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Jerry Weintraub

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Jerry Weintraub
Weintraub in 1975
Born
Jerome Charles Weintraub

(1937-09-26)September 26, 1937
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
DiedJuly 6, 2015(2015-07-06) (aged 77)
Santa Barbara, California, U.S.
Resting placeHillside Memorial Park Cemetery
Occupations
  • Film producer
  • talent agent
  • concert promoter
  • actor
Years active1974–2015
Spouses
Janice Greenberg
​
(divorced)​
​
​
(m. 1965, separated 1980s)​
PartnerSusan Ekins (1995–2015; his death)
Children4

Jerome Charles Weintraub (September 26, 1937 – July 6, 2015) was an American film producer, talent manager and actor whose television films won him three Emmys.[1][2]

He began his career as a talent agent, having managed relatively unknown singer John Denver in 1970, developing Denver's success through concerts, television specials, and film roles, including Oh, God! (1977). Weintraub has been credited with making "show business history" by being the first to organize and manage large arena concert tours for singers. Among the other performers whose tours he managed were Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, The Four Seasons, Neil Diamond, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, Three Dog Night and The Carpenters.

Following his years as a concert promoter, he began producing films. Among them were director Robert Altman's Nashville (1975), Barry Levinson's Diner (1982), the first five films from The Karate Kid franchise, as well as the remake Ocean's Eleven (2001), and its two sequels. Later, he was executive producer of HBO's series The Brink and HBO's Behind the Candelabra in 2013, which won an Emmy. In 2014, he won another Emmy as co-producer of Years of Living Dangerously, a television documentary about global warming. In 2011, HBO broadcast a television documentary about Weintraub's life, called His Way.

Early years

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Weintraub was born to a Jewish family in Brooklyn, and raised in the Bronx, the son of Rose (née Bass) and Samuel Weintraub.[3] His father was a gem dealer.[4] While growing up, he worked as a theater usher and as a waiter in the Catskills.[5]

After several years at MCA, where he first started work as a mailroom clerk, he left and formed his own personal management company. While at MCA, he was assistant to Lew Wasserman, whom he reportedly thought of as a father figure.[5]

In the 1960s, he co-founded the vocal group The Doodletown Pipers. Among the acts that Weintraub managed at this time were Paul Anka, Shelley Berman, Pat Boone, Joey Bishop, The Four Seasons, Jackson Browne, Jimmy Buffett, and singer Jane Morgan, whom he would later marry.[6]

Manager and concert promoter

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Weintraub received an Emmy for producing An Evening with John Denver in 1975.[2]

Weintraub was the manager of singer and actor John Denver whom he signed in 1970. Weintraub first saw Denver performing at a small club in Greenwich Village and liked his easy, "mountaineer's" manner. Weintraub produced a dozen television music specials starring Denver, winning an Emmy for one of them.[7] Later, he produced the film Oh, God! (1977), starring Denver and George Burns. After Denver became a major success as a singer, he bought Weintraub a Rolls-Royce as a thank you gift. Weintraub said, "I couldn't help thinking that it wasn't too long ago that neither of us had bus fare."[7] Denver and Weintraub's professional relationship ended acrimoniously, however, he regretted not being reconciled with Denver before the singer's death.[8][9]

In 1970, Weintraub convinced Elvis Presley and his manager, Col. Tom Parker, to do Presley's first national tour, something they had not considered, as Presley was by then a successful film star. The tour, with a modern sound system created for it, helped develop Weintraub's career as a concert promoter.[7]

He next promoted a tour for Frank Sinatra in 1974, whom Weintraub first put in Madison Square Garden's boxing arena. For the previous six years, Sinatra had basically retired due to the failure of his last album. Weintraub convinced him to do a tour, which led to Sinatra's "transformation from saloon singer to stadium singer", wrote biographer Will Friedwald. "When Frank came out of retirement and started doing stadiums, he didn't know if he would draw," recalled guitarist Al Viola. "Weintraub deserves most of the credit (after Sinatra, that is) for pulling this off," says Friedwald.[10]

