David Brown (producer)

David Brown (July 28, 1916 – February 1, 2010)[1] was an American film and theatre producer and writer who was best known for producing the 1975 film Jaws based on the best-selling novel by Peter Benchley.

David Brown
Brown in 2000
Born	(1916-07-28)July 28, 1916 New York City, United States
Died	February 1, 2010(2010-02-01) (aged 93) Manhattan, New York, United States
Alma mater	Stanford University Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
Occupation	Film producer, author, journalist
Years active	1973–2002
Spouse(s)	Helen Gurley Brown ( m. 1959)
Children	Bruce Brown
Awards	Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award (1991)

Early life

He was born in New York City, the son of Lillian (née Baren) and Edward Fisher Brown.[2]

Brown was a graduate of Stanford University and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.[3]

Early career

He began his professional career as a journalist, contributing to magazines including The Saturday Evening Post, Harper's and Collier's, before becoming an editor himself. He was a managing editor of Cosmopolitan before his wife, Helen Gurley Brown, joined the magazine.

Production career

Film

In 1951, the producer Darryl F. Zanuck hired Brown to head the story department at Zanuck's studio, 20th Century-Fox. Brown eventually rose to become executive vice president of creative operations. He and Richard D. Zanuck, Darryl's son, left Fox in 1971 for Warner Bros., but the following year they set out to form their own production company.

The caper film The Sting (1973) starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford was a Zanuck/Brown "presentation". In 1974, the company produced, along with Universal Pictures, The Sugarland Express, Steven Spielberg's directorial debut, for a motion picture.[4] Thereafter, the pair were credited as producers or executive producers of more than a dozen films, including the courtroom drama The Verdict (1982), directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Paul Newman; the science-fiction Cocoon (1985), directed by Ron Howard; and the comedy-drama Driving Miss Daisy (1989), directed by Bruce Beresford and starring Jessica Tandy and Morgan Freeman. Driving Miss Daisy won four Academy Awards, including the Best Picture award.

Without Zanuck, Brown went on to produce films including the drama Angela's Ashes (1999) and the romance Chocolat (2000).

He and partner Zanuck were jointly awarded the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1990 for their achievements in producing films including the horror thriller Jaws (1975), directed by Steven Spielberg.

Theater

Brown produced various Broadway musicals, including Sweet Smell of Success: The Musical (2002), Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (2005), and the off-Broadway Jerry Herman musical revue Showtune (2003).

He bought the film and stage rights to the drama play A Few Good Men, written by playwright Aaron Sorkin. The play opened November 1989 and ran for 500 performances. The film of the same name (1992) stars Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson.

Personal life

Helen Gurley and David Brown

From 1959, for fifty-one years, until his death, Brown was the husband of Helen Gurley Brown, editor of Cosmopolitan magazine for 32 years, and author of Sex and the Single Girl.

Brown had one son, Bruce, from a prior marriage, who predeceased him, and a half brother, Edward Fisher Brown Jr.

He was known equally for his mannerliness, fine wardrobe, distinctive mustache and for championing writers. He had strong connections with publishers and agents.

Brown wrote Brown's Guide to the Good Life: Tears, Fears and Boredom (2005), which gives advice on life. He also wrote Let Me Entertain You (1990), an anecdotal autobiography.

Death

He died, age 93, at his home in Manhattan from kidney failure on February 1, 2010.[3] His widow, Helen, died on August 13, 2012, age 90. Mr. and Mrs. Brown were laid to rest in late November 2012 in adjacent graves at Sisco Cemetery, Helen's maternal family cemetery just south of the village of Osage in Carroll County, Arkansas.

Filmography

All films, he was producer unless otherwise noted.

Film

Year	Film	Credit	Notes
1973	Sssssss	Executive producer
	The Sting	Executive producer	Uncredited
1974	Willie Dynamite
	The Sugarland Express
	The Black Windmill	Executive producer
	The Girl from Petrovka
1975	The Eiger Sanction	Executive producer
	Jaws
1977	MacArthur	Executive producer
1978	Jaws 2
1980	The Island
1981	Neighbors
1982	The Verdict
1985	Cocoon
	Target
1988	Cocoon: The Return
1989	Driving Miss Daisy	Executive producer
1992	The Player
	Rich in Love	Co-producer
	A Few Good Men
1993	The Cemetery Club
	Watch It	Executive producer
1995	Canadian Bacon
1997	The Saint
	Kiss the Girls
1998	Deep Impact
1999	Angela's Ashes
2000	Chocolat
2001	Along Came a Spider		Final film as a producer

Television

Year	Title	Credit	Notes
1987	CBS Summer Playhouse	Executive producer
1990	Women & Men: Stories of Seduction		Television film
1991	Women & Men 2		Television film
1996	A Season in Purgatory	Executive producer
2002	Framed	Executive producer	Television film

Thanks

Year	Title	Notes
2014	Of Dark & Disturbing Things	In memory of

References

1. The State.
2. Hearst Corporation (February 1, 2010). "David Brown, Acclaimed Movie Producer of Popular Classics Including The Sting, Jaws and Driving Miss Daisy, Author and Journalist, Dead at 93". PR Newswire Association LLC. Cision. Retrieved August 15, 2012.
3. Weber, Bruce (February 2, 2010). "David Brown, Film and Stage Producer, Dies at 93". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved February 3, 2010.
4. Press Release, Universal Pictures(June 21, 1973).Box 1, David Brown Papers, Collection #5574, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

[1]

External links

• David Brown at the Internet Broadway Database
• David Brown on IMDb
• David Brown at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
• David Brown at Find a Grave
• The David Brown papers at the American Heritage Center

1. Universal Pictures Press Release (June 21, 1973), Box 23, David Brown papers, Collection #5574, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.