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Walter Mirisch is a Actor, Director and Producer American born on 8 november 1921 at New York City (USA)

Walter Mirisch

Walter Mirisch
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Birth name Walter Mortimer Mirisch
Nationality USA
Birth 8 november 1921 at New York City (USA)
Death 24 february 2023 (at 101 years)
Creator of Mirisch Company

Walter Mortimer Mirisch (born November 8, 1921) is an American film producer. In his long and successful motion picture career, Walter Mirisch has produced some of the industry's finest and most memorable films. He is President and Executive Head of Production of The Mirisch Corporation, an independent filmmaking organization, which he formed in 1957 with his brothers, Marvin and Harold. He won the 1967 Academy Award for Best Picture as producer of In the Heat of the Night.

Biography

Early years
A native of New York, Mirisch graduated from DeWitt Clinton High School and entered the movie business as a summer vacation usher in Jersey City's State Theater, soon moving up to higher positions at other theaters. In 1942, he received a BA degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the following year graduated from Harvard's Graduate School of Business Administration. In 1947, he produced his first film, Fall Guy, for Monogram Pictures Corporation.


Career
At the age of 29, Mirisch became production head at Allied Artists Studio with some 30 films to oversee. During his tenure, he found time to personally produce Flat Top, Wichita, which received a Golden Globe from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association as Best Outdoor Drama of 1955, The First Texan, and An Annapolis Story. He supervised the productions of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Friendly Persuasion, and Love in the Afternoon, among many others.

Mirisch heads that category of creative producers who have learned their craft thoroughly from the very inception of a project through all phases of its production process. Known in the industry as a perfectionist, he supervises every detail of his films from the earliest stages to the final release.

Among the most noteworthy Mirisch projects that Walter personally produced are: Man Of The West; The Magnificent Seven; Two for the See-Saw; Toys in the Attic; the film version of James A. Michener's monumental novel, Hawaii, which was nominated for seven Academy Awards, and its sequel, The Hawaiians; Midway, the saga of America's greatest naval victory; the tender and moving Same Time, Next Year; and Romantic Comedy. In 1968, Walter received an Academy Award for In The Heat of the Night, which won the Best Picture Award, as well as four other Academy Awards. Additionally, it was named Best Picture of the Year by both the New York and Cleveland Film Critics Circle, Best American Picture (co-winner) by the British Film and Television Guild, Best Dramatic Picture of the Year by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, and it won the United Nations Special Award of the British Film Association.

The Mirisch Corporation's impressive list of pictures include two more Best Picture Oscar winners: Billy Wilder's The Apartment in 1960, and Robert Wise's West Side Story in 1961. Both films also captured additional Academy Awards and numerous other honors and awards. Other outstanding Mirisch films include John Ford's The Horse Soldiers; William Wyler's The Children's Hour; John Sturges' The Great Escape; Blake Edwards' The Pink Panther, A Shot in the Dark, and The Party, all starring Peter Sellers; Wilder's Some Like It Hot, One, Two, Three, Irma La Douce, and The Fortune Cookie; and Norman Jewison's The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming, an Academy Award nominee for Best Picture; The Thomas Crown Affair; and the motion picture versions of the Broadway plays Same Time, Next Year and Romantic Comedy and the musical Fiddler on the Roof, also an Academy Award nominee for Best Picture.

For NBC television network, Mirisch was executive producer of Desperado; Return of Desperado; Desperado: Avalanche At Devil’s Ridge; Desperado: Legacy; Desperado: Sole Survivor; and in 1993, Troubleshooters: Trapped Beneath The Earth. Mirisch was executive producer of Lily in Winter for the USA Network in 1994, A Class for Life for ABC in 1995, as well as The Magnificent Seven, a weekly series for CBS in 1997.

Ron Howard has said of Mirisch, "From Bomba, the Jungle Boy to Some Like It Hot and In the Heat of the Night . . . Walter Mirisch produced many of the films which dazzled and inspired me (and I'm not kidding about Bomba. I loved those movies as a kid.) When I later acted in one of his (lesser) productions, The Spikes Gang, I learned that a prolific and brilliant producer could also be a terrific guy and a wonderful teacher."