Bob Dylan signed with Weintraub in 1978 after watching a Neil Diamond concert in Las Vegas, knowing that Weintraub managed the event.[11] Dylan began a world tour beginning in Japan which continued through Europe and the US, performing 114 shows in front of two million people.[12]

Biographer David Morrell writes, "We take this for granted now, but Weintraub's ability to organize these massive concerts made show-business history."[13] Led Zeppelin manager, Peter Grant, recalls that Weintraub worked hard at putting on these large shows. "It was an event," Grant says. And "Jerry Weintraub loved it."[14] Weintraub acknowledged his motivations: "When I believe in something, it's going to get done," he wrote in his autobiography.[6]

Weintraub also managed or promoted concerts for such musical acts as Cuba Gooding Sr., the Main Ingredient, the Carpenters, the Moody Blues, and the Beach Boys.[7]

Film and television producer

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"When it comes to work, nobody works harder. When it comes to charities, nobody guilts better. And when it comes to friendship, he has no peers. That's Jerry's great talent. He doesn't just light up a room, he lights it on fire. He's a great producer, a great organizer, a great friend, and truly the greatest showman on earth."

George Clooney[6]

Weintraub's first film as a producer was Robert Altman's Nashville (1975). Until then, United Artists producer David Picker had dismissed the script and would not make the film. A short time later, Weintraub was hosting a party for John Denver in New York, and among the guests he invited was Altman, whom he admired but had never met. "Altman pulled Weintraub aside", recalled screenwriter, Joan Tewkesbury, "and over a shared joint", Altman told Weintraub about the script. After another meeting with Altman, Weintraub was hooked on the story. However, no studio wanted to work with Altman, telling Weintraub that the director was a "pain in the ass". Weintraub eventually managed to find investors and gave Altman the $2 million he needed to make the film.[15]

Following Nashville , Weintraub's credits as producer over the next few years included Oh, God! (1977), September 30, 1955 (1978), Cruising (1980), All Night Long (1981), and Diner (1982).

The success of The Karate Kid (1984), led Kirk Kerkorian, then owner of MGM/UA, to appoint Weintraub as chairman and CEO of the neglected United Artists division, with Weintraub acquiring a minority stake, but clashes between the two men led to Weintraub's departure after five months.[16][17] The Karate Kid had several sequels, all produced by Weintraub, The Karate Kid Part II (1986), The Karate Kid Part III (1989) and The Next Karate Kid (1994).

Weintraub formed Weintraub Entertainment Group (WEG) in February 1987 with $461 million in financing from Columbia Pictures, Cineplex Odeon and others. WEG also signed a 20-year distribution deal with Columbia, and planned to release seven or more movies per year.[18] In 1990 WEG filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and Weintraub would then produce for Warner Bros. WEG also subsequently settled a suit brought against it by Columbia.[19][20]

Weintraub's later films as producer were Happy New Year (1987), Pure Country (1992), The Specialist (1994), Vegas Vacation (1997), The Newton Boys (1998), The Avengers (1998), Soldier (1998), Nancy Drew (2007), The Karate Kid (2010), and the 2001 remake of Ocean's Eleven, for which he founded the company JW Productions. In addition to producing the sequels Ocean's Twelve (2004) and Ocean's Thirteen (2007), he appeared in all the Ocean's films. Weintraub had a small role in Vegas Vacation (1997) as "Gilly from Philly" a high roller casino gambler with two pals, and in The Firm (1993).

