David Victor Picker (May 14, 1931 – April 20, 2019) was an American motion picture executive and producer, working in the film industry for more than forty years. He served as president and chief executive officer for United Artists, Paramount, Lorimar, and Columbia Pictures before becoming an independent producer. Picker was a member of the Writers Guild of America East, a member the Producers Guild of America, and he was Chairman Emeritus of the Producers Guild of America East.[1] Picker's memoir about his career in the film industry, Musts, Maybes and Nevers, was released in 2013.[2]
David V. Picker | |
|---|---|
| Born | David Victor Picker May 14, 1931 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | April 20, 2019 (aged 87) New York City, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Movie executive and producer |
| Known for | Served as President and CEO of United Artists, Paramount, Lorimar, and Columbia Pictures |
| Family | Tobias Picker (nephew) |
Early life
editPicker was born to a Jewish family[3][4][5] on May 14, 1931, in New York City. He was the son of Sylvia (Moses) and Eugene Picker, a one-time president of Loew's Theatres[6][7][8] and president of the National Association of Theatre Owners, executive of Trans-Lux and vice-president of United Artists.[9] David attended Dartmouth College and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1953.[1][10]
Film career
edit1950s–1969
editPicker began his movie career at United Artists in 1956, working in advertising and publicity. By 1961 he was an assistant to Arthur Krim, the president.[11][12][9] Picker helped bring Tom Jones to United Artists in 1963. The film received four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director for Tony Richardson.[13] In 1964, Picker accepted the award on behalf of Tony Richardson, who was not in attendance.[14] By the late 1960s, Picker was managing United Artists Records.[11][12]
1969–1973: United Artists Corporation
editPicker became chief operating officer and president of United Artists Corporation in 1969.[11] Having earlier brought the Beatles' A Hard Day's Night and Help! to the company, Picker was also responsible for a deal with producers Harry Saltzman and Albert Broccoli for the James Bond series which launched one of the most successful franchises in cinema history. Other notable releases during his time as president of United Artists included Midnight Cowboy and Last Tango in Paris.[1][11][15] Picker also established the company's lasting relationship with writer and director Woody Allen in addition to European filmmakers Federico Fellini, Ingmar Bergman, François Truffaut, Louis Malle, and Sergio Leone.[1] He became CEO and president of UA on January 1, 1973.[9]
1973–1993
editIn 1973, Picker left United Artists to form his own production company, Two Roads Productions,[6][11] and produced Juggernaut and Lenny in 1974 and Smile in 1975. Lenny became a critical success and was nominated for six Academy Awards.[11][16] In 1976, Picker then became President of Motion Pictures at Paramount but served for only a few years,[11] during which he helped develop or greenlight Saturday Night Fever, Grease, and the 1980 Academy Award winner, Ordinary People.[6][12] Upon leaving Paramount in 1979, Picker partnered with comedian Steve Martin to produce that year's The Jerk, Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid in 1982, and The Man with Two Brains in 1983.[11][12] In the mid-1980s, Picker took over as President of Feature Films at Lorimar Productions, developing and supervising the films S.O.B., Being There, and Escape to Victory.[6][12] Hired in 1985 by Columbia Pictures to serve as president of production, Picker greenlit Hope and Glory, School Daze, Vice Versa, Punchline, and True Believer.[6][17][18] By the mid-1980s, Picker was independently producing again. In 1987, he had left the post of Columbia Pictures after David Puttnam had left the company and Dawn Steel and Roger Faxon joining the company. in order to revive Two Roads Productions with a non-exclusive production agreement with Columbia Pictures.[19] He worked with Harry Belafonte to produce Beat Street[20] and also produced a remake of Stella Dallas called Stella, starring Bette Midler.[11][12][21]
1993 to 2000s
editPicker produced The Saint of Fort Washington for Warner Bros. in 1993 and The Crucible for Twentieth Century Fox in 1996.[6] In 1997, Picker became president of Hallmark Entertainment Productions Worldwide to oversee the company's objective of expanding into feature films.[11][12][15]
From 2004 to 2008, Picker served as chairman of The Producers Guild of America for the East. Picker's memoir about his career in the film industry, Musts, Maybes and Nevers, was released in 2013.[2]
Personal life and death
editPicker was married three times. In 1954, he married Caryl Schlossman, with whom he had two daughters, Caryn and Pam. In 1975, he married casting director Nessa Hyams; he produced and she directed the feature film Leader of the Band in 1987.[22] In 1995 Picker married photographer Sandra Jetton, who survived him. They lived in New York City.[23]
Picker's sister is Jean Picker Firstenberg, past CEO and Director of the American Film Institute. His uncle, Arnold Picker, was also an executive vice-president at United Artists.[9]
On April 20, 2019, Picker died in New York City from colon cancer at the age of 87.[24] He was survived by his wife, Sandra, his two daughters and his sister.[25]
Selected filmography
editHe was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.
