David V. Picker

{{Short description|American film executive and producer (1931–2019)}}

{{Infobox person

| name = David V. Picker

| image = David V. Picker.jpg

| birth_name = David Victor Picker

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1931|5|14}}

| birth_place = New York City, U.S.

| death_date = {{Death date and age|2019|04|20|1931|5|14}}

| death_place = New York City, U.S.

| known_for = Served as President and CEO of United Artists, Paramount, Lorimar, and Columbia Pictures

| occupation = Movie executive and producer

| family = {{ubl

| Arnold Picker (uncle)

| Tobias Picker (nephew)

}}

David Victor Picker (May 14, 1931 – April 20, 2019) was an American motion picture executive and producer, working in the film industry for more than forty years. He served as president and chief executive officer for United Artists, Paramount, Lorimar, and Columbia Pictures before becoming an independent producer. Picker was a member of the Writers Guild of America East, a member the Producers Guild of America, and he was Chairman Emeritus of the Producers Guild of America East.{{cite web|url=http://www.producedbyconference.com/2011/index.php?page=speakers---david-picker|title=David V. Picker|publisher=Pproducedbyconference.com|access-date=21 January 2013|archive-date=28 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928145804/http://www.producedbyconference.com/2011/index.php?page=speakers---david-picker|url-status=dead}} Picker's memoir about his career in the film industry, Musts, Maybes and Nevers, was released in 2013.{{cite magazine|url=https://variety.com/2013/biz/news/greenlighting-movies-a-high-risk-game-1200609586/|title=Greenlighting Movies: A High-Risk Game|first=Peter|last=Bart|magazine=Variety|access-date=25 September 2013}}

Early life

Picker was born to a Jewish family{{cite web|url=http://www.jewishfilm.org/who_board.html|title=National Center for Jewish Film - Board of Directors|author=National Center for Jewish Film|publisher=National Center for Jewish Film|access-date=12 December 2013}}{{cite web|url=http://www.jta.org/1929/01/23/archive/warburg-and-lehman-give-to-education-assn-fund|title=Warburg and Lehman Give to Education Ass'n Fund|publisher=Jewish Telegraphic Agency|access-date=12 December 2013}}{{cite book |last=Erens |first=Patricia |title=The Jew in American Cinema |publisher=Indiana University Press |year=1998 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=-v2Di_5ShGMC&q=David%20Picker&pg=PA392 392]|isbn=978-0-253-20493-6}} on May 14, 1931, in New York City. He was the son of Sylvia (Moses) and Eugene Picker, a one-time president of Loews Theatres{{cite web |url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/DAVID+PICKER+SIGNS+PRODUCING+DEAL+WITH+PARAMOUNT-a013128195 |title=DAVID PICKER SIGNS PRODUCING DEAL WITH PARAMOUNT |publisher= TheFreeLibrary|access-date=21 January 2013}}{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/10/19/obituaries/eugene-picker-89-originated-strategy-for-releasing-films.html|title=Eugene Picker, 89; Originated Strategy For Releasing Films|first=Ronald|last=Sullivan|work=The New York Times |date=19 October 1993|via=NYTimes.com}}{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZZxmAAAAMAAJ&q=%22SYLVIA%22+%22MOSES%22+%22PICKER%22|title=Who's who in the West|date=24 April 2019|publisher=Marquis Who's Who, Incorporated|isbn=9780837909356|via=Google Books}} and president of the National Association of Theatre Owners, executive of Trans-Lux and vice-president of United Artists. David attended Dartmouth College and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1953.{{cite web |url=http://www.allmovie.com/artist/david-v-picker-p106430 |title=Filmography |publisher= AllMovie|access-date=21 January 2013}}