He was executive producer of HBO's series, The Brink, and HBO's Behind the Candelabra in 2013, an Emmy-winning drama about the last ten years in the life of pianist Liberace.[21] In 2014, he also won an Emmy as co-producer of Years of Living Dangerously, a television documentary about global warming.[22]

A television documentary film about Weintraub's life, called His Way, directed by Douglas McGrath, was broadcast on HBO in 2011. On a 2010 television appearance of The View, Weintraub made a handshake deal with Whoopi Goldberg to play the next God in a future Oh, God! sequel, should a favorable script become available. Weintraub had agreed to produce a new adaptation of The Legend of Tarzan for Warner Bros. which was released on July 1, 2016.[6][23]

Philanthropy

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Weintraub was a major contributor to many charities, including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Music Center, the UCLA School of Dentistry and the Children's Museum of Los Angeles. In 1988, the American Friends of the Hebrew University gave Weintraub and his wife, Jane, the Scopus Award in gratitude for their support. He was also a major supporter of Chabad and was close with the Lubavitcher Rebbe.[24]

He also began doing charitable work to help stop the ongoing genocide taking place in Darfur in 2007. Weintraub, Matt Damon, George Clooney, Don Cheadle, and Brad Pitt cofounded the nonprofit organization, Not On Our Watch, dedicated to preventing mass killings in Darfur and other areas of the world. They raised $9.3 million to aid their relief efforts.[25]

Personal life

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Weintraub was married twice. His first wife was Janice Greenberg, a dentist's daughter from his Bronx neighborhood who had been singer Julius La Rosa's secretary.[26] They had a son, Michael.

Weintraub's second wife was singer and actress Jane Morgan, who was 13 years his senior. Their relationship went from professional to personal and the two were married in 1965 when she was 41 and he was 28. They adopted three daughters. The couple separated in the 1980s, but never divorced. For 20 years until his death, Weintraub had been living with his girlfriend and longtime companion, Susan Ekins.[7]

Weintraub supported both political parties at various times in his life. However, it is widely noted that he was friends with both George H. W. Bush and Ronald Reagan.[7] He also had a strong spiritual side, which he once described to television host Larry King. He was a devotee of The Lubavitcher Rebbe and believed in his mystical powers.[27]

Death

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Weintraub died from cardiac arrest in Santa Barbara, California, on July 6, 2015, at the age of 77.[28][7][29][30]

Following the announcement of his death, celebrities and friends paid tribute to Weintraub. "Jerry was an American original, who earned his success by the sheer force of his instinct, drive, and larger-than-life personality," said former president George H.W. Bush, a longtime friend. "He had a passion for life, and throughout the ups and downs of his prolific career it was clear just how much he loved show business."[21]

"He was a force of nature," said actor and director Carl Reiner.[5] Actor Don Cheadle wrote, "Jerry was to me equal parts Godfather, rainmaker, caretaker, PT Barnum and friend."[31] George Clooney, star of the Ocean's movies, said that "in the coming days there will be tributes about our friend Jerry Weintraub. We'll laugh at his great stories, and applaud his accomplishments. And in the years to come, the stories and accomplishments will get better with age, just as Jerry would have wanted it. But not today. Today our friend died."[21]

He is interred at Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver City, California.[32]

Filmography

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He was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.

Film

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Year Title Credit Notes
1975 Nashville Executive producer
1977 September 30, 1955
Oh, God!
1980 Cruising
1981 All Night Long
1982 Diner
1984 The Karate Kid
1986 The Karate Kid Part II
1987 Happy New Year
1988 My Stepmother Is an Alien Executive producer
1989 The Karate Kid Part III
1992 Pure Country
1994 The Next Karate Kid
The Specialist
1997 Vegas Vacation
1998 The Avengers
Soldier
2000 The Independent Executive producer
2001 Ocean's Eleven
2004 Ocean's Twelve
2007 Ocean's Thirteen
Nancy Drew
2010 The Karate Kid
2016 The Legend of Tarzan Posthumous release
As an actor
Year Title Role
1993 The Firm Sonny Capps
1997 Vegas Vacation Jilly
2001 Ocean's Eleven High Roller
2002 Full Frontal Jerry
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind Larry Goldberg
2004 Ocean's Twelve American Businessman
2007 Ocean's Thirteen Denny Shields
Thanks
Year Title Role
2015 The Haunting of Pearson Place Inspired by
2016 The Legend of Tarzan For
2018 Ocean's 8 In loving memory of

