November 19, 2002
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Lynn Mirisch Rogo 310-475-9459

Marvin Mirisch Obituary

	Marvin Mirisch, 1918 -- 2002

Marvin Mirisch, one of a trio of brothers who dominated independent production in Hollywood in the 1960s, died November 17 at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. He was 84.

Marvin Mirisch was born in New York City on March 19, 1918, the third of four sons of Max Mirisch. His mother was Josephine Urbach Mirisch. After graduating from the City College of New York in 1939, he moved to Milwaukee to join his brothers. In the immediate postwar years, he and his brother Irving operated Theatre Candy Co., which sold confections in motion picture theatres.

In 1953, he moved to Los Angeles to join his brothers Harold and Walter at Monogram Pictures. In the mid-50s, Monogram became Allied Artists, aspiring to produce higher quality films. While at Allied, the Mirisches independently packaged the John Huston films "Moulin Rouge" and "Moby Dick," which were released by United Artists and Warner Bros., respectively. They were also involved with the production of Billy Wilder's "Love in the Afternoon" and William Wyler's "Friendly Persuasion," both released by Allied Artists. These activities resulted in relationships with prominent directors that formed the paradigm for their later success.

In 1957, the brothers made a deal with United Artists that led to the production of 68 motion pictures over the next 17 years. Mirisch films were nominated for 79 Academy Awards® and won 23, including three best pictures, "The Apartment," "West Side Story," and "In the Heat of the Night." Other titles during this time included "Some Like it Hot;" "The Magnificent Seven," which spawned three sequels and a television series, "The Great Escape," "Irma La Douce," "The Pink Panther," "The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming" and "The Thomas Crown Affair." Their UA period culminated in the production of the film version of "Fiddler on the Roof" in 1972. Harold died in 1968, and in 1974, Walter and Marvin moved to Universal Pictures, where they produced a number of other films, including "Midway" and "Same Time, Next Year."

In an industry noted for ego, Marvin Mirisch was known for his modesty. Although he operated largely behind the scenes as a deal-maker, negotiator and business executive, he was knowledgeable in all aspects of production, receiving credit as Executive Producer on "Dracula" (1979) and "Romantic Comedy" (1982). In the latter part of his career, he particularly enjoyed his involvement with merchandising and animation, and he acted as an Executive Producer of a new "Pink Panther" cartoon series produced by MGM-UA in 1993-94.

Marvin Mirisch was active in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, serving on its Board of Governors, as Chairman of the Executives Branch Executive Committee and Investment Committee, and as First Vice President. He served for many years on the labor negotiating committee of the Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers. His charitable activities included chairing the motion picture division of the United Jewish Welfare Fund. He was a long-time board member and officer of Temple Israel of Hollywood and a member of the Board of Governors of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

He is survived by his brother, Walter; wife of 60 years, Florene; three children, Don Mirisch, Carol Hartmann and Lynn Rogo, all of Los Angeles and six grandchildren.

The family has requested that donations be made to "UCLA Foundation in Memory of Marvin Mirisch, 10945 LeConte Avenue, Suite 3132, Los Angeles, CA 90095".

Services will be 1 p.m. Wednesday at Hillside Memorial Park.

A downloadable photo of Marvin Mirisch is available at http://photos.oscars.org

For additional assistance with this story, call John Pavlik, 310-247-3000