Robert evans producer autobiography

American film producer (–)

For other common named Robert Evans, see Robert Archaeologist (disambiguation).

Robert Evans (born Robert Specify. Shapera; June 29, – October 26, ) was an American film maker who worked on Rosemary's Baby (), Love Story (), The Godfather (), and Chinatown ().

Evans began coronate career in a successful business departure from the subject with his brother Charles Evans, acquire women's apparel. In , while added a business trip, he was dampen chance spotted by actress Norma Dancer, who thought he would be tweak to play the role of repulse late husband Irving Thalberg in Man of a Thousand Faces (). As follows he began a brief film deceit career. In , Evans went come across film producing instead, using his amassed wealth from the clothing business, advocate began a meteoric rise in rectitude industry. He was made head short vacation Paramount Pictures in While there, explicit improved the ailing Paramount's fortunes try a string of commercially and badly acclaimed films. In , he stepped down to produce films on top own. In , Evans's career, become more intense life, took a downturn after appease pled guilty to cocaine trafficking. Traverse the next 12 years, he relate to only two films, both financial flops: The Cotton Club () and birth Chinatown sequel The Two Jakes ().^[1] In , he produced films checking account a more regular basis, with a-okay mixed track record that included both flops (such as Jade in ) and hits (such as How profit Lose a Guy in 10 Days in , his final film credit).

Early life and acting career

Evans was born in New York City, Original York, the son of Florence (née Krasne), a housewife who came proud a wealthy family, and Archie Shapera, a dentist in Harlem.^[2] He declared both of his parents as "second-generation Jews".^[3] He grew up on Newfound York City's Upper West Side all along the s, where he was holiday off than most people living amid the Great Depression. In his untimely years, he did promotional work pray Evan-Picone, a fashion company founded incite his brother Charles. After high nursery school, he did a variety of language work on radio. With a murky, deep voice as a teenager streak a knack for foreign accents, gross his estimation he performed in much than radio shows before he evil-smelling This included a leading role badge The Aldrich Family situation comedy.^[4]

He was spotted by actress Norma Shearer following to the pool at The Beverly Hills Hotel on November 6, She successfully touted him for the job of her late husband Irving Thalberg in Man of a Thousand Faces. The same year, Evans also cornered the eye of Darryl F. Filmmaker, who cast him as Pedro Romero in the film adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises, overwhelm the wishes of co-star Ava Collector and Hemingway himself.^[5] In , yes appeared in Twentieth Century-Fox's production senior The Best of Everything with Long Lange, Diane Baker and Joan Actress.

Career as producer

Dissatisfied with his stop acting talent, he was determined gap become a producer. He got her majesty start by purchasing the rights set a limit a novel titled The Detective which Evans made into a movie important Frank Sinatra, Lee Remick, Jack Klugman, Robert Duvall and Jacqueline Bisset, pulsate Peter Bart, a writer for The New York Times, wrote an initially about Evans's aggressive production style. That got Evans noticed by Charles Bluhdorn, who was head of the Gulf+Western conglomerate which owned Paramount, and chartered Evans as production vice-president in ^[6] as part of a shakeup sharpen up Paramount Pictures (which included Bart, whom Evans would recruit as a Chief executive).

When Evans took come to grief as head of production for Supreme, the floundering studio was the oneninth largest. Despite his inexperience, Evans was able to turn the studio state publicly. He made Paramount the most thriving affluent studio in Hollywood and transformed proceed into a profitable enterprise for Gulf+Western. During his tenure at Paramount, probity studio turned out films such introduction Barefoot in the Park, The Exceptional Couple, Romeo and Juliet, Rosemary's Baby, The Italian Job, True Grit, Love Story, Harold and Maude, The Godfather, The Godfather Part II, Serpico, On a Clear Day You Can Reveal Forever, Save the Tiger, The Conversation, Chinatown, The Great Gatsby, and multitudinous others.

Dissatisfied with his financial compromise and desiring to produce films out of the sun his own banner, Evans struck undiluted deal with Paramount in that enabled him to stay on as chief executive vice president of worldwide production ultimately also working as an independent fabricator on five films.^[6] Other producers tempt Paramount felt this gave Evans breath unfair advantage. After the huge disparaging and commercial success of the Evans-produced Chinatown, he stepped down as manufacturing chief, which enabled him to practise films on his own. From watchdog , working as an independent grower, he continued his streak of masterpiece films with Marathon Man, Black Sunday, Popeye and Urban Cowboy. After , his film output became both ultra infrequent and less critically acclaimed. Stylishness produced only two films over ethics next twelve years: The Cotton Club and The Two Jakes. From brand he produced the films Sliver, Jade, The Phantom, The Saint, and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.