Honors and awards
Mirisch received the 1967 Academy Award for Best Picture for his production of In the Heat of the Night.

Throughout the years, he has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including The Producer of the Year Award: first, from the Producers' Guild of America (1967); later, the National Association of Theater Owners (1972); and then ShowaRama (1975).

In addition, he received the Cecil B. DeMille Award of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for "outstanding contribution to the entertainment field" (1976), the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for his "consistently high quality of motion picture production (1978), and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, which is given to an individual whose "humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry" (1983).

Mirisch has served three terms as president of the Producers Guild of America. He served four terms as President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He is a former president and Governor of the Performing Arts Council of the Los Angeles Music Center, as well as a trustee of the Motion Picture and Television Fund. Mirisch is also an Emeritus member of the board of directors of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center of Los Angeles, and the board of directors of the UCLA Foundation.

He was decorated by the Republic of France with its Order of Arts and Letters in 1961.

In May 1989, he received an honorary doctorate in Humane Letters from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. In June 1989, he was the recipient of the UCLA Medal, the university's highest award.

In 2004, he was honored with a retrospective at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art entitled "The Magnificent Mirisches". The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York honored him in 2006 with a retrospective of twelve films.

On February 2, 2008, Mirisch presented the Darryl F. Zanuck Producer of the Year award at the 19th Annual Producers Guild of America Awards. The top honor (the equivalent of the Academy Award for Best Picture) went to Scott Rudin, Joel and Ethan Coen for No Country for Old Men.

Best films

Midway (1976)
(Producer)
Fiddler on the Roof (1971)
(Executive Producer)
West Side Story (1961)
(Executive Producer)
Hawaii (1966)
(Producer)
In the Heat of the Night (1967)
(Producer)
The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)
(Executive Producer)

Usually with

Lynn Stalmaster
Lynn Stalmaster
(15 films)
Edward G. Boyle
Edward G. Boyle
(11 films)
Hal Ashby
Hal Ashby
(5 films)
Harry Neumann
Harry Neumann
(6 films)
Source : Wikidata

Filmography of Walter Mirisch (61 films)

Display filmography as list

Actor

Director

Some Kind of a Nut, 1h30
Directed by Garson Kanin, Walter Mirisch
Origin USA
Genres Comedy
Actors Dick Van Dyke, Angie Dickinson, Rosemary Forsyth, Elliott Reid, Zohra Lampert, Pippa Scott
Rating43% 2.1839352.1839352.1839352.1839352.183935
Fred Amidon is a New York City bank teller whose wife Rachel is divorcing him. Fred already has a new fiancee, bank colleague Pamela Anders, with whom he is about to embark on a vacation.

