Jerry Weintraub Biography

Jerry Weintraub (born September 26, 1937) is an American film producer and former chairman and CEO of United Artists. He now lives in Palm Desert, California.

Life and career

Weintraub was born to a Jewish family in Brooklyn, and raised in The Bronx, the son of Rose and Sam Weintraub. His father was a gem dealer. After several years at MCA, he left and formed his own personal management company. In the 1960s, he also co-founded the vocal group The Doodletown Pipers. Among the acts that Weintraub managed at this time were Joey Bishop, The Four Seasons, and singer Jane Morgan.

Before turning to films, Weintraub's largest entertainment success was as the personal manager of singer and actor John Denver whom he signed in 1970. Denver and Weintraub's professional relationship ended acrimoniously. Denver would later write in his autobiography ".. I'd bend my principles to support something he wanted of me. And of course every time you bend your principles - whether because you don't want to worry about it, or because you're afraid to stand up for fear of what you might lose - you sell your soul to the devil".

Weintraub also managed or promoted concerts for such musical acts as Elvis Presley, Led Zeppelin, Cuba Gooding, Sr. and the Main Ingredient, The Carpenters, Frank Sinatra, Neil Diamond, The Moody Blues and Zager & Evans.

Weintraub formed Weintraub Entertainment Group (WEG) in February 1987 with $461 million in financing from Columbia Pictures, Cineplex Odeon and others in the form of securities, bank loans and advances. WEG also arranged a $145-million, 7-year credit line with Bank of America. WEG also signed a 20 year distribution deal with Columbia and plans to release 7 or movie per year. In 1990, WEG was in bankruptcy and Weintraub moved to a production deal with Warner Bros. Film Asset Holding Co., a company formed by WEG's two primary bank creditors, sued Weintraub over his structuring of a sale of the "Peter Pan" story to Sony Pictures Entertainment in the fall of 1990. Weintraub and Film Assets settled in January 1992. In April 2010, Jerry, with Rich Cohen, published a memoir, When I Stop Talking, You'll Know I'm Dead: Useful Stories from a Persuasive Man.

A television documentary film about Jerry Weintraub called His Way directed by Douglas McGrath was broadcast on HBO in 2011.

Film producing credits

His producing credits include Nashville, Diner, Happy New Year, The Karate Kid, National Lampoon's Vegas Vacation, The Karate Kid (2010 film), and the 2001 remake of Ocean's Eleven. In addition to producing Ocean's 12 and Ocean's 13, he appeared in all the Ocean films. In Ocean's 11 he is seen at a table talking to Carl Reiner and is identified in audio commentary on the DVD edition.

Weintraub's first two films as a producer were Robert Altman's Nashville and Oh, God! starring George Burns and John Denver. On an April 7, 2010 appearance of the television show, The View, Weintraub struck a handshake deal with Whoopi Goldberg to play the next God in a future Oh, God! sequel, should a favorable script become available. Weintraub will produce a new adaptation of Tarzan for Warner Bros..

Personal life

His relationship with singer and actress Jane Morgan went from professional to personal and the two were married in 1965. She was 13 years older than Jerry. She was almost 41-years-old and he was 28 years-old. Because of her age, she was not able to have children and they ended up adopting three daughters. Weintraub also has a son, Michael Weintraub, from his first marriage. The couple separated in the 1980s, but never divorced. For the past 20 years, however, Weintraub has been living with his girlfriend, Susie Ekins.

Morgan and Weintraub never legally divorced, and Morgan is known as Jane M. Weintraub.

Awards and honors

In 1986, the National Association of Theater Owners named Jerry Weintraub the Producer of the Year. In 1991, he was named to the board of the Kennedy Center. Jerry Weintraub was one of the first independent film producers to be honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2007, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs, California, Walk of Stars was dedicated to him.

Philanthropy

Weintraub is a major contributor to many charities, including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Music Center, and the Children's Museum of Los Angeles. In 1988, the American Friends of the Hebrew University gave Weintraub and his wife, Jane, the Scopus Award in gratitude for their support. He is also a major supporter of Chabad and was close with the late Lubavitcher Rebbe.