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TAYLOR LAUTNER UPDATE: Universal Pays Him … I've been asked to let Hollywood know that Gareth Wigan's memorial will be held on the Sony Pictures lot on March 2nd at 5 PM. For those who want to attend, RSVP to (310) 244-4142 by this Friday.
You are viewing the Category: “R.I.P.”
R.I.P. Gareth Wigan
Sony announced today that Gareth Wigan, whose legendary half century career in the motion picture industry was integral to some of the most successful films ever made including Star Wars, passed away this morning after a brief illness. He was 78.
"Wigan’s distinguished journey as an agent, producer, studio executive and production chief is rich with notable and visionary achievements – from his work as a young production executive on Star Wars to his role as a pioneer in the growth of global cinema by championing such acclaimed filmmakers such as Ang Lee, Stephen Chow, Zhang Yimou, Guy Ritchie, Matthew Vaughn, and Feng Xiao Gong. London-born Wigan was, first and foremost, a passionate cinephile, singled out by his colleagues for his immense taste, endless intelligence, elegance, preparedness, and grace. A graduate of Oxford who began his career as an agent in the UK office of MCA in the late 1950s, Wigan represented such artists as director John Schlesinger (Sunday Bloody Sunday, Marathon Man), Richard Lester (A Hard Days Night), and British rock pioneer Ronnie Harwood, among many others. In the mid 1960s, he formed his own talent agency Gregson & Wigan Ltd., with his business partner Richard Gregson. Representing some of the most renowned British writers, directors, musicians and producers of the era, Wigan became a trailblazer with the first UK agency to open offices in Los Angeles and New York.
After selling the agency to EMI in 1970, Wigan produced his
... Read More »
R.I.P. Aleen Leslie
Aleen Leslie - screenwriter, novelist, playwright, and vintage radio writer-producer – died of natural causes in her home in Beverly Hills last week, just three days short of her 102nd birthday. A member since 1938, Leslie was the oldest living Writers Guild member. She also was one of perhaps only a dozen women screenwriters in the entertainment industry at the time. After arriving in Hollywood, she quickly talked her way into Universal Studio to begin writing 2-reelers for The Three Stooges and ultimately worked at every studio. She had 19 credited movies to her name, including Father Was a Fullback, The Doctor Takes a Wife, Father is a Bachelor, Rosie the Riveter, The Stork Pays Off, and several of the Henry Aldrich series.
R.I.P. David Brown
One of Hollywood's most famous and prolific producers, he died at his NYC home after a long illness. He was 93. David Brown was a mythic Hollywood figure. Everyone had a hilarious story about him, but he told stories about himself and the Industry that were even wittier. He was someone I wish I'd known in his prime. Yes, he'd been a studio exec, first at 20th Century Fox and later at Warner Bros. But Brown is best known for producing some of our favorite pics with his longtime partne Dick Zanuck: The Sugarland Express, Jaws, Academy Award-winner The Sting, The Verdict, Cocoon. Brown also produced The Player, A Few Good Men, Deep Impact, Chocolat, and Along Came A Spider. In 1991, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences gave its top honor, the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, to Brown and Zanuck for being "a creative producer whose body of work reflects a consistently high quality of motion picture production". Also with Dick, David received the Producers Guild's David O. Selznick Lifetime Achievement Award in 1993. Brown produced for the TV screen and the stage, and had a long career as a journalist and magazine editor (he wrote the cover lines on Cosmopolitan which his wife Helen Gurley Brown top-edited). Among the books he wrote was his showbiz memoir, Let Me Entertain You. He did. He will be missed.
R.I.P. Karen Schmeer
Emails are pouring in about the "untimely, senseless, and tragic" passing of Karen Schmeer, a respected member of the American Cinema Editors, at age 39. She was a gifted editor of documentaries who, according to news reports, was run down by robbers during their getaway as she was crossing a street in New York City. Best known for helping craft Errol Morris’ later films (The Fog Of War, Mr. Death, Fast, Cheap & Out Of Control, and Standard Operating Procedure) she won last year’s Sundance award for editing Greg Barker’s documentary, Sergio. "I had the honor to moderate a panel on documentary editing at the A.C.E. EditFest last summer in NY, and Karen was a member," one source wrote in. "She was humble and soft spoken while her work spoke volumes. She surely understood the art of storytelling as a documentary editor."
R.I.P. Eric Rohmer
This is according to his producer, who told AFP and French 24. The arthouse French filmmaker, screenwriter, and film critic (who was born Maurice Scherer), was 89. One of the key figures of the post-war New Wave cinema movement and an articulate and literate devotee of purism in the moviemaking, Rohmer made 24 films over a period of 50 years. His main works include his cycle of films Six Moral Tales: shot in 1969, the third in the series, Ma Nuit Chez Maud, brought him international recognition. He also was a former editor of influential French film journal Cahiers du Cinéma.
