Noteworthy Deaths

Goldwyn dynasty heir, indie champion

LOS ANGELES -- Samuel Goldwyn Jr., an urbane, soft-spoken scion of a Hollywood dynasty who became an influential movie executive in his own right, died Friday. He was 88.

His death, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, was caused by congestive heart failure, said his son, John Goldwyn.

A ravenous book reader, possessing intellectual curiosity in a business not known for it, Goldwyn was an early champion of stylized, cerebral films that most major studios thought would never sell a ticket. His indie operation, the Samuel Goldwyn Co., founded in 1979, helped create a business model -- low production costs, guerrilla marketing -- that allowed art-house movies to grow into a powerful cultural and economic force.

Goldwyn was credited with giving Julia Roberts her big break in Mystic Pizza in 1988. But he was also known for backing budding directors on their early films, including Ang Lee (The Wedding Banquet), Anthony Minghella (Truly Madly Deeply) and Kenneth Branagh (Henry V).

As Hollywood dynasties go, the Goldwyns are among the few to have made a mark for successive generations. Samuel Goldwyn was the G in MGM. Sammy, as his son was known in his younger days, followed. Among the third generation's accomplishments, John Goldwyn was vice chairman of Paramount Pictures, and another son, actor Tony Goldwyn, is a star of the ABC series Scandal.

As a producer, Samuel Goldwyn Jr. was nominated for a best-picture Oscar in 2004 for Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.

Metro on 01/11/2015

Upcoming Events