Producer

Romantic Comedy, 1h43
Directed by Arthur Hiller
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Romantic comedy, Romance
Themes Films based on plays
Actors Dudley Moore, Mary Steenburgen, Frances Sternhagen, Robyn Douglass, Ron Leibman, George Tyne
Roles Producer
Rating53% 2.655742.655742.655742.655742.65574
Jason Kramer is a popular New York City playwright in desperate need of a new writing partner who can provide him with inspiration. Phoebe Craddock is a small-town teacher who aspires to be a writer.
Dracula
Dracula (1979)
, 1h49
Directed by John Badham
Origin United-kingdom
Genres Drama, Horror, Romance
Themes Films about magic and magicians, Théâtre, Dracula films, Vampires in film, Films based on plays
Actors Frank Langella, Laurence Olivier, Donald Pleasence, Kate Nelligan, Sylvester McCoy, Trevor Eve
Roles Producer
Rating64% 3.2480553.2480553.2480553.2480553.248055
In Whitby, England in 1913, Count Dracula (Frank Langella) arrives from Transylvania via the ship Demeter one stormy night. A sickly Mina Van Helsing (Jan Francis), who is visiting her friend Lucy Seward (Kate Nelligan), discovers Dracula's body after his ship has run aground. The Count visits Mina and her friends at the household of Lucy's father, Dr. Jack Seward (Donald Pleasence), whose clifftop mansion also serves as the local asylum. At dinner, he proves to be a charming guest and leaves a strong impression on the hosts, Lucy especially. Less charmed by this handsome Romanian count is Jonathan Harker (Trevor Eve), Lucy's fiancé.
The Prisoner of Zenda, 1h48
Directed by Richard Quiney
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Action, Adventure
Themes Monde imaginaire, Politique, Political films, Films about royalty
Actors Peter Sellers, Lynne Frederick, Lionel Jeffries, Stuart Wilson, Britt Ekland, Elke Sommer
Roles Executive Producer
Rating52% 2.6100052.6100052.6100052.6100052.610005
King Rudolf IV (Sellers) dies in a balloon accident upon the celebration of his seventieth birthday. In order to secure the throne, General Sapt and his nephew Fritz travel to London, where the King's son, Rudolf V (Sellers), resides and lives through the day in London's pleasure establishments; but the King's demented half-brother Michael (Kemp), thinking that he is the better claimant, sends an assassin after them. Hansom cab driver Sydney (or Sidney) Frewin (Sellers), the new King's half-brother from an affair with a British actress, rescues Rudolf from an assassination attempt. Once his resemblance to the King is noticed, Frewin is hired by the general ostensibly as the King's coachman, but actually to play the role of decoy. The ruse is quickly uncovered, however, when during an attack by Michael's men the royal guardsmen address Frewin as their new king, and the two look-alikes get acquainted.
Same Time, Next Year, 1h59
Directed by Robert Mulligan
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Comedy, Comedy-drama, Romantic comedy, Romance
Themes Films about sexuality, Théâtre, Films based on plays
Actors Ellen Burstyn, Alan Alda
Roles Producer
Rating71% 3.5953853.5953853.5953853.5953853.595385
Deux jeunes mariés (mais pas ensemble) se rencontrent et tombent amoureux l'un de l'autre. Ne voulant pas se perdre sans pour autant renoncer à leurs mariages respectifs, ils décident de se revoir chaque année, jusqu'à la fin de leurs jours.
Gray Lady Down, 1h51
Directed by David Greene
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller, Action, Adventure, Historical
Themes Seafaring films, Transport films, Submarine films, Disaster films, American disaster films, United States Armed Forces in films
Actors Charlton Heston, David Carradine, Stacy Keach, Ned Beatty, Stephen McHattie, Ronny Cox
Roles Producer
Rating62% 3.1019553.1019553.1019553.1019553.101955
Aging, respected commander Paul Blanchard (Heston) is on his final submarine tour before promotion to command of a submarine squadron (COMSUBRON). Surfaced and returning to port, the submarine, USS Neptune, is struck by a Norweigian freighter in route to New York in heavy fog, and sinks to a depth of 1,450 feet (442 meters) on a canyon ledge above the ocean floor. A United States Navy rescue force, commanded by Captain Bennett (Keach), arrives on the scene, but Neptune is subsequently rolled by a gravity slide to a greater angle that does not allow the Navy's Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle (DSRV) rescue submarine to complete its work.
Midway
Midway (1976)
, 2h12
Directed by Jack Smight
Origin USA
Genres Drama, War, Action, Adventure, Historical
Themes Seafaring films, Transport films, Aviation films, Political films, United States Armed Forces in films
Actors Charlton Heston, Henry Fonda, James Coburn, Glenn Ford, Hal Holbrook, Toshiro Mifune
Roles Producer
Rating66% 3.3492653.3492653.3492653.3492653.349265
