Ray Stark

Vocation

Notable

Family

American film producer and Hollywood talent agent who made over 125 films including "Funny Girl," "The Way We Were," and "Night of the Iguana." Stark died early in the morning of January 17, 2004 in Beverly Hills, CA after a long illness. In 1980 he was awarded the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award for a lifetime of achievement in film. In 1993, he made his first film for television, "Barbarians at the Gate." His foray into TV won him an Emmy. Stark left law school at New York University and a job as a newspaper copy boy to move to Hollywood in 1938 where he got a job writing captions for Warner Bros. Two years later, in 1940, he became a literary agent. His career was interrupted by a stint in U.S. Navy during WWII, after which he returned to Hollywood and resumed his career as an agent for the Famous Artists Agency in 1949. He resigned from Famous Artists in 1957 to move into film production. In the late 70s, he purchased a controlling interest in Columbia pictures. A philanthropist, he donated millions to a variety of charities, and was a respected art collector. He served on the board of trustees at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. He was married to Fanny Brice. A son died of a drug overdose in 1970 and his daughter survives him Link to Wikipedia biography