Meyer Gottlieb, co-founder of Samuel Goldwyn Films, died Monday at his Los Angeles home, TheWrap has learned. He was 86.
“Meyer was a gentleman of the old school. I was fortunate to work for him when he ran the Samuel Goldwyn Co., in the heyday of independent film. I learned an enormous amount from him — most importantly, that it is possible to make a life in Hollywood without sacrificing integrity and honesty,” Tom Rothman, chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, shared in a statement to TheWrap.
A Polish Holocaust survivor who lived in Ukraine labor camps during the war before relocating to Los Angeles with a great aunt and learning English, the industry veteran produced “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World” and “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” among others.
Gottlieb worked as a senior manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers before helping Samuel Goldwyn Jr. start Samuel Goldwyn Films in June 1978. He was named president and COO in 1988.
The company produced the Peter Weir-directed “Master and Commander,” starring Russell Crowe as a Royal Navy captain during the Napoleonic Wars. The film earned two Academy Awards.
Gottlieb’s other film credits include formative indie standouts like the 2013 “Secret Life of Walter Mitty” remake starring Ben Stiller, “Mystic Pizza,” “The Preacher’s Wife,” “Super Size Me” and Noah Baumbach’s breakout feature “The Squid and the Whale.”
Gottlieb is survived by his wife Pattikay, daughters Deborah and Robin and grandchildren Sabrina and Eric.
The Hollywood Reporter first reported the news.
