Marvin Levy, the legendary Hollywood publicist known for his decades-long partnership with Steven Spielberg and for being the first member of his profession to receive recognition from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences, died Monday. He was 96.
“Marvin’s passing is a huge loss for me and our industry writ large. There are many talented PR executives, but Marvin was one of a kind. For over 50 years, he was a deeply loyal and exceptional collaborator who was respected and appreciated by all those who were lucky enough to learn from his counsel. When it came to handling the press, he had no peer,” Spielberg said in a statement. “To the media-and the world of exhibition, Marvin was the face of Amblin. We were opposite ends of the movie-making process. Every time i reached the end of production on a film, Marvin’s work had only begun. Through countless films, tv series, Amblin events, awards campaigns and our public relations strategy—this is where Marvin came alive. He loved his work—and was endlessly enthusiastic about our business. He was creative, innovative and respected for his knowledge and honesty. He was excited to figure how new and better ways to present films to audiences. As a result, he was the first and only publicist to receive an Academy Award.”
“He was equally dedicated to his beloved wife of 73 years, Carol, and their children, Don and Doug as well as their grandsons Daniel and Brian. I am grateful for all our years together. Marvin never failed to make me laugh, he never stopped smiling. We will miss you Marvin. You will always be in our hearts and your memory will always make us smile,” the director continued.
Born Nov. 16, 1928 in New York, Levy attended NYU and served in the Air Force, where he first worked in public relations and advertising out of Selfridge AFB in Michigan. He moved into entertainment in the late 1940s, working as a writer and producer before being hired in publicity for MGM. During his years with MGM, he handled local promotional efforts for legendary films including “Gigi” and “Ben-Hur.”
He moved to the PR firm Blowitz, Thomas and Canton in 1964, remaining with them until the company disbanded a decade later, after which he relocated to Los Angeles and ended up at Columbia Pictures. It was there that among his projects for the studio was marketing “Close Encounters of the Third King,” Spielberg’s follow up to his breakthrough hit “Jaws.”
The pair formed a close friendship, and in later years Spielberg would refer to Levy as a father figure. Levy eventually left Columbia to work for Spielberg full time, first at the director’s Amblin Entertainment and later at Dreamworks.
During their decades of collaboration, Levy handled promotion and awards season pushes for some of Spielberg’s most important work, including “E.T.,” “Jurassic Park,” “Schindler’s List,” “Saving Private Ryan,” “Munich,” “The Color Purple,” “Lincoln” and “Bridge of Spies.” He also handled promotion on the “Back to the Future” trilogy, “Gladiator,” and more.
His impact on Hollywood over his career is difficult to overstate, and appropriately, in 2018 he became the first, and as of this writing only publicist to receive Academy recognition. At that year’s Academy Awards, Levy received an honorary Oscar “for an exemplary career in publicity that has brought films to the minds, hearts and souls of audiences all over the world.”
In addition to serving on the Academy’s Board of Governors for 23 years, Levy was a supporter of the Shoah Foundation, Righteous Persons Foundation, and Starlight Children’s Foundation. He’s survived by Carol, his wife of 73 years, their two sons and grandsons.
Levy’s funeral is planned for Friday, April 11th at 10 am at Mount Sinai cemetery, 5950 Forest Lawn Drive in Los Angeles, CA 90068.
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