Freddie Fields
Freddie Fields (July 12, 1923 – December 11, 2007),[1] born Fred Feldman, was an American theatrical agent and film producer.
Freddie Fields | |
---|---|
Born | Fred Feldman July 12, 1923 Ferndale, New York, United States |
Died | December 11, 2007 84) Beverly Hills, California, United States | (aged
Nationality | American |
Occupation | Producer, agent |
Spouse(s) | Cherie Latimer
(m. 1976; div. 1977) |
Children | 4, including Kathy Fields |
Biography
Born to a Jewish family,[2] he was the brother of band leader Shep Fields. Fields was a partner in the First Artists Company with Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, Dustin Hoffman, Sidney Poitier, and Barbra Streisand.[1] While First Artists only lasted for five years, it was unique in that it owned the films it produced, such as The Getaway (1972).[3] Fields and partner David Begelman founded the international talent agency Creative Management Associates (CMA).[1][3] At CMA, Fields and Begelman pioneered the movie "package", where the talent agency put their stars, directors and writers together on a single project.[4] CMA developed numerous agents including Sue Mengers, Mike Medavoy, Sam Cohn, and Jeff Berg (who became president in 1979).[3] While at CMA, he was involved with numerous blockbuster films including Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, American Graffiti and Star Wars. CMA was instrumental in the development of such stars as Jack Carter, Judy Garland, Woody Allen, Henry Fonda, Marilyn Monroe, Robert Redford, Peter Sellers, Steve McQueen, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Burt Bacharach, Neil Young, and into the 1980s promoted the likes of Richard Gere and Mel Gibson. He played a key role in the merger of CMA with the International Famous Agency to form International Creative Management (ICM).[1] He later served as president of MGM and United Artists.[1]
Personal life
Fields was married four times. He was survived by his wife, former Miss Universe 1964, Corinna Tsopei, and by two adopted children by his former wife, actress Polly Bergen.[5][6] He also was married to actress Edith Fellows, who died June 26, 2011. Kathy Fields is their child.[7]
Filmography
He was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.
Film
Year | Film | Credit | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1976 | Lipstick | ||
1977 | Handle with Care | ||
Looking for Mr. Goodbar | |||
1980 | American Gigolo | Executive producer | |
Wholly Moses! | |||
1981 | Escape to Victory | ||
1985 | Fever Pitch | ||
1986 | Poltergeist II: The Other Side | Executive producer | |
American Anthem | Executive producer | ||
Crimes of the Heart | |||
1989 | Millennium | Executive producer | |
Glory | Final film as a producer |
Television
Year | Title | Credit | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1962 | The Judy Garland Show | Executive producer | Television special |
1989 | Glory | Executive producer | Television special |
1996 | The Montel Williams Show | Executive producer |
References
- USA Today: "Legendary producer/agent Freddie Fields dies" by John Rogers December 12, 2007
- Variety: "Secret lunch honors Ladd" by Bob Verini September 27, 2007
- Variety: "Agent Freddie Fields dies at 84. Industry vet paved the way for super-agents" by Richard Natale December 12, 2007
- Eller, Claudia; Dutka, Eliane (August 9, 1995). "Begelman, Ex-Columbia Chief, an Apparent Suicide". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
- New York Times
- Timesonline.co.uk
- New York Times
External links
- Freddie Fields at IMDb
- Freddie Fields at AllMovie
- Freddie Fields at the TCM Movie Database
- Freddie Fields at Find a Grave