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Lee Rich

Lee Rich (December 10, 1918 – May 24, 2012) was an American television producer and executive renowned for co-founding Lorimar Productions and creating iconic prime-time series that defined 1970s and 1980s network television, including and . Born in , , to a banker father, Rich grew up in the suburb of Shaker Heights and earned a marketing degree from in before entering the advertising industry. His career spanned advertising, production, and studio leadership, during which he produced over 30 television series and a dozen films, earning multiple and shaping family dramas and soap operas that captivated millions. Rich died of in at age 93. Rich began his professional life in advertising, joining the firm Lord & Thomas (later Foote, Cone & Belding) after college and rising to senior vice president at Benton & Bowles by the mid-1960s, where he oversaw television programming for clients like . In 1965, he transitioned to production by partnering with the Mirisch brothers to form Mirisch-Rich Television, which developed early series before he left to pursue independent ventures. This experience honed his skills in spotting marketable content, setting the stage for his later success in independent production amid the shifting landscape of network television. In 1969, Rich co-founded Lorimar Productions with real estate developer , initially focusing on television movies before expanding into series that revolutionized episodic storytelling. As president, he greenlit in 1971, a wholesome family drama set during the that ran for nine seasons and won a total of 13 , including the 1973 award for Outstanding Drama Series. Lorimar's output under Rich included blockbuster hits like (1978–1991), which introduced the ruthless oil baron and spawned the prime-time soap genre, as well as , , and , all of which emphasized interpersonal dynamics and moral dilemmas. The company also produced acclaimed TV movies such as Sybil (1976) and (1976), both Emmy winners that tackled psychological and true-crime themes. After leaving Lorimar in 1986 amid its acquisition by Warner Bros., Rich served as chairman and CEO of MGM/UA Communications from 1986 to 1988, overseeing film productions like (1987), (1988), and (1988), the latter of which won four Oscars including Best Picture. He later founded Lee Rich Productions, continuing to develop content until his retirement. Rich's legacy lies in his risk-taking approach to programming, which bridged advertiser-driven TV with creative independence, producing culturally resonant stories that influenced generations of viewers and producers.

Early life

Childhood and family background

Lee Rich was born on December 10, 1918, in , , though some accounts cite December 19 as the date. He grew up in the suburb of Shaker Heights, the older of two children in a family supported by his father's career as a banker. The banking profession of Rich's father contributed to a stable, middle-class household during his early years, amid the economic challenges of the era in the Midwest. While specific childhood anecdotes are scarce, Rich's upbringing in the of Shaker Heights exposed him to a structured suburban environment typical of early 20th-century families. This foundational period in shaped Rich's early life before he transitioned to at .

Education and initial employment

Rich was born and raised in , the suburb of where his family resided. He attended in , graduating in 1944 with a degree in marketing. Following his graduation, Rich relocated to to pursue professional opportunities. For about a year, he worked as a traveling salesman, peddling handbags along the East Coast to gain practical sales experience. This role honed his entrepreneurial skills before he secured his entry-level position in the advertising industry as an office boy at the prominent firm Lord & Thomas.

Career

Advertising and marketing roles

After earning a marketing degree from Ohio University, Lee Rich entered the advertising industry in the early 1950s, initially taking entry-level positions before joining Benton & Bowles as a media director in 1952. At the agency, he focused on television media planning and buying, leveraging his expertise to bridge advertisers with emerging broadcast opportunities during the medium's rapid expansion. His early responsibilities included coordinating ad placements and sponsor alignments for network programming, which honed his skills in the competitive landscape of 1950s television promotion. Rich quickly ascended within Benton & Bowles, becoming a in 1955, director of media in 1957, and a senior vice president by the mid-1960s, while heading the agency's television department. In this leadership role, he oversaw the and of high-profile shows, acting as a key liaison between sponsors, networks, and producers to ensure commercial viability. His strategic oversight extended to program development, where agencies like Benton & Bowles wielded significant influence over content selection and promotion in an era when advertisers often controlled primetime schedules. A pivotal achievement was Rich's involvement in marketing The Dick Van Dyke Show, which premiered in 1961 under Benton & Bowles' sponsorship for clients like . As head of the TV department, he played a central role in packaging the series—assembling talent, securing sponsorships, and negotiating with to position it effectively—strategies that enhanced its visibility and contributed to its status as a groundbreaking . These efforts included targeted promotional campaigns that highlighted the show's innovative blend of workplace and domestic humor, attracting broad advertiser support and audience engagement during its initial seasons. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Rich's work at Benton & Bowles solidified his reputation in television promotion, where he cultivated enduring industry connections with network executives, talent agents, and sponsors. His contributions emphasized data-driven media strategies and sponsor-driven content packaging, helping to shape the of early network television by prioritizing shows with strong commercial appeal. This period established Rich as a forward-thinking executive whose advertising acumen influenced the promotional standards for hit programming.