Film
edit| Year | Film | Credit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | A Hard Day’s Night | Executive producer | Uncredited
|
| 1974 | Juggernaut | Executive producer | |
| Lenny | Executive producer | ||
| 1975 | Smile | Executive producer | |
| Royal Flash | |||
| 1976 | Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood | ||
| 1978 | The One and Only | ||
| Oliver's Story | |||
| 1979 | Bloodline | ||
| The Jerk | |||
| 1982 | Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid | ||
| 1983 | The Man with Two Brains | ||
| 1984 | Beat Street | ||
| The Goodbye People | |||
| 1987 | Leader of the Band | ||
| 1990 | Stella | Executive producer | |
| 1991 | Livin' Large! | ||
| 1992 | Traces of Red | ||
| Leap of Faith | |||
| 1993 | The Saint of Fort Washington | ||
| 1996 | The Crucible | Final film as a producer |
- Miscellaneous crew
| Year | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Juggernaut | Presenter |
| 1975 | Smile |
- Thanks
| Year | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Lisztomania | Very special thanks |
| 1980 | Rascal Dazzle | Special thanks |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Credit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | The Temptations | Executive producer | Television film |
| Rear Window | Executive producer | Television film | |
| 1999 | P. T. Barnum | Executive producer | Television film |
| Journey to the Center of the Earth | Executive producer | ||
| Aftershock: Earthquake in New York | Executive producer | Television film | |
| 2000 | Back to the Secret Garden | Executive producer | Television film |
| In the Beginning | Executive producer | Television film | |
| David Copperfield | Executive producer | Television film | |
| 2002 | Fidel | Executive producer | Television film |
| 2003 | Hans Christian Andersen: My Life as a Fairytale | Executive producer | Television film |
- Miscellaneous crew
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Arliss | Consultant |
References
edit- ^ a b c d "David V. Picker". Pproducedbyconference.com. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
- ^ a b Bart, Peter. "Greenlighting Movies: A High-Risk Game". Variety. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
- ^ National Center for Jewish Film. "National Center for Jewish Film - Board of Directors". National Center for Jewish Film. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
- ^ "Warburg and Lehman Give to Education Ass'n Fund". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
- ^ Erens, Patricia (1998). The Jew in American Cinema. Indiana University Press. p. 392. ISBN 978-0-253-20493-6.
- ^ a b c d e f "DAVID PICKER SIGNS PRODUCING DEAL WITH PARAMOUNT". TheFreeLibrary. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
- ^ Sullivan, Ronald (19 October 1993). "Eugene Picker, 89; Originated Strategy For Releasing Films". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ Who's who in the West. Marquis Who's Who, Incorporated. 24 April 2019. ISBN 9780837909356 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b c d "Picker's Exex at UA; Pleskow Top; Senior Veepcy Velde, Chaseman, Goldberg, Bernstein, And Bos". Variety. December 6, 1972. p. 3.
- ^ "Filmography". AllMovie. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "ABOUT DAVID V. PICKER". YahooMovies. Archived from the original on 4 April 2013. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g "BIOGRAPHY". TCM. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
- ^ "Tom Jones". IMDb. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
- ^ "Biography for David V. Picker". IMDb. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
- ^ a b "Guests: David V. Picker". Charlie Rose. Archived from the original on 19 October 2012. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
- ^ "Lenny (1974)". IMDb. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
- ^ "Produced By Conference". Produced By Conference. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
- ^ "David V. Picker". IMDb. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
- ^ "Dawn Steel Named Colpix Prexy; Roger Faxon Second In Command". Variety. 1987-11-04. pp. 4, 23.
- ^ "Beat Street (1984)". IMDb. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
- ^ "David V. PickerFilmography". Fandango. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
- ^ "Nessa Hyams". IMDb. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
- ^ Genzlinger, Neil (April 23, 2019). "David V. Picker, Film Executive Behind Many Hits, Dies at 87". The New York Times. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
- ^ "Man who brought Beatles to the big screen dies". BBC News. 23 April 2019.
- ^ Feinberg, Scott (April 21, 2019). "David Picker, Studio Chief Who Brought Bond, The Beatles and Steve Martin to the Movies, Dies at 87". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 21, 2019.