Television

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Year Title Credit Notes
1974 Sinatra – The Main Event Executive producer Television special
The John Denver Show Executive producer
1975 An Evening with John Denver Executive producer Television special
Rocky Mountain Christmas Executive producer Television special
1976 John Denver and Friend Executive producer Television special
Father O Father Executive producer Television film
The Dorothy Hamill Special Executive producer Television special
The Carpenters' Very First TV Special Executive producer Television special
1977 Neil Diamond: Love at the Greek Executive producer Television special
The Starland Vocal Band Show Executive producer Television special
Neil Diamond: I'm Glad You're Here with Me Tonight Executive producer Television special
Szysznyk Executive producer
The Carpenters at Christmas Executive producer Television special
1978 John Denver in Australia Executive producer Television special
Pat Boone and Family Executive producer Television film
Dorothy Hamill Presents Winners Executive producer Television special
King of the Road Executive producer Television film
The Carpenters...Space Encounters Executive producer Television special
The Carpenters: A Christmas Portrait Executive producer Television special
1979 John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together Executive producer Television special
1980 When the Whistle Blows Executive producer
The Jimmy McNichol Special Television special
Rocky Mountain Reunion Executive producer Television film
The Carpenters: Music, Music, Music Executive producer Television special
Blue Jeans Executive producer Television film
1981 John Denver: Music and the Mountains Executive producer Television special
1983 Rocky Mountain Holiday with John Denver and the Muppets Executive producer Television special
Diner Executive producer Television pilot
John Denver: The Higher We Fly Executive producer Television film
1984 The Cowboy and the Ballerina Executive producer Television film
1989 The Karate Kid Executive producer
2005 L'Chaim: To Life Telethon Executive producer Television film
2013 Behind the Candelabra Executive producer Television film
2015 The Brink Executive producer
2016 The Sherry Wolf Show Co-producer
2014–2016 Years of Living Dangerously Executive producer Documentary
2016–022 Westworld Executive producer

Awards and honors

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In 1986, the National Association of Theatre Owners named Weintraub the Producer of the Year. In 1991, he was named to the board of the Kennedy Center. Weintraub was one of the first independent film producers to be honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2007, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars was dedicated to him.[33] 2012 he was honored with the Career Achievement Award of Zurich Film Festival.[34]

Bibliography

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  • Weintraub, Jerry (2011). When I Stop Talking, You'll Know I'm Dead: Useful Stories from a Persuasive Man. Twelve. ISBN 978-0446548168.

