Marvin Worth (June 6, 1925 – April 22, 1998) was an American film producer, screenwriter and actor. His efforts to bring the biography of Malcolm X to the big screen started in 1967, when he purchased the rights to The Autobiography of Malcolm X, and eventually led to the production of the 1972 documentary, for which he received an Oscar nomination. Later on, he would produce Malcolm X, with director Spike Lee. He was nominated for an Oscar for producing Lenny in 1974.
Marvin Worth | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 6, 1925 Brooklyn, New York |
| Died | April 22, 1998 (aged 72) Los Angeles, California |
| Other names | Film producer, screenwriter, actor |
| Spouse | Joan Worth (ca. 1954 – April 22, 1998) |
Early life and career
editWorth's career began at a very early age when he began promoting jazz concerts, which led to relationship with many artists. At one time, he managed the musical careers of Charlie Parker and Billie Holiday. Later, Worth's employment as an agent branched into comedy, and he took on contentious comedian Lenny Bruce. In the 1950s, he forged a partnership with Arne Sultan and began writing material for Bruce. The duo went on to pen the scripts for Three on a Couch and Boys' Night Out and the story for Promise Her Anything. In 1958, Worth won a Peabody Award for his writing on The Steve Allen Show.[1]
In 1971, Worth brought the story of Lenny Bruce to Broadway in the production Lenny, which won a Tony Award for its star, Cliff Gorman.(Internet Broadway Database) [1][2] In 1974 the movie version of Lenny directed by Bob Fosse was released and received multiple Academy Award nominations. For the remainder of his career, Worth continued to produce biopics including the 1979 film The Rose (loosely based on Janis Joplin), the 1996 television movie Norma Jean & Marilyn, the 1998 television movie Gia, and the 2001 television movie James Dean.
Personal life and death
editWorth was married to his wife Joan, an artist, for 44 years. They had three children.[3] On April 22, 1998, Worth died of bronchioloalveolar carcinoma, a form of lung cancer, in Los Angeles.[4]
Selected filmography
editHe was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.
Film
edit| Year | Film | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Where's Poppa? | |
| 1974 | Lenny | |
| 1977 | Fire Sale | |
| 1979 | The Rose | |
| 1980 | Up the Academy | |
| 1982 | Soup for One | |
| 1984 | Unfaithfully Yours | |
| Rhinestone | ||
| Falling in Love | ||
| 1987 | Less than Zero | Uncredited
|
| 1988 | Patty Hearst | |
| 1989 | See No Evil, Hear No Evil | |
| 1990 | Flashback | |
| 1992 | Malcolm X | |
| 1996 | Diabolique | Final film as a producer |
- As an actor
| Year | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Fire Sale | Milton |
- As writer
| Year | Film | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1962 | Boys' Night Out | |
| 1965 | Promise Her Anything | |
| 1966 | Three on a Couch | |
| 1979 | The Rose | Uncredited
|
| 1989 | See No Evil, Hear No Evil |
- Miscellaneous crew
| Year | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Rhinestone | Presenter |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Credit | Notes | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Vacation Playhouse | |||
| 1971 | The Sheriff | Executive producer | Television film | |
| 1979 | Where's Poppa? | Executive producer | Television pilot | |
| 1992 | Running Mates | Television film | ||
| 1996 | Norma Jean & Marilyn | Executive producer | Television film | |
| 1998 | Gia | Executive producer | Television film | |
| Criminal Law | Television film | |||
| 2001 | James Dean | Executive producer | Uncredited |
Television film |
- As writer
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1956 | Stanley | |
| Washington Square | ||
| 1957 | The Polly Bergen Show | |
| General Motors 50th Anniversary Show | Television special | |
| 1958 | The Dinah Shore Chevy Show | |
| 1959−60 | The Steve Allen Show | |
| 1960 | The Chevy Show | |
| 1961 | The New Steve Allen Show | |
| 1962 | The Steve Allen Playhouse | |
| 1963−64 | The Judy Garland Show | |
| 1965 | Get Smart | |
| 1966 | The Milton Berle Show |
- Script and continuity department
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 1963 | The Judy Garland Show |
- Thanks
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | But... Seriously | Thanks | Documentary |
Award nominations
edit| Year | Award | Result | Category | Film or series |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Academy Award | Nominated | Best Documentary, Features | Malcolm X (Shared with Arnold Perl) |
| 1975 | Best Picture | Lenny | ||
| 1998 | Emmy Award | Outstanding Made for Television Movie | Gia (Shared with James D. Brubaker, David R. Ginsburg, and Ilene Kahn) | |
| 1985 | Golden Raspberry Award | Worst Picture | Rhinestone (Shared with Howard Smith) |
References
edit- ^ a b Oliver, Myrna (April 24, 1998). "Marvin Worth; Producer of 'Lenny,' 'Malcolm X'". The L.A. Times. Retrieved February 9, 2009.
- ^ "Cliff Gorman: Dynamic star of 'Lenny' and 'The Boys in the Band'". independent.co.uk. September 16, 2002. Archived from the original on May 2, 2009. Retrieved February 9, 2009.
- ^ McLellan, Dennis (December 31, 2006). "Joan Worth, 72; theatrical writer-producer". boston.com. Retrieved February 9, 2009.
- ^ Galloway, Doug (April 1998). "Marvin Worth (Writer/producer, age 72)". findarticles.com. Archived from the original on August 12, 2009. Retrieved February 9, 2009.
