Harold Mirisch
Harold Mirisch | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 4, 1907 |
| Died | December 5, 1968 (age 61) |
| Occupation | Motion Picture Executive |
| Spouse | Lottie (nee Mandell) Mirisch |
Harold Mirisch (1907–1968) was an American motion picture executive.
Biography
Early life
He was born on May 4, 1907 in New York, New York. He was the brother of Irving Mirisch, Marvin Mirisch, and Walter Mirisch. His father was Max Mirisch and his mother was Flora Glasshut Mirisch and he was the stepson of Josephine Urbach Mirisch.
Career
At the age of 14, Mirisch worked as an office boy at Warner Brothers in New York City. In 1928, at the age of 21, he married Lottie Mandell and they left New York to live in Memphis, Tennessee, where he managed the Warner Theatre. Later he rose in the Warner Brothers ranks, finally managing their circuit of theaters, headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 1942, he joined R.K.O. Theaters in New York City and was in charge of buying and booking films for their entire national circuit. In 1947, he moved to Los Angeles and joined his brother, Walter at Allied Artists Pictures, a film production company, where he served as Vice President. He raised his children, Maxine Mirisch Segal and Robert Mirisch in Los Angeles. In 1957, he left Allied Artists and together with his brothers, Walter and Marvin, he co-founded The Mirisch Company, one of the leading independent production companies of its time. He served as the president for the remainder of his life.
The Mirisch Company produced films that won 28 Academy Awards. Their productions included: "Some Like It Hot"(1959), "The Horse Soldiers"(1959), "The Apartment"(1960)(Best Picture Academy Award), "The Magnificent Seven"(1960) which spawned three sequels, a television movie and television series; "West Side Story"(1961)(Best Picture Academy Award), "The Great Escape"(1963), "The Pink Panther"(1963), which spawned sequels and a television series, "A Shot in the Dark"(1964), "Hawaii"(1966), "The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming", "In the Heat of the Night"(1967)(Best Picture Academy Award), "The Thomas Crown Affair"(1968).
His legacy is the films of The Mirisch Company, his 2 children, his 5 grandchildren and his great grandchild.
Death
Prior to his death on December 5, 1968, in Beverly Hills, Mirisch lived in Palm Springs, California.