Harold Mirisch

Harold Mirisch (March 4, 1907 – December 5, 1968) was an American film production company executive.

Harold Mirisch
Born(1907-04-05)April 5, 1907
New York City, U.S.
DiedDecember 5, 1968(1968-12-05) (aged 61)
Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
OccupationFilm producer
Spouse
Lottie Mandell
​
(m. 1928)​
Children2
RelativesWalter Mirisch (half-brother)
Marvin Mirisch (half-brother)
John A. Mirisch (grandson)

Early life

He was born on May 4, 1907[1] to a Jewish family[2] in New York, New York, one of two sons born to Flora (née Glasshut) and Max Mirisch.[3][4] His father emigrated from Krakow in 1891 at the age of 17, arriving in New York City where he worked as a tailor.[4] His mother was the daughter of immigrants; she died of cancer at the age of 40 and his father remarried to Josephine Frances Urbach with whom he had two sons.[4] He was the brother of Irving Mirisch and half-brother of Marvin Mirisch and Walter Mirisch.[3]

Career

At the age of 14, Mirisch worked as an office boy at Warner Brothers in New York City.[5] In 1938, at the prodding of a Warner executive, he moved to Memphis where he learned the theater management side of the business.[5][4] In 1942, he joined RKO Theaters in New York City and was in charge of booking their circuit.[5] In 1947, he moved to Los Angeles with his brothers to produce low‐budget films for Allied Artists.[5] He made a fortune in the Midwest thanks to the Theater Candy Company, which sold candies to moviegoers.[6]

He moved to California, and served as Vice President of Allied Artists, a film production company.[6] He was an uncredited executive producer on Beachhead in 1954.[1] In 1957, together with his brothers Marvin and Walter, he co-founded The Mirisch Company, one of the leading independent production companies, and served as its President.[3][7][8][9][10]

Personal life and death

In 1928, he married Lottie Mandell; they had two children, Maxine Mirisch Segal and Robert Mirisch.[4] Prior to his death on December 5, 1968, in Beverly Hills, Mirisch lived in Palm Springs, California.[1][7][11]

His grandson, John A. Mirisch, served as the Mayor of Beverly Hills, California from March 2013 to March 2014.[12]

References
  1. imdb
  2. Berg, A. Scott (October 1998). Goldwyn: A Biography. ISBN 9781101497357.
  3. Douglas Martin, Marvin Mirisch, 84, Hollywood Producer of 60's, The New York Times, November 20, 2002
  4. Mirisch, Walter. "I Thought We Were Making Movies, Not History". University of Wisconsin Press. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
  5. New York Times: "Colleagues Cite Harold Mirisch As Movie Pioneer of the Year" November 24, 1964
  6. Tony Curtis, The Making of Some Like It Hot: My Memories of Marilyn Monroe and the Classic American Movie, John Wiley & Sons, 2009
  7. Tino Balio, United Artists, Volume 2, 1951–1978: The Company That Changed the Film Industry, Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press, 2009, p. 191
  8. Gary Morris (ed.), Action!: Interviews With Directors from Classical Hollywood to Contemporary Iran, Anthem Press, 2009, p. 53
  9. Nick Dawson, Being Hal Ashby: Life of a Hollywood Rebel, Louisville, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky, 2009
  10. Gene Phillips, Some Like It Wilder: The Life and Controversial Films of Billy Wilder, Louisville, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky, 2010, p. 253
  11. Meeks, Eric G. (2012). The Best Guide Ever to Palm Springs Celebrity Homes. Horatio Limburger Oglethorpe. p. 73. ISBN 978-1479328598.
  12. John A. Mirisch's campaign website Archived 2013-04-16 at the Wayback Machine
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