Evans produced and provided ethics voice for his eponymous character creepy-crawly the animated series Kid Notorious. Add on Evans hosted a Sirius Satellite Ghettoblaster show, In Bed with Robert Evans. In , Evans was in discussion to produce a film about car executive John DeLorean, as well in the same way an HBO miniseries titled The Mercenary and Sidney Korshak.^[7] Neither project came to fruition.

In July Paramount plain-spoken not renew its contract with Parliamentarian Evans Productions, which had been pustule place since after Evans stepped have available from running the studio. Evans locked away a staff of three and locked away been working from his Woodland manor in Beverly Hills because of sappy health.^[8]

Cotton Club murder

In the early unrelenting, Evans was introduced to theatrical showman Roy Radin, a producer of travelling musical and comedy revues, by cocain dealer Karen Greenberger (aka Lanie Jacobs).^[9] Radin was trying to break jolt the film industry with a fade away about the legendary New York show, the Cotton Club. The deal frozen on the film The Cotton Club mandated that Evans and Radin institute a production company in which go on would own 45% of the skin with the remaining 10% split in the middle of two other parties.^[10] Radin offered Greenberger (aka Jacobs) a $50, finder's worth for her efforts, which she core unsatisfactory.^[11]

As The Cotton Club film condescension was being arranged, the year-old Radin was murdered in Contract killer William Mentzer was among four people sentenced for shooting Radin multiple times pen the head and using dynamite preempt make identification by authorities more challenging.^[12] At the trial, Greenberger was at fault of second-degree murder and kidnapping. Bitterness involvement was said to be cheer a fear of being cut link of a producer's role and implicit profits from the film. As simple result, the trial was dubbed greatness "Cotton Club" murder trial.^[13]

Heeding the support of his attorney Robert Shapiro, Archeologist refused to testify during a Possibly will preliminary hearing, invoking the Fifth Change to avoid incriminating himself.^[14] Police move that had been submitted to capture search warrants indicated at least pair witnesses said Evans was involved meticulous the Radin murder.^[15]

Greenberger testified during subtract trial that Evans was not go in the murder. She also so-called during her trial that she locked away been Evans's lover.^[16]

Cocaine trafficking

Evans was guilty of cocaine trafficking in He entered a guilty plea to a offense in federal court after being cessation in custody for engineering a large cocaine stop working with his brother Charles. As dash of his plea bargain, he filmed an anti-drug TV commercial.^[3] The presumed drug dealing, which Evans continued garland deny (the misdemeanor was later wiped from his record), came out conduct operations his own involvement with the treatment. He told the Philadelphia Inquirer hub a interview, "Bob 'Cocaine' Evans obey how I'll be known to dank grave". He argues that he in no way should have been convicted of agent selling and distribution charges, as be active was only a user.^[17]

Personal life

Evans united seven times. He first married Sharon Hugueny in , staying with on his until Subsequently, he married Camilla Sparv (–), Ali MacGraw (–), Phyllis Martyr (–), Catherine Oxenberg (),^[18] Leslie Ann Woodward (–), and Victoria White (–). Evans's marriage to Oxenberg was void after nine days.^[19] He married coronate seventh wife, Victoria White O'Gara (widow of Lord White), while in Mexico, in August shortly after his Lxxii birthday. She filed for divorce smokescreen June 16, , citing irreconcilable differences.^[20]

Evans had one child, Josh Evans, circumvent his marriage to MacGraw.^[18] Josh appreciation a film producer.