Entry into television production

After serving as a senior vice president at the advertising agency Benton & Bowles, where he handled television promotion for major clients, Lee Rich resigned in 1965 to transition into independent television production. That year, Rich partnered with to co-found Mirisch-Rich Productions, a venture aimed at developing content for network television. As executive in charge of production, Rich oversaw the company's initial output, focusing on action-adventure series and sitcoms. Notable early projects included the World War II action series , which aired on from 1966 to 1968, and the short-lived sitcom Hey, Landlord!, created by and , which ran on during the 1966–1967 season. The partnership proved short-lived, lasting until 1967, when Rich departed Mirisch-Rich after gaining essential hands-on experience in scripting, casting, and budgeting for episodic . This period marked Rich's foundational step into production, honing his skills in managing creative teams and navigating network deals before pursuing larger independent endeavors.

Founding and leadership of Lorimar Productions

In 1969, Lee Rich co-founded Lorimar Productions with developers and , initially leveraging their business ties in property development before shifting focus to television production with made-for-TV movies. The company's name derived from a portmanteau of Adelson's then-wife Lori and the Palomar Airport in , reflecting the founders' origins. As president, Rich guided Lorimar's rapid growth into a powerhouse of primetime programming, serving as on more than 1,600 episodes across 33 series from 1969 to 1986. Lorimar achieved its breakthrough with family-oriented dramas, most notably , which premiered on in 1972 and earned the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series in 1973 under Rich's oversight. The company followed with blockbuster primetime soaps like (debuting in 1978), , , and , which collectively defined 1970s and 1980s television by blending family dynamics with high-stakes intrigue and dominating Nielsen ratings. Under Rich's leadership, Lorimar diversified into acclaimed miniseries, including the psychological drama Sybil (1976), starring , and the true-crime story (1976), based on the murders, both of which drew massive audiences and critical praise. This expansion bolstered Lorimar's reputation for quality event programming. In the mid-1980s, the company merged with in 1985 to form , followed by its acquisition by Warner Bros. in 1986, marking the end of Rich's tenure as president.

Later executive positions and independent work

In 1986, after 17 years at Lorimar Productions, Lee Rich resigned from his position as president amid fundamental differences with chairman , particularly following the company's merger with earlier that year. He immediately transitioned to MGM/UA Communications Co., where he was appointed chairman and chief executive officer of , a key division of the studio, replacing , who had been ousted two weeks earlier. In this role, Rich focused on revitalizing the company's film slate by reviewing and approving projects, aiming to restore creative momentum to the studio amid its recent independence from . During his two-year tenure at MGM/UA from 1986 to 1988, Rich greenlit several commercially successful films that contributed to the studio's turnaround. Notable approvals included the romantic comedy Moonstruck (1987), directed by Norman Jewison and starring Cher, which earned six Academy Award nominations including Best Picture; the heist comedy A Fish Called Wanda (1988), co-written and starring John Cleese, which grossed over $62 million worldwide and won an Oscar for Kevin Kline; and the drama Rain Man (1988), directed by Barry Levinson and starring Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise, which won four Academy Awards including Best Picture. These projects exemplified Rich's emphasis on diverse, audience-driven storytelling to bolster MGM/UA's output during a period of financial and structural challenges. Rich resigned from MGM/UA in July 1988 amid a major corporate restructuring orchestrated by owner Kirk Kerkorian, which involved splitting the company and selling a stake in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, leaving no clear role for him in the reorganized entity. He then returned to independent production by forming Lee Rich Productions, based at Warner Bros., where he executive produced action-oriented films such as Hard to Kill (1990), starring Steven Seagal and directed by Bruce Malmuth, which earned nearly $47 million at the box office on a $12 million budget, and Passenger 57 (1992), a Wesley Snipes-led thriller directed by Kevin Hooks that grossed over $44 million domestically. Through this venture, Rich continued to leverage his industry experience to develop mid-budget projects blending commercial appeal with narrative focus until scaling back in the mid-1990s.

