Marvin Levy, Steven Spielberg’s longtime publicist, has died. He was 96.
Levy, a renowned marketing and communications executive, who received an honorary Oscar in 2018, died on April 7.
“Marvin’s passing is a huge loss for me and our industry writ large. There are many talented PR executives, but Marvin was one of a kind,” Spielberg said. “For over 50 years, he was a deeply loyal and exceptional collaborator who was respected and appreciated by all those who were lucky enough to learn from his counsel. When it came to handling the press, he had no peer.”
Spielberg continued, “To the media-and the world of exhibition, Marvin was the face of Amblin. We were opposite ends of the movie-making process. Every time I reached the end of production on a film, Marvin’s work had only begun. Through countless films, tv series, Amblin events, awards campaigns and our public relations strategy—this is where Marvin came alive. He loved his work—and was endlessly enthusiastic about our business. He was creative, innovative and respected for his knowledge and honesty. He was excited to figure how new and better ways to present films to audiences. As a result, he was the first and only publicist to receive an Academy Award. In awarding the honor, the Academy highlighted his “exemplary career in publicity that has brought films to the minds, hearts and souls of audiences all over the world.”
Spielberg credits Levy as part of the team responsible for the success of the films he worked on throughout the decades. Levy led promotional and awards campaigns for numerous of Spielberg’s own directorial works, including E.T., Jurassic Park, Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan, Munich, The Color Purple, Lincoln and Bridge of Spies. Other influential films Levy worked on include Back to the Future and its sequels, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Gigi, Ben-Hur, Taxi Driver, Kramer vs. Kramer, Sophie’s Choice, Men in Black, Deep Impact, Shrek and Gladiator. Five of them went on to win Best Picture.
On hearing of Levy’s passing, former AMPAS president Sid Ganis said in a statement to Deadline, “There was nobody…..nobody, past or present, better at the complicated business of movie marketing than Marvin! And while he was the very best at it he was the sweetest, most generous and engaging guy on the job.”
Levy was born in New York City in 1928. He got his start in communications during two years of Air Force service, handling advertising and public relations out of Michigan’s Selfridge Air Force Base.
Levy began his entertainment career in the late 1940s, first working on game shows with Robert G. Jennings and then the talk shows of Tex and Jinx McCrary. He next held roles at MGM’s New York publicity office, followed by major film PR agency Blowitz Thomas and Canton, and later Cinema Releasing, which brought him to California.
It was during his time as Columbia Pictures’ VP of Advertising, Publicity, & Promotion that Levy worked with Spielberg on Close Encounters of the Third Kind in 1977. Levy soon left Columbia to work exclusively alongside Spielberg, first at Amblin Entertainment and later at DreamWorks Studios.
In addition to an Academy Award, his career recognitions include the Publicists’ Guild’s highest honor, the Les Mason Award, which he won in 1994. He served on the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences for 23 years, spending much of that time as Chairman of the Public Relations Branch. He was an avid supporter of the Shoah Foundation, Righteous Persons Foundation, and Starlight Children’s Foundation.
Levy retired in 2024, at the age of 95.
Levy is survived by his wife of 73 years, Carol, their two sons, Don and Doug and his two grandsons, Brian and Daniel. He was preceded in death by his sister Jane.
The funeral will be held at Mount Sinai on Friday, April 11th at 10 a.m.
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