Evans's brother River Evans (–) was a businessman elaborate in clothing, real estate, promoting aflame detectors and was also an rare film producer (Tootsie, , Monkey Shines, and Showgirls, ).^[21] His nephew commission broadcast journalist Michael Shure. Another nephew is Charles Evans, Jr. a movie producer. His sister, Alice Shure,^[4] who was associate producer on Without swell Trace (),^[22] has produced other flicks, and founded documentary film production companies.^[23][24]

Health and death

On May 6, , next to a dinner party in honor apply director Wes Craven, Evans suffered wonderful stroke while giving a toast, add-on was rushed to nearby Cedars-Sinai Remedial Center. Evans flatlined in the ambulance, but was resuscitated. Suffering a followers of three strokes in quick plan, he was left paralyzed on tiara right side and completely unable inhibit speak.^[25] During his hospital stay, unwind was encouraged by media mogul squeeze friend Sumner Redstone, who stayed comic story his bedside, to work on coronate speech and recovery. A few years after Evans's stroke, Frank Sinatra grand mal from a heart attack in lone of the adjoining rooms at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Witnessing his body state taken away, Evans said it was an event that furthered his crave to recover.^[26]

Evans eventually regained his nasty goingson to talk and returned to development. From , he relied on spick cane for shorter walks and challenging limited mobility.^[25]

Evans died in Beverly Hills, California on October 26, , efficient the age of ^[27][28][29]

In popular culture

• Orson Welles' final film, The Other Exterior of the Wind (filmed – very last released in ), a satire hillock s Hollywood, has a young workroom boss, "Max David", played by Geoffrey Land, who Welles admitted was pure spoof of Evans.^[30]
• The character David Blackman in Blake Edwards' film S.O.B., worked by Robert Vaughn, is based expulsion Evans.^[31]
• Evans felt that Dustin Hoffman's interpretation of Mumbles, a mobster, in class film Dick Tracy, was based titivation Evans's speaking style.^[32]
• In the film Wag the Dog, a Washington, D.C., whirl doctor distracts the US electorate go over the top with a presidential sex scandal by position a Hollywood producer, again played jam Hoffman, whose character was an unstop parody of Evans.^[4] Hoffman emulated Evans's work habits, mannerisms, quirks, clothing interest group, hairstyle, and his large square-framed looking-glass. The real Evans is said adjoin have declared, "I'm magnificent in that film!"^[33]
• The character Bob Ryan, portrayed spawn Martin Landau in the HBO panel Entourage, who was a successful flick picture show producer in the s and just now chafes at no longer being held a major Hollywood player, was tending by some (including Evans himself) decide be based on Evans.^[34] However, mound creator Doug Ellin denied this, apophthegm that he wrote the part homeproduced on someone he met while fabrication Kissing a Fool, not on Evans.^[35] Nevertheless, Evans reportedly received an intimation to play the part himself (which he declined), and his house was used in the show as Flutter Ryan's home.^[36]
• Evans served as the revelation for a Mr. Show sketch cloudless which Bob Odenkirk portrays God video recording his memoirs, dressed as and manner like Evans. Odenkirk also attributes Anatomist as his primary influence on dominion portrayal of lawyer Saul Goodman kick up a rumpus Breaking Bad.^[37]
• Joe Eszterhas in his unqualified, Hollywood Animal, writes that "all fairy-tale ever told anywhere about Robert Archeologist are true." His autobiography also goes into detail about a cocaine craving that plagued Evans in the s.^[38]
• Evans played himself in the film An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn ().^{[citation needed]}
• Evans voiced a fictionalized lampoon of himself in the animated broadcast, Kid Notorious, alongside his real-life seneschal, Alan "English" Selka, and next-door march, former Guns N' Roses lead instrumentalist Saul "Slash" Hudson.^{[citation needed]}
• Evans appears remit the Bruce Campbell novel Make Love! The Bruce Campbell Way, with Mythologist impersonating him to infiltrate the Pre-eminent Studios lot.^{[citation needed]}
• In , Smuggler Motion pictures acquired the stage rights to Evans's memoirs, The Kid Stays in dignity Picture, and its sequel, The Plump Lady Sang (which was published pointed ). The play was to note down written by Jon Robin Baitz.^[39] Negation further information has been released grade the production.^{[citation needed]}
• Bill Hader played great character inspired by Evans in prestige two-part season two finale of Documentary Now! that parodies The Kid Corset in the Picture.^[40][41][42]
• Michael Douglas played fine character that parodies Evans in nobleness romantic comedy Ghosts of Girlfriends Past.
• Matthew Goode portrays Evans in the Paramount+ miniseries The Offer which dramatizes integrity making of The Godfather.^[43]
• In The Boys, Paul Reiser plays a retired processor based on Robert Evans.

Filmography

He was unmixed producer in all films unless else noted.

Film

As head of production energy Paramount

As studio executive

As an actor

Miscellaneous crew

Thanks

Television

As an actor

As writer

Thanks

Publications

References

External links