R.I.P. Brittany Murphy
What a tragic waste of young talent. News reports say actress Brittany Murphy went into cardiac arrest this morning at age 32. I always found her performances fresh in both comedies like Clueless, Just Married and Little Black Book, and dramas like 8 Mile, Don't Say A Word, Girl Interrupted, and Sin City, and the dramedy Uptown Girl. She was about to have a career renewal with several movies coming out in 2010.
R.I.P. Roy Disney
UPDATE: The nephew of Walt Disney died at age 79 after a bout with cancer.
It wouldn’t have mattered so much if Roy E. Disney had not been the son of Roy O. Disney who'd founded the Walt Disney Company with his brother. Or if Roy had not looked so eerily like a mirror image of his late uncle. Because he did, it seemed Walt Disney himself came back from the grave in 2003/2004 to rid the Mouse House of Michael Eisner, the man Roy had famously hired back in 1984. Few men lead two coups, much less on the same company.
And that will be Roy's legacy.
Most of the time, Roy was more likely found at his Irish castle or on his 70-foot sailboat than leading a boardroom brawl. In both cases, the reaction was surprise, followed by headlines, followed by “What took so long?” Of course, Roy was helped by his financial guru Stanley Gold. Each time Roy used as his reasoning that the Walt Disney Co had grown creatively stagnant.
The great irony, of course, was that Roy Disney beginning in 1984 waged war against Walt’s son-in-law Ron Miller, and found the billionaire Bass Brothers of Ft. Worth to help bankroll his battle. Then Roy brought in Michael Eisner. The two men had met back in 1980 when Eisner joined Roy on the board of the California Institute of Arts, which was founded by Walt as a training ... Read More »
Walt Disney Company On Roy Disney: "Key In Revitalizing TWDC & Animation Legacy"
Roy Edward Disney, son of Disney Studios co-founder Roy O. Disney, and nephew of Walt Disney, passed away today (12/16/09) at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Beach, California, following a year-long battle with stomach cancer. He was 79 years old. Disney was a successful businessman, philanthropist, filmmaker, and award-winning sailor, who played a key role in the revitalization of The Walt Disney Company and Disney’s animation legacy. He was associated with the Company over a 56-year period, and from 1984 – 2003, served as vice chairman of the Company’s board of directors, and chairman of the Studio’s Animation Department. In recent years, he held the title of director emeritus and consultant for the Company.
As head of Disney Animation, Disney helped to guide the Studio to a new golden age of animation with an unprecedented string of artistic and box office successes that included “The Little Mermaid,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Aladdin,” and “The Lion King.” He personally executive produced “Fantasia/2000,” a sequel to the 1940 Disney classic, and served in a similar capacity on a number of recent animated shorts, including the 2004 Oscar®-nominated “Destino,” based on storyboards and original art by the iconic artist Salvador Dali. In the area of live-action films, Disney and his wife, Leslie DeMeuse Disney, most recently executive produced the 2008 feature documentary, “Morning Light,” which followed a group of young sailors as they competed in the grueling Transpac race from Los Angeles to Honolulu.
His philanthropic activities included sponsorship of the Roy E.
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R.I.P. David Lloyd
Writers are asking me to note the passing of the prolific TV comedy writer David Lloyd. He'll always be remembered for winning the Emmy in 1976 for penning that "Chuckles Bites The Dust" episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show considered one of the genre's best. According to news reports, Lloyd started his career writing jokes for The Jack Paar Show, and also worked on The Bob Newhart Show, Cheers, Taxi, and Frasier. Lloyd also began a true TV sitcom dynasty: his son Christopher is the creator of ABC’s Modern Family, and his son Stephen is a producer for How I Met Your Mother.
WGA On Nick Counter's Death, Briefly
Writers Guild of America, West and Writers Guild of America, East issued this statement this weekend from presidents John Wells and Michael Winship on behalf of the WGAW and WGAE:
"The Writers Guilds of America, West and East mark the passing of Nick Counter, longtime president of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, and convey their deepest sympathy to his family."
SAG Statements On Nick Counter's Death
I understand that no one on the SAG board who clashed with the AMPTP's Nick Counter during the long and bitter 2008/2009 round of negotiations before the Unite For Strength/NY/Regional divisions came to power are being allowed to have their say about his passing. But the Screen Actors Guild issued a statement tonight that, "It is with sadness that we mark the passing of Screen Actors Guild’s longtime industry colleague, Nick Counter."
Strangely because he barely negotiated against Counter, SAG National Executive Director David White joined newly elected SAG president Ken Howard in issuing the following statement: "Nick Counter was a giant of labor relations whose passing will be mourned throughout the entertainment industry. His long tenure as head of the AMPTP was typified by reason, compassion and flashes of wry humor. Sitting across the table from him was never easy, but Nick was always able to balance the relentless pursuit of his bargaining objectives with an evident respect for actors and admiration for their unique contribution to the art and business of entertainment. His death is a tremendous loss and our hearts and sympathies go out to his wife Jackie, his family, and to our colleagues at the AMPTP."