References

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  1. ^ "‘Ocean’s 11′ Producer Jerry Weintraub Dies", Haute Living, July 7, 2015
  2. ^ a b "Jerry Weintraub". Television Academy. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
  3. ^ "Paid Notice: Deaths Weintraub, Rose". The New York Times. May 2, 2000.
  4. ^ "Jerry Weintraub Biography". Film Reference. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
  5. ^ a b c Busch, Anita (July 6, 2015). "Jerry Weintraub Dies: 'Karate Kid' & 'Ocean's' Producer Was The Ultimate Storyteller And Showman". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media, LLC. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
  6. ^ a b c d Weintraub, Jerry; Cohen, Rich; 3M Company (July 2, 2014). When I Stop Talking, You'll Know I'm Dead: Useful Stories from a Persuasive Man. Grand Central Publishing. p. 178. ISBN 9781609414269.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ a b c d e f g "Longtime Hollywood producer Jerry Weintraub dies at 77". KTAR-FM. Associated Press. July 6, 2015. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  8. ^ Denver, John; Tobier, Arthur (1994). Take Me Home: An Autobiography. Crown Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0517595374.
  9. ^ "Jerry Weintraub". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
  10. ^ Friedwald, Will. Sinatra! the Song is You: A Singer's Art, Simon & Schuster (1995), pg. 451.
  11. ^ Spitz, Bob. Dylan: A Biography, Norton & Co. (1989), pg. 521
  12. ^ Sounes, Howard. Down the Highway: The Life of Bob Dylan, Grove Press (2011) e-book
  13. ^ Morrell, David. Frank Sinatra: The Artist and His Music, Publ. by David Morrell, (2013) e-book.
  14. ^ Lewis, Dave. Led Zeppelin: The 'Tight But Loose' Files, Music Sales Group (2010) e-book
  15. ^ Gabler, Neal (June 5, 2015). "Why Robert Altman's brilliant 'Nashville' never had a sequel". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
  16. ^ Fabricant, Geraldine (April 15, 1986). "Chief is Out at United Artists". The New York Times. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
  17. ^ Dagan, Carmel (July 6, 2015). "Legendary Producer Jerry Weintraub Dies at 77". Variety. Penske Business Media, LLC. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
  18. ^ Cieply, Michael (January 11, 1989). "Weintraub's Worries : Box-Office Flops Add to Woes of Flashy 'Mini-Major'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 2, 2012.
  19. ^ Cieply, Michael (September 14, 1990). "Weintraub Is Expected to File Chapter 11 : Entertainment: The film firm seeks to cut off bondholders' action". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  20. ^ Citron, Alan (January 18, 1992). "Creditors Agree With Weintraub to Settle Lawsuit : * Film: Two banks had accused the producer of taking an unwarranted $748,000 in developing 'Hook". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  21. ^ a b c "Longtime Hollywood producer Jerry Weintraub dies at 77". Fox News Channel. FOX. Associated Press. July 6, 2015. Archived from the original on July 7, 2015. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
  22. ^ Begley, Sarah (July 6, 2015). "Jerry Weintraub Dies at 77". Time. You.com USA, LLC. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
  23. ^ Fleming, Mike (December 14, 2006). "'Tarzan' on vine for Warner Bros". Variety. Penske Business Media. Archived from the original on November 8, 2012. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
  24. ^ "Jerry Weintraub Biography". Starpulse.com. Archived from the original on May 7, 2010. Retrieved May 25, 2008.
  25. ^ Bartrop, Paul R., and Jacobs, Steven, editors. Modern Genocide: The Definitive Resource and Document Collection, ABC CLIO (2015) pg. 735
  26. ^ Schruers, Fred (May 24, 1987). "The Next Tycoon : Jerry Weintraub Helped Launch the Careers of Singers, Actors and Musicians. Now, He's Launching Himself--as Head of a $461-Million Film Production Company". The Los Angeles Times. p. 2. Archived from the original on September 13, 2016. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
  27. ^ Chabad Telethon (August 31, 2010). Larry King Interviews Jerry Weintraub on Chabad Telethon 2010 (YouTube). Archived from the original on December 13, 2021. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
  28. ^ Cieply, Michael; Barnes, Brooks (July 6, 2015). "Jerry Weintraub, a Force in Film and Music, Dies at 77". The New York Times. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  29. ^ Byrge, Duane (July 6, 2015). "Producer Jerry Weintraub Dies at 77". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
  30. ^ Estrin, Eric (July 17, 1983). "On The Hollywood Express". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
  31. ^ "Clooney pays tribute to Jerry Weintraub". Stuff. Stuff Limited. July 7, 2015. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
  32. ^ "Obituaries » Jack Weintraub". Hillside Memorial Park and Mortuary. August 16, 2015. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
  33. ^ "Listed by date dedicated" (PDF). Palm Springs Walk of Stars. p. 13. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 13, 2012.
  34. ^ "Zurich Film Festival". Zurich Film Festival (in German). Retrieved November 21, 2022.
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