David V. Picker

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.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Movie executive and producer
Known for	Served as President and CEO of United Artists, Paramount, Lorimar, and Columbia Pictures

Early life

Picker 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

1950s–1969

Picker 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

Picker 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 the most successful franchise 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

In 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. He worked with Harry Belafonte to produce Beat Street[19] and also produced a remake of Stella Dallas called Stella, starring Bette Midler.[11][12][20]

1993 to 2000s

Picker 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]

Selected filmography

Year	Title	Role
1964	A Hard Day’s Night	executive producer (uncredited)
1974	Juggernaut	executive producer
1974	Lenny	executive producer
1975	Smile	executive producer
1975	Royal Flash	producer
1976	Won Ton Ton, The Dog Who Saved Hollywood	producer
1978	Oliver’s Story	producer
1979	Bloodline	producer
1979	The Jerk	producer
1982	Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid	producer
1983	The Man with Two Brains	producer
1984	Beat Street	producer
1984	The Goodbye People	producer
1988	Leader of the Band	producer
1988	The Appointments of Dennis Jennings	executive producer
1990	Stella	executive producer
1991	Livin’ Large!	producer
1992	Traces of Red	producer
1992	Leap of Faith	producer
1993	The Saint of Fort Washington	producer
1996	The Crucible	producer
1998	The Temptations	TV, executive producer
1998	Rear Window	TV, executive producer
1999	P.T. Barnum	TV, executive producer
1999	Journey to the Center of the Earth	Miniseries, executive producer
1999	Aftershock: Earthquake in New York	TV, executive producer
2000	In the Beginning	TV, executive producer
2000	David Copperfield	TV, executive producer
2001	Back to the Secret Garden	executive producer
2002	Fidel	TV, executive producer
2003	Hans Christian Andersen: My Life as a Fairy Tale	TV, executive producer

Personal life and death

He was married to photographer Sandra Jetton and they had two daughters Caryn and Pam. They lived in New York City.

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.[21] He was survived by his wife, Sandra, his two daughters and his sister.[22]

References

1. "David V. Picker". Pproducedbyconference.com. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
2. Bart, Peter. "Greenlighting Movies: A High-Risk Game". Variety. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
3. National Center for Jewish Film. "National Center for Jewish Film - Board of Directors". National Center for Jewish Film. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
4. JTA. "Warburg and Lehman Give to Education Ass'n Fund". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
5. Erens, Patricia (1998). The Jew in American Cinema. Indiana University Press. p. 392. ISBN 978-0-253-20493-6.
6. "DAVID PICKER SIGNS PRODUCING DEAL WITH PARAMOUNT". TheFreeLibrary. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
7. Sullivan, Ronald (19 October 1993). "Eugene Picker, 89; Originated Strategy For Releasing Films" – via NYTimes.com.
8. Who's who in the West. Marquis Who's Who, Incorporated. 24 April 2019. ISBN 9780837909356 – via Google Books.
9. "Picker's Exex at UA; Pleskow Top; Senior Veepcy Velde, Chaseman, Goldberg, Bernstein, And Bos". Variety. December 6, 1972. p. 3.
10. "Filmography". AllMovie. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
11. "ABOUT DAVID V. PICKER". YahooMovies. Archived from the original on 4 April 2013. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
12. "BIOGRAPHY". TCM. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
13. "Tom Jones". IMDB. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
14. "Biography for David V. Picker". IMDB. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
15. "Guests: David V. Picker". Charlie Rose. Archived from the original on 19 October 2012. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
16. "Lenny (1974)". IMDB. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
17. "Produced By Conference". Produced By Conference. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
18. "David V. Picker". IMDB. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
19. "Beat Street (1984)". IMDB. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
20. "David V. PickerFilmography". Fandango. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
21. "Man who brought Beatles to the big screen dies". 23 April 2019 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
22. 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.

External links

• David V. Picker at IMDb