant at Paramount and generously taught me so much about the structure and genealogy of deal-making in film. For years after we had both left he continued to be a wonderful friend and mentor and, as many have written above, he was a gentleman in the greatest sense of that word.
So sad to hear this news and sorry that I wasn’t able to speak with him or catch up for a lunch in person before he passed — it was always a pleasure to interact with him. We worked together at Paramount when I was a very junior executive….not that you would know it from the way Richard treated me….as many people have already pointed out, he treated them as he did me, with kindness and respect regardless of title. He was a real Mensch and I will miss him.
With the loss of Tony Scott sure to overshadow this news, I want to say that Richard was one of my earliest Hollywood connections and could not have been more generous with his time, energy and support.
This is a business in which you cannot move up without being offered a hand, and as a young creative, Richard was truly significant to me. I am truly sad to see him go.
Richard and I worked together at Paramount for many years. We started while he was a lawyer in Paramount’s New York office and extended our working relationship when he moved to the coast. It was quite an asylum in those days (mid 70s-early 80s)–and Richard was one of the kindest, patient and humane people I ever worked with at the studio. He was a true class act with a pure heart, as well as a heap of business and legal talent. He was unflappable in the heat of battle and he parked his ego in the studio lot. HIs untimely death really rocked me. I send my prayers and heart out to his family.
I had dinner with Richard about three months ago and he looked healthy and happy and seemed so optimistic about the future. Thus I was absolutely stunned and profoundly saddened to receive the email about his passing. I had the pleasure of working with Richard at Paramount and the greater pleasure of being his friend for almost 20 years. Richard was a joy to spend time with and probably the nicest man I’ve ever met. In this age of superlatives and hyperbole it may not sound like much of a compliment to say that he was “nice”, but to Richard it was probably the highest compliment you could pay him. He will be greatly missed.
I met Richard in jr. high school in Yonkers where we went to jr. high and high school together. He was one of the brightest and nicest member of our graduating class. I just learned about his passing when I sent an email to his address last month announcing our high school reunion. I was so very saddened by the email I received from his daughter saying he had passed away. He will be truly missed at the Reunion and forever remembered by his classmates. I hope his family is doing well with all the wonderful memories they must have about him.