Film career

=1950s–1969=

Picker began his movie career at United Artists in 1956, working in advertising and publicity. By 1961 he was an assistant to Arthur Krim, the president.{{cite web |url=https://movies.yahoo.com/person/david-v-picker/biography.html |title=ABOUT DAVID V. PICKER |publisher=YahooMovies |access-date=21 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130404210648/http://movies.yahoo.com/person/david-v-picker/biography.html |archive-date=4 April 2013 }}{{cite web |url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/152181%7c0/david-v-picker#biography |title=BIOGRAPHY |publisher= TCM|access-date=21 January 2013}} Picker helped bring Tom Jones to United Artists in 1963. The film received four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director for Tony Richardson.{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057590/ |title=Tom Jones |publisher= IMDb|access-date=21 January 2013}} In 1964, Picker accepted the award on behalf of Tony Richardson, who was not in attendance.{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0681802/bio |title=Biography for David V. Picker |publisher= IMDb|access-date=21 January 2013}} By the late 1960s, Picker was managing United Artists Records.

=1969–1973: United Artists Corporation=

Picker became chief operating officer and president of United Artists Corporation in 1969. Having earlier brought the Beatles' A Hard Day's Night and Help! to the company, Picker was also responsible for a deal with producers Harry Saltzman and Albert Broccoli for the James Bond series which launched one of the most successful franchises in cinema history. Other notable releases during his time as president of United Artists included Midnight Cowboy and Last Tango in Paris.{{cite web|url=http://www.charlierose.com/guest/view/4932 |title=Guests: David V. Picker |publisher=Charlie Rose |access-date=21 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019005231/http://www.charlierose.com/guest/view/4932 |archive-date=19 October 2012 }}

Picker also established the company's lasting relationship with writer and director Woody Allen in addition to European filmmakers Federico Fellini, Ingmar Bergman, François Truffaut, Louis Malle, and Sergio Leone. He became CEO and president of UA on January 1, 1973.{{cite magazine|magazine=Variety|date=December 6, 1972|page=3|title=Picker's Exex at UA; Pleskow Top; Senior Veepcy Velde, Chaseman, Goldberg, Bernstein, And Bos}}

=1973–1993=

In 1973, Picker left United Artists to form his own production company, Two Roads Productions, and produced Juggernaut and Lenny in 1974 and Smile in 1975. Lenny became a critical success and was nominated for six Academy Awards.{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071746/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1 |title=Lenny (1974) |publisher= IMDb|access-date=21 January 2013}}

In 1976, Picker then became President of Motion Pictures at Paramount but served for only a few years, during which he helped develop or greenlight Saturday Night Fever, Grease, and the 1980 Academy Award winner, Ordinary People.

Upon leaving Paramount in 1979, Picker partnered with comedian Steve Martin to produce that year's The Jerk, Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid in 1982, and The Man with Two Brains in 1983.

In the mid-1980s, Picker took over as President of Feature Films at Lorimar Productions, developing and supervising the films S.O.B., Being There, and Escape to Victory. Hired in 1985 by Columbia Pictures to serve as president of production, Picker greenlit Hope and Glory, School Daze, Vice Versa, Punchline, and True Believer.{{cite web |url=http://www.producedbyconference.com/index.php?%20mact=News,cntnt01,detail,%200&cntnt01articleid=73&cntnt01detailtemplate=2012%20-%20%20Speakers&cntnt01returnid=19|title=Produced By Conference|publisher= Produced By Conference|access-date=21 January 2013}}{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0681802/ |title=David V. Picker |publisher= IMDb|access-date=21 January 2013}}

By the mid-1980s, Picker was independently producing again. In 1987, he had left the post of Columbia Pictures after David Puttnam had left the company and Dawn Steel and Roger Faxon joining the company. in order to revive Two Roads Productions with a non-exclusive production agreement with Columbia Pictures.{{Cite news |date=1987-11-04 |title=Dawn Steel Named Colpix Prexy; Roger Faxon Second In Command |pages=4, 23 |work=Variety}} He worked with Harry Belafonte to produce Beat Street{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086946/fullcredits#cast |title=Beat Street (1984) |publisher= IMDb|access-date=21 January 2013}} and also produced a remake of Stella Dallas called Stella, starring Bette Midler.{{cite web |url=http://www.fandango.com/davidvpicker/filmography/p106430 |title=David V. PickerFilmography |publisher= Fandango|access-date=21 January 2013}}

=1993 to 2000s=

Picker produced The Saint of Fort Washington for Warner Bros. in 1993 and The Crucible for Twentieth Century Fox in 1996. In 1997, Picker became president of Hallmark Entertainment Productions Worldwide to oversee the company's objective of expanding into feature films.

