Meyer Gottlieb, who headed Samuel Goldwyn Films and produced films such as “Master and Commander: The Other Side of the World,” died Monday in Los Angeles. He was 86 years old.
“Meyer was a traditional gentleman,” Tom Rothman, chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, said in a statement. I learned a tremendous amount from him. Most importantly, it’s possible to live in Hollywood without sacrificing honesty and integrity. He embodies both perfectly, and he embodies both with smarts, smarts, and wisdom.” Our deepest sympathies go out to his loving family at this difficult time. ”
Born in Poland just before the German invasion, Gottlieb is a Holocaust survivor who lived in a forced labor camp in Ukraine during the war and then in a refugee camp in Germany. After his great-aunt took him to Los Angeles, he studied English in school and eventually graduated from UCLA.
He became president and COO of the Samuel Goldwyn Company in 1988, after helping Samuel Goldwyn Jr. relaunch the company in 1978 by collecting classic films from Goldwyn’s father’s library.
Other films he produced for Goldwyn included a remake of The Secret of Walter Mitty starring Ben Stiller. As a top Goldwyn executive, he led the release of Michael Apted’s films Amazing Grace, Mystic Pizza, Eat Drink Man Woman, Super Size Me, and The Squid and the Whale.
He is survived by his wife, Patty Kay, two daughters, and two grandchildren.