The film chronicles the Battle of Midway, a turning point in World War II in the Pacific. The Imperial Japanese Navy had been undefeated until that time and out-numbered the American naval forces by four to one.
The Spikes Gang, 1h36
Directed by Richard Fleischer
Origin USA
Genres Action, Western
Actors Lee Marvin, Gary Grimes, Charles Martin Smith, Ron Howard, Arthur Hunnicutt, Noah Beery, Jr
Roles Producer
Rating63% 3.1517153.1517153.1517153.1517153.151715
Harry Spikes (Lee Marvin) is an aging bank robber of the fading "Old West." Injured and near death, he is found and mended back to health by three impressionable youths who are lifelong friends -- Wil (Gary Grimes), Tod (Charles Martin Smith), and Les (Ron Howard). Later, encouraged by Spikes's reminiscences, they run away from home seeking excitement and easy living.
Mr. Majestyk, 1h43
Directed by Richard Fleischer, Paul Baxley
Origin USA
Genres Thriller, Action, Adventure, Crime
Themes Prison films
Actors Charles Bronson, Al Lettieri, Linda Cristal, Lee Purcell, Paul Koslo, Frank Maxwell
Roles Producer
Rating67% 3.3502153.3502153.3502153.3502153.350215
Vince Majestyk (Charles Bronson) is a farmer, a former U. S. Army Ranger instructor and Vietnam War veteran, who owns and operates a watermelon farm in rural Colorado. He needs to harvest his crop in order to keep the farm financially solvent.
Scorpio
Scorpio (1973)
, 2h17
Directed by Michael Winner
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller, Action, Adventure, Spy
Themes Spy films, Political films
Actors Burt Lancaster, Alain Delon, Paul Scofield, John Colicos, Gayle Hunnicutt, J. D. Cannon
Roles Producer
Rating63% 3.197543.197543.197543.197543.19754
Cross (Burt Lancaster) is an experienced but retiring Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) agent and assassin who is training free-lance hit-man Jean Laurier (Alain Delon) (alias "Scorpio") to replace him. Cross is teaching him as much about protecting himself from his patrons and never trusting anyone as how to get away clean.
The Organization, 1h43
Directed by Don Medford
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller, Action, Crime
Actors Sidney Poitier, Barbara McNair, Sheree North, Gerald S. O'Loughlin, Raúl Juliá, Billy "Green" Bush
Roles Producer
Rating60% 3.0001553.0001553.0001553.0001553.000155
After a break-in at the headquarters of a company, the police are called in. One of the executives has been murdered, and the watchman has been bludgeoned. It is not a simple robbery, the man was killed by shots from two different guns, there are several unexplained facts and nothing was stolen.
Fiddler on the Roof, 2h52
Directed by Norman Jewison
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Comedy-drama, Musical, Romance
Themes Dance films, Films about music and musicians, Films about religion, Théâtre, Musical films, Films about Jews and Judaism, Films based on plays, Films based on musicals
Actors Chaim Topol, Norma Crane, Leonard Frey, Molly Picon, Paul Mann, Paul Michael Glaser
Roles Executive Producer
Rating79% 3.9978753.9978753.9978753.9978753.997875
In 1905, Tevye, a poor Jewish milkman living in the Russian village of Anatevka, explains to the audience what keeps the Jews of Anatevka going is the balance they achieve through following their ancient traditions, comparing their precarious circumstance to a fiddler on a roof: trying to scratch out a pleasant tune, while not breaking their necks. The fiddler appears throughout the film as a metaphoric reminder of the Jews' ever-present fears and danger, and also as a symbol of the traditions Tevye is trying to hold on to as his world changes around him. While in town, Tevye meets Perchik, a radical Marxist from Kiev. Tevye invites Perchik to stay with him and his family, and as a deal, offers him food, in exchange for Perchik tutoring his daughters.
They Call Me Mister Tibbs!, 1h48
Directed by Gordon Douglas
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller, Action, Crime
Actors Sidney Poitier, Martin Landau, Barbara McNair, Anthony Zerbe, Edward Asnere, Jeff Corey
Roles Executive Producer
Rating59% 2.997712.997712.997712.997712.99771
Detective Virgil Tibbs, now a lieutenant with the San Francisco police, is assigned to investigate the murder of a prostitute. A prime suspect is Rev. Logan Sharpe (Martin Landau), a liberal street preacher and political organizer, who insists to Tibbs that he was merely visiting the hooker in a professional capacity, advising her spiritually.
The Hawaiians, 2h14
Directed by Tom Gries
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Adventure, Romance
Themes Seafaring films, Transport films
Actors Charlton Heston, Geraldine Chaplin, Mako Iwamatsu, Bette Midler, John Phillip Law, Alec McCowen
Roles Producer
Rating60% 3.048623.048623.048623.048623.04862
The story begins forty years after the events depicted in the original Hawaii, as a new generation of Americans and Asians must deal with a changing island and world; one of them is a sea captain.