March 29, 2024 The Best Source of News, Culture, Lifestyle for Culver City, Mar Vista, Del Rey, Palms and West Los Angeles

Veteran film producer Samuel Goldwyn Jr. passes away at 88

Goldwyn was the son of one of Hollywood's pioneering movie moguls. (Courtesy Photo)
Goldwyn was the son of one of Hollywood’s pioneering movie moguls. (Courtesy Photo)

Samuel Goldwyn Jr., a veteran film producer and the son of one of Hollywood’s pioneering movie moguls, has died of congestive heart failure at age 88, according to media reports.

The producer of such films as “Mystic Pizza,” “The Preacher’s Wife,” “Wild at Heart” and the 2013 version of “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” starring Ben Stiller died Friday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center his son, John, told the New York Times.

Goldwyn’s father, Academy Award-winning producer Samuel Goldwyn Sr., was one of Hollywood’s pioneering independent producers whose name is linked to Metro Goldwyn Mayer even though he never worked at the legendary company known today as MGM Studios. His mother was an actress, Frances Howard.

But the son forged his own path as the founder of the Samuel Goldwyn Company and later Samuel Goldwyn Films, and as a champion of independent filmmakers and films about serious subjects often overlooked by the major Hollywood studios.

He produced one the the first major films about AIDS, “Longtime Companion” in 1989 and one of two-time Academy Award winner Ang Lee’s early films, 1993s “The Wedding Banquet,” among others. Goldwyn won an Emmy Award for producing the 60th Academy Awards in 1988 and his 2003 film “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World” starring Russell Crowe was nominated for 10 Academy Awards including Best Picture.

In the 1990s, he owned the Landmark theater chain and was a major contributor to the Motion Picture and Television Fund, which provides health care and other services to workers in the entertainment industry.

Industry observers said his work as an independent producer paved the way for such companies as Fox Searchlight and the Weinstein Company.

“Sam is very old school,” TriStar chairman Thomas E. Rothman told the New York Times in 2004. “He doesn’t trade on his father’s name. He comes from an era when producers made genuine aesthetic judgments and not just deals.”

In that same 2004 profile, Goldwyn talked about his decision to leave Hollywood as a teenager and attend prep school in Colorado and later the University of Virginia, followed by stints in the U.S. Army, as a theatrical producer in London and working for Edward R. Murrow at CBS in New York

“I left home at 15 because Hollywood isn’t the best place to grow up,” he told the New York Times. But he eventually returned, followed in his father’s footsteps and wound up living in the Hollywood Hills home owned by his parents. “Like my father, I like putting something together,” he told the Times.     The elder Goldwyn produced such classic films as “Wuthering Heights,” “Porgy and Bess” and “The Little Foxes,” and won the Academy Award for the 1946 film “The Best Years of Our Lives.” One of his early companies, Goldwyn Productions, was part of the merger that resulted in MGM although he chose to remain an independent producer, as his son would do decades later.

“Many children born into Hollywood find themselves overwhelmed by the legacy of their parents,” Indiewire writer Shipra Gupta wrote today in her remembrance. “But not Samuel Goldwyn Jr. He didn’t just own it, but rather, he added to it as he continued to produce and distribute films over the course of four decades.”

He was married three times and is survived by his third wife, Patricia Strawn; four sons, including “Scandal” co-star Tony Goldwyn; two daughters; and 10 grandchildren.

Related Posts

(Video) Series A Coffee Now Open in Beverly Hills at 8328 Wilshire Blvd

March 29, 2024

March 29, 2024

Located in the space that formerly housed a Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. Try the Black Pearl Iced Coffee. @culvercitywlanews...

Los Angeles Fire Department Responds to Multi-Vehicle Collision Involving MTA Bus

March 28, 2024

March 28, 2024

Firefighters and Paramedics Assess 14 Individuals, Transport Several to Hospital Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) firefighters and paramedics responded to...

Los Angeles County Braces for Heavy Rain, Snow, and Possible Thunderstorms Over Weekend

March 28, 2024

March 28, 2024

National Weather Service Issues Alerts for Flooding and Possible Tornado  According to the latest reports from the National Weather Service...

Two Men Charged in Murder of Sidney Barrett Morris at L.A. Live Restaurant

March 28, 2024

March 28, 2024

DA Gascón Announces Charges; LAPD Chief Choi Expresses Condolences.  Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced murder charges Tuesday...

Cantonese Dim Sum Master Chef Tony Opens Hollywood Dim Sum at TCL Chinese Theatre

March 27, 2024

March 27, 2024

Experience Exquisite Dim Sum Creations in the Heart of Hollywood 97 years after its founding, the TCL Chinese Theatre will...

Fleurs et Sel Bakery Opens Storefront in West Adams, Welcomes Customers Three Days a Week

March 27, 2024

March 27, 2024

Indulge in Freshly Baked Cookies at the New West Adams Location Fleurs et Sel Bakery, known for its delectable cookies...

Easter Specials Guide: Brunch Spots, Desserts, and More in West Los Angeles

March 27, 2024

March 27, 2024

Discover the Best Easter Eats and Treats in LA for Your Holiday Celebration Easter is almost here, so here are...

(Video) Director Adam Wingard Talks About His Influences While Making GODZILLA X KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE

March 27, 2024

March 27, 2024

Director Adam Wingard Talks About His Influences While Making GODZILLA X KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE at the Beyond Fest Screening...

Attorney for Sean “Diddy” Combs Denounces Investigation as “Witch Hunt”

March 26, 2024

March 26, 2024

Legal Representative Criticizes Probe Amid Federal Sex Trafficking Inquiry An attorney representing Sean “Diddy” Combs criticized the investigation into the...

Culver City Police Department to Conduct High Visibility Traffic Enforcement Operation

March 26, 2024

March 26, 2024

Operation Targets Hazardous Traffic Violations on the West End The Culver City Police Department announced plans to conduct a high...

Historic Union Contract Ratified by Thousands of Hotel Workers At 34 Hotels

March 26, 2024

March 26, 2024

UNITE HERE Local 11 Negotiates Agreement Ensuring Wage Increases  Hotel workers, who spearheaded the largest hotel strike in modern U.S....

Human Rights Campaign’s Los Angeles Dinner Celebrates LGBTQ+ Advocacy and Unity

March 25, 2024

March 25, 2024

Notable Figures Gathered to Champion LGBTQ+ Rights and Combat Discrimination By Aneesha Pappy  The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s...

California Bars and Nightclubs Must Offer Drug Testing Devices Starting July 1

March 25, 2024

March 25, 2024

New Law Mandates License Holders to Provide Drug Testing Kits to Patrons Beginning July 1, establishments with Type 48 licenses...

Opinion: West Los Angeles Needs to Care about Veteran Homelessness

March 25, 2024

March 25, 2024

By Kelly Kravchuk  Veteran homelessness is a public health concern that impacts my West Los Angeles community. As a USC...

Culver City City Council Recap: Bruce Lee Alley, Historical Discrimination Study, Women’s History Month

March 25, 2024

March 25, 2024

Council Deliberates on Racial Equity, Infrastructure Upgrades, and Fire Department Strategic Plan The Culver City Council convened its latest session...