Arthur Cohn, the Oscar-winning producer of “The Garden of the Finzi-Continis,” has died at the age of 98.
The award-winning producer died Friday in Jerusalem. Alongside “The Garden of the Finzi-Continis” – which won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film in 1972 and was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay – Cohn produced other films like “Black and White in Color” and “Dangerous Moves” which also earned some Oscar nomination love.
His Oscar-winning work didn’t end with feature films. Cohn enjoyed recognition in the documentary space as well. He produced three Oscar-winning documentaries through his career: “Sky Above and Mud Beneath,” “American Dream,” and “One Day in September” – chronicling the Munich Olympics massacre.
Cohn was born in Basel, Switzerland in 1927. His mother was a poet and his father helped save many Jews during WWII before helping set up the legal system in the new state of Israel. Cohn’s professional career began as a radio journalist before he set his eyes on moviemaking and made the pivot with his first film “Le Ciel et la Boue.”
The producer’s other credits include “Central Station,” “The Chorus,” and “A Brief Vacation” – all of which earned award nominations. Cohn also produced “The Yellow Handkerchief,” “White Lies,” “Sunflower,” “A Place for Lovers” and “Woman Times Seven.”
The final film Cohn worked on was “The Etruscan Smile.” It starred “Succession” alum Brian Cox as a rugged Scotsman who works to connect with his estranged son after falling ill.
In 1992, Cohn earned himself a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, becoming the first non-American producer to receive one. Other accolades from his career included the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres presented by the French minister of culture and the Humanitarian Award by the National Board of Review.
Cohn is survived by his wife Naomi Cohn-Shapiro, children Nurith, Marcus, Amy, Emanuel and Naomi, his brother Gabriel, and eight grandchildren.