From 2004 to 2008, Picker served as chairman of The Producers Guild of America for the East. Picker's memoir about his career in the film industry, Musts, Maybes and Nevers, was released in 2013.

Personal life and death

Picker was married three times. In 1954, he married Caryl Schlossman, with whom he had two daughters, Caryn and Pam. In 1975, he married casting director Nessa Hyams; he produced and she directed the feature film Leader of the Band in 1987.{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0404888/|website=IMDb|title=Nessa Hyams|access-date=February 6, 2022}} In 1995 Picker married photographer Sandra Jetton, who survived him. They lived in New York City.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/23/obituaries/david-v-picker-dead.html|website=The New York Times|title=David V. Picker, Film Executive Behind Many Hits, Dies at 87|first=Neil|last=Genzlinger|date=April 23, 2019|access-date=February 6, 2022}}

Picker's sister is Jean Picker Firstenberg, past CEO and Director of the American Film Institute. His uncle, Arnold Picker, was also an executive vice-president at United Artists.

On April 20, 2019, Picker died in New York City from colon cancer at the age of 87.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-48027480|title=Man who brought Beatles to the big screen dies|work=BBC News |date=23 April 2019}} He was survived by his wife, Sandra, his two daughters and his sister.{{cite magazine|last=Feinberg|first=Scott|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/david-picker-dead-studio-chief-who-brought-bond-movies-dies-1203570|title=David Picker, Studio Chief Who Brought Bond, The Beatles and Steve Martin to the Movies, Dies at 87|magazine=The Hollywood Reporter|date=April 21, 2019|access-date=April 21, 2019}}

Selected filmography

He was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.

=Film=

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;" ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" \| Year ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" \| Film ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" \| Credit ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" \| Notes
1964	A Hard Day’s Night	Executive producer	{{center\|Uncredited}}
rowspan=2\| 1974	Juggernaut	Executive producer
Lenny	Executive producer
rowspan=2\| 1975	Smile	Executive producer
Royal Flash
1976	Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood
rowspan=2\| 1978	The One and Only
Oliver's Story
rowspan=2\| 1979	Bloodline
The Jerk
1982	Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
1983	The Man with Two Brains
rowspan=2\| 1984	Beat Street
The Goodbye People
1987	Leader of the Band
1990	Stella	Executive producer
1991	Livin' Large!
rowspan=2\| 1992	Traces of Red
Leap of Faith
1993	The Saint of Fort Washington
1996	The Crucible		Final film as a producer

;Miscellaneous crew

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"

! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year

! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Film

! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Role

1974

Juggernaut

rowspan=2| Presenter

1975

Smile

;Thanks

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"

! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year

! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Film

! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Role

1975

Lisztomania

Very special thanks

1980

Rascal Dazzle

Special thanks

=Television=

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;" ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" \| Year ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" \| Title ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" \| Credit ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" \| Notes
rowspan=2\| 1998	The Temptations	Executive producer	Television film
Rear Window	Executive producer	Television film
rowspan=3\| 1999	P. T. Barnum	Executive producer	Television film
Journey to the Center of the Earth	Executive producer
Aftershock: Earthquake in New York	Executive producer	Television film
rowspan=3\| 2000	Back to the Secret Garden	Executive producer	Television film
In the Beginning	Executive producer	Television film
David Copperfield	Executive producer	Television film
2002	Fidel	Executive producer	Television film
2003	Hans Christian Andersen: My Life as a Fairytale	Executive producer	Television film