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Actor:

Harold Hecht

  • Born: Jun 01, 1907 in New York City, New York
  • Died: May 26, 1985 in Beverly Hills, California
  • Active: '50s-'60s
  • Major Genres: Drama, Comedy
  • Career Highlights: Marty, Cat Ballou, Separate Tables
  • First Major Screen Credit: She Done Him Wrong (1933)

Biography

Harold Hecht spent the first half of his life in show business as a performer. After attending the American Laboratory Theatre in his native New York City, Hecht acted in Shakespearean and Chekhovian productions, then danced with the Martha Graham and Metropolitan Opera troupes. He came to Hollywood in 1932 as a dance director at Paramount Pictures. In the mid-1930s, Hecht left Hollywood to work with the Federal Theatre Project, then set up shop as a literary agent. After World War II, Hecht switched from handling books to handling actors; his biggest client was Burt Lancaster, with whom Hecht formed Norma Productions in 1947. Five years later, producer James Hill (at one time the husband of Rita Hayworth) joined the partnership, and the result was the independent film production firm of Hecht-Hill-Lancaster; among their best-known films were Apache (1954), Marty (1955), The Kentuckian (1955), Separate Tables (1957) The Unforgiven (1960) and The Birdman of Alcatraz (1962). Hecht split with his partners in the early 1960s, soloing on such productions as Flight From Ashiya (1964) and Cat Ballou (1965). Harold Hecht gave up filmmaking in 1967 in favor of a happy and wealthy retirement. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

 
 
Wikipedia: Harold Hecht

Harold Hecht (b. in New York City on June 1 1907 - d. in Beverly Hills, California on May 26 1985) was an American film producer.

Harold Hecht started his involvement with the New York stage at age 16. He appeared in numerous classical stage productions and later danced with the companies of the Metropolitan Opera and Martha Graham. Then in the 1930s he became a dance director on film productions.

Harold Hecht is probably best remembered today for his association with the actor Burt Lancaster whom he "discovered" on the New York stage and brought to Hollywood, and with whom he formed an independent film production company, breaking from the then-powerful studio system. Their companies were Norma Productions, the Hecht-Lancaster company and, later with the writer-producer James Hill, the Hecht-Hill-Lancaster company.

On his passing (of cancer) at his home in 1985, six (6) days before his 78th birthday, he was interred in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles.

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Actor. Copyright © 2006 All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Harold Hecht" Read more

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