Screen Actors Guild Senior Advisor John McGuire was quoted as saying, "Throughout his years as the leader of the AMPTP, Nick brought to that organization balance, leadership and a commitment to finding ways to keep the Industry working for the benefit of everyone. SAG members ... Read More »
R.I.P. Nick Counter
He was 69. He'd been ill for a long time, and was hospitalized several days ago, I'm told. A very controversial figure in Hollywood, Nick Counter served as President of the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers (AMPTP) for 27 years, from its formation in 1982 until his retirement in March of this year. Prior to being named AMPTP President, he served as outside legal counsel for the antecedent Association of Motion Picture & Television Producers for 10 years. As AMPTP President, Counter's primary responsibility was to lead the 80 industry-wide labor negotiations with entertainment industry guilds and unions on behalf of the studios, the broadcast networks, and certain cable networks. In his 27 years as AMPTP President, Counter negotiated more than 300 major guild and union agreements. Warner Bros chief Barry Meyer, considered the lead mogul behind the AMPTP, tonight called Counter "a brilliant negotiator who guided this industry through historic change and never lost his desire to be fair to all involved. We will miss him very much."
His recently named successor and longtime No. 2, AMPTP President Carol Lombardini, had this to say tonight: "Nick's passing is a profound loss for the entire entertainment community. We will all remember Nick for his passionate leadership, which was always guided by a resolute sense of fair play and an earnest desire that everyone come out a winner. Nick had a particular proficiency for developing consensus among diverse points of view and he used this skill to great ... Read More »
R.I.P. Soupy Sales
He died Thursday night in a NYC hospice. He was 83. Anyone who grew up in New York in the mid-1960s surely had a special relationship with the comedian (born Milton Supman) and The Soupy Sales Show based at WNEW-TV and then syndicated around the country. He was one of my earliest and most beloved TV memories. His zany antics were as addictive as his primitive hand puppets. But it was his dangerousness that made people tune in. That laughter could turn into a pie in the face, or even to rage, at a moment's notice. The mayhem even got him in trouble: when he asked kids to go through their parents' pockets and send him greenbacks, the FCC squawked and Metromedia suspended him. The stunt eventually killed Soupy's TV show. In interviews he said the media establishment never trusted him again. But as his fans grew up and into the emerging counter-culture, Soupy remained the epitome of cool for the rest of his life. (Yet an attempted reboot, The New Soupy Sales Show, in 1979 didn't last long.) I do know my childhood was richer because of him. Thanks, Soupy.
Justice, But Not Hollywood Justice
Hollywood sources tell me that the drunk driver who in 2007 instantly killed Rudin VP Sam Cassell and his girlfriend Red Wagon VP Rhiannon Meier was recently sentenced to 30 years to life for their deaths. Both victims were only 28 years old.
R.I.P. Bruce Wasserstein
News reports are saying Lazard CEO Bruce Wasserstein, the superstar dealmaker who backed Carl Icahn's 2005-2006 failed attempt at a hostile takeover of Time Warner, has died. He was hospitalized earlier this week for what was described as an irregular heartbeat.
R.I.P. Dan Melnick
The former MGM studio head and one of Hollywood's top producers back in the 1970s and 1980s was 77. Not one of my favorite people, but he was popular among a certain dwindling crowd.
R.I.P. Dick Zimbert
He died on Sunday. The head business honcho at Paramount for many years, he mentored some of the top studio and entertainment lawyers around Hollywood. "He created the Paramount business affairs system that then got imported to Disney, then DreamWorks, then Fox," one protégé told me. "Everyone over 40 knew or knew of him. He was a very big deal."
R.I.P. Patrick Swayze
He died after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 57. Not only did America fall in love with him in Dirty Dancing. But this multitalented actor was one of the nicest guys working in Hollywood.
R.I.P. Larry Gelbart
He died of cancer at his home today. He was 81. He was the screenwriter's screenwriter -- an intelligent role model with ascerbic wit who was also kind but candid. That's a rare combination in Hollywood these days. He was very active in Writers Guild issues, and in fact just recently gave me a support statement for WGAw presidential candidate Elias Davis and his slate of candidates. Gelbart had success on stage, film, and TV. He is best known for works as varied as the big screen hit Tootsie as well as turning Robert Altman's M.A.S.H. into the long running TV series as producer and writer. He also penned the teleplay for HBO's very adept adaptation of the financial book Barbarians At The Gate. He also co-wrote the book for the 1962 Broadway musical “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” which was recently revived on The Great White Way. His writing won a slew of Tony and Emmy awards and Oscar nominations (For Tootsie and Oh, God!). “Laughing Matters,” a collection of Mr. Gelbart’s essays and reminiscences, was published by Random House in 1998. Every now and then, Larry would phone me to complain about this mogul or that. (Harvey Weinstein came in for frequent withering criticism by Gelbart because of problems with their projects.) He never feared what Hollywood's Powers That Be would do to him when he went public with a dispute. Success and self-confidence gave him courage. I adored ... Read More »
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