One of the great Hollywood producers of all time, Jerry Weintraub, has reportedly died at age 77. He was at his home in Palm Springs. Weintraub is one of the great modern Hollywood legends, with huge successes and massive failures. He’s been on a roll for the last several years, though, with the “Oceans Eleven” movies among others. He got so involved with George Clooney and Don Cheadle on those films that he even helped them raise money for Darfur and the Sudan. I knew Jerry, and he was a really amazing person. It’s sort of inconceivable that he’s gone.
Weintraub was just seen at the June 9th premiere of his HBO series “The Brink.” Sources tell me he seemed fine was “acting like Jerry”– meaning expansive and happy. Weintraub was at the premiere with his long time girl friend Susan. (Weintraub had an usual personal situation, having a wife of 50 years at the same time.)
Jerry had lots of projects in development. His first executive producer credit was Robert Altman’s Oscar nominated classic “Nashville” in 1975. He produced the “Karate Kid” movies and many others. He recently had a major hit “Beyond the Candelabra” with Michael Douglas and Matt Damon, and has “Westworld” series coming for HBO.
So many stars are close to Jerry– Clooney, Affleck, Damon, Michael Douglas. And of course, there’s the story of Weintraub’s great failure– a movie studio in the 1980s that was propelled by “Look Who’s Talking” and then collapsed.
But Jerry Weintraub mainly was just huge, and a great great guy. This loss is big, and it’s too soon.
More to come shortly…
