Gottlieb died Monday at his home in Los Angeles, his wife, Pattikay Gottlieb, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Gottlieb played a key role in reviving the Samuel Goldwyn company alongside Samuel Goldwyn Jr., the son of legendary Hollywood mogul Samuel Goldwyn. He later became president and chief operating officer of the Samuel Goldwyn Co. in 1988, helping guide the company during a strong period for independent films.
As a producer and executive, Gottlieb was involved in a wide range of notable projects. He served as a co-producer on Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, directed by Peter Weir and starring Russell Crowe. The film was a critical and commercial success, winning two Academy Awards.
He also worked on films such as Mystic Pizza, Eat Drink Man Woman, The Preacher’s Wife, Super Size Me, The Squid and the Whale and Amazing Grace. The 2013 version of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, starring Ben Stiller, was among his later projects.
Tom Rothman, now chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, praised Gottlieb in a statement, calling him “a gentleman of the old school” who showed that it was possible to succeed in Hollywood with integrity, honesty and kindness.
Gottlieb’s life story stretched far beyond the film industry. He was born in Poland in September 1939, just before Germany invaded the country. During World War II, he and his family fled for months and eventually spent four years in labor camps in Ukraine. Most of his family was killed during the Holocaust, including his father, who died in combat in 1945.
After the war, Gottlieb and his mother lived in displaced-person camps before being sponsored by a relative to come to the United States. They arrived in Los Angeles when he was a child. Speaking only Yiddish at first, he learned English at school and later earned both his undergraduate and master’s degrees from UCLA.
Before entering the film business, Gottlieb worked as a senior manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers. In 1978, he helped launch the new Samuel Goldwyn Films, marking the start of his long career in entertainment.
Later in life, Gottlieb began speaking publicly about his Holocaust experiences, inspired in part by the film Rosenstrasse. He also appeared on behalf of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, sharing his story to educate others.
“I feel like I have two lives,” Gottlieb once said. “I was born in Poland initially, and I was born again in America.”
Gottlieb is survived by his wife, Pattikay; his daughters, Deborah and Robin; his sons-in-law, Steve and Golan; and his grandchildren, Sabrina and Eric.
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