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Richard Shepherd (producer)

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Dick Shepherd
Born
Richard Allen Silberman

(1927-06-04)June 4, 1927
Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
DiedJanuary 14, 2014(2014-01-14) (aged 86)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
OccupationFilm producer
Spouses
Judith Mayer Goetz
​
​
(m. 1954; div. 1978)​
Patricia Shepherd
​
(m. 1979)​
Children4, including Scott

Richard Shepherd (born Richard Allen Silberman; June 4, 1927 – January 14, 2014) was an American film producer.[1]

Biography

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They pay ballplayers a lot of money for hitting .333; I'd pay anybody a lot of money if they could be right 33.3 percent of the time in this business.

— Dick Shepherd, on the film industry[2]

Born Richard Allen Silberman in 1927 in Kansas City, Missouri, he attended Stanford University and studied journalism. After graduating, he worked for talent agent Lew Wasserman at MCA, selling syndicated TV shows. In the early 1950s, Jews were somewhat ostracized where he worked, and he changed his name to Shepherd, according to his son Scott.[1] During his employment with MCA, Shepherd enlisted in the United States Army, writing stories for the Stars and Stripes newspaper in post-World War II Germany.[2]

After leaving MCA, he formed Jurow-Shepherd Productions with Martin Jurow. Their first picture together was The Hanging Tree starring Gary Cooper and Maria Schell which they followed with The Fugitive Kind, an adaptation of Tennessee Williams's Orpheus Descending, starring Marlon Brando and Anna Magnani.[3]

They signed a six-picture deal with Paramount Pictures where they made films including an adaptation of Truman Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany’s.[3] When Paramount Pictures wanted to replace the signature song "Moon River," both Shepherd and Jurow exclaimed "Over our dead bodies!" The song later won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.[2]

He became an agent again in the 1960s, becoming one of the first partners at Creative Management Associates.[4] He would go on to head production at Warner Bros. in 1970 and MGM in 1976 and later founded his own agency, the Artists Agency, where he would work into his 70s.[4]

Personal life and death

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Shepherd was married from 1954 to 1978 to Judith Mayer Goetz, daughter of film producer William Goetz and granddaughter of Louis B. Mayer. They had three children, Scott, Tony, and Victoria. In 1979, Shepherd married Patricia and had a son, Christopher, by her.[2]

Shepherd died at his home in Los Angeles at the age of 86, from kidney failure.[1]

Filmography

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He was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.

Film

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Year Film Credit Notes
1959 The Hanging Tree
1960 The Fugitive Kind
1961 Love in a Goldfish Bowl
Breakfast at Tiffany's
1976 Robin and Marian Executive producer
Alex & the Gypsy
1983 The Hunger
1985 Volunteers Final film as a producer
Production manager
Year Film Role
1974 The Towering Inferno Production supervisor: Warner Bros.
Miscellaneous crew
Year Film Role
1998 The Man in the Iron Mask Production assistant

Television

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As writer
Year Title Notes
1988 What Price Victory Television film

References

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  1. ^ a b c Colker, David (2014-01-15). "Dick Shepherd, one of the producers behind 'Breakfast at Tiffany's,' dies at 86". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2014-01-18.
  2. ^ a b c d Barnes, Mike (January 15, 2014). "Richard Shepherd, Producer of 'Breakfast at Tiffany's,' Dies at 86". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
  3. ^ a b "Alumni of William Morris and MCA Shops, Jurow-Shepherd See Properties Magic That Baits Elusive Stars". Variety. February 11, 1959. p. 3. Retrieved July 6, 2019 – via Archive.org.
  4. ^ a b Khatchatourian, Maane (January 15, 2014). "Producer Richard Shepherd, Founder of Artists Agency, Dies at 86". Variety. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
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