Walter Mirisch, Oscar-Winning Producer, Dies
From 'West Side Story' to 'In the Heat of the Night,' he also made his mark with 'Fiddler on the Roof' and 'Pink Panther.'
Walter Mirisch has died. He was 101.
The former Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences president and Oscar-winning producer of In the Heat of the Night died of natural causes on Friday in Los Angeles.
Mirisch was known as the longest-living Oscar winner, and his credits–which date back to the 1940s–include The Apartment, West Side Story, The Pink Panther franchise, the musical Fiddler on the Roof, and both the 1960 and 2016 versions of The Magnificent Seven.
His accolades later included the 1978 Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award and the 1982 Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. He received the Producer Guild of America’s Lifetime Achievement Award in Motion Pictures a few years later, in 1996.
Mirisch and his colleagues who worked on In the Heat of the Night were honored by the Academy again in 1998 with a specially restored print to celebrate the film's 30th anniversary.
“Walter was a true visionary, both as a producer and as an industry leader,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang said in a joint statement per The Hollywood Reporter. “He had a powerful impact on the film community and the Academy, serving as our president and as an Academy governor for many years. His passion for filmmaking and the Academy never wavered, and he remained a dear friend and adviser.”
Renowned director Steven Spielberg also shared a statement.
“Walter cut a gigantic figure in the film industry, and his movies were trailblazing classics that covered every genre while never failing to entertain audiences around the world. He achieved so much in life and in the industry — if you live to be 101 and produced The Apartment, I’d say it’s been a good run — and Walter remained both a gentleman and an ardent advocate of good films while supporting multiple generations of dedicated filmmakers."
He continued: “Above all, he knew a good story when he found one and fought tooth and nail to get it on the screen. He loved the Academy as much as anyone in our history, serving four terms as president. I cherished our lunches in the Universal commissary over the years, and he was as generous with his advice as he was with his friendship. I’m both a better director and a better person for having known Walter.”
Mirisch is survived by his children, Anne, Andrew, and Lawrence; his granddaughter, Megan and her husband, Craig; his great-grandsons, Emery and Levi. His wife, Patricia, died in 2005.
In lieu of flowers, the family requested donations be made to the Motion Picture and Television Fund (MPTF), an organization that "supports working and retired members of the entertainment community with a safety net of health and social services, including temporary financial assistance, case management, and residential living."