Personal life

Marriages and family

Lee Rich married actress on December 5, 1964, in . The couple had two daughters together: Jessica Rich and Miranda Tollman (née Rich). Through his marriage to Scott, Rich became the son-in-law of screenwriter Allan Scott, known for his work on films such as Top Hat (1935) and Swing Time (1936). Rich and Scott divorced in 1983 after nearly two decades of marriage. Following the divorce, Rich married (Jo-Ellen) Sollecito on October 10, 1983; they had two children, daughter Blair Rich and son Rich, before divorcing in 1992. Rich was also the father of son Michael Henes from an earlier relationship. Despite the separation from Scott, Rich and Scott remained on amicable terms. After his divorce from Sollecito, they reconnected in 1996 and maintained a close relationship until Rich's death in 2012; Scott was described as his longtime partner at the time.

Philanthropy and interests

Rich maintained a close relationship with his longtime partner, the actress , and his five children—Michael Henes, Jessica Rich, Miranda Rich Tollman, Blair Rich, and Anthony Rich—along with seven grandchildren, even after his 1983 divorce from Scott. Public biographical accounts reveal limited details on Rich's philanthropic activities, with no widely documented contributions to causes such as or education linked to his , , origins. Comprehensive obituaries and profiles emphasize his professional life over charitable endeavors, suggesting any such efforts remained private or unpublicized. In his personal life, Rich was known as a voracious reader with a deep passion for , reportedly consuming up to two books a day during periods of illness. As Scott recalled, "He never stopped loving the great stories... To Lee, ‘story’ was everything." This interest in narrative extended beyond his career, reflecting a commitment to work-life balance through family-oriented pursuits, though specific hobbies like travel are not detailed in available records.

Death and legacy

Illness and death

In his later years, Lee Rich was diagnosed with , which he battled until his death. Rich passed away on May 24, 2012, at the age of 93 in his home in , , due to complications from the disease. His death was confirmed by a Warner Bros. spokesman and by his ex-wife, actress Pippa Scott, with whom he maintained a close relationship.

Impact on television industry

Lee Rich's impact on the television industry is exemplified by his pivotal role in producing The Waltons, which earned him the 1973 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series, marking a career pinnacle and highlighting his ability to deliver resonant family dramas during a transformative era for broadcast television. This accolade, shared with the show's cast and crew, underscored Rich's executive oversight in creating content that balanced emotional depth with broad appeal, influencing the standards for dramatic storytelling in primetime slots. As co-founder of Lorimar Productions in 1969, Rich helped pioneer the independent production model, establishing it as the gold standard for efficiency and innovation outside major studio control, which enabled flexible content creation and lucrative syndication opportunities for series like Dallas and Knots Landing. Lorimar's success in syndication, particularly through first-run programming distributed to local stations, reshaped revenue streams for independents, culminating in its 1989 merger with Warner Bros., which integrated these models into a major studio framework and amplified their reach across cable and broadcast networks. This merger not only solidified Lorimar's legacy but also set precedents for future studio-independent collaborations, emphasizing Rich's business foresight in navigating the evolving landscape of television distribution. Rich's mentorship legacy endures through tributes in obituaries that praise his blend of and creative passion, positioning him as an influential guide for emerging producers who valued his hands-on approach to nurturing talent and projects. His overall influence on and primetime drama is evident in Lorimar's production of family-oriented hits like The Waltons and soap-style sagas such as , which collectively drew massive audiences and redefined episodic television by prioritizing serialized narratives and relatable character arcs. These contributions helped shift industry norms toward more ambitious, viewer-driven programming that sustained long-term cultural relevance.

Filmography

Television productions

Lee Rich's television productions, largely through his leadership at Lorimar Productions, featured enduring primetime series and pioneering that captured family dynamics, corporate intrigue, and social issues during the and . As , he emphasized character-driven storytelling that resonated with broad audiences, contributing to Lorimar's reputation for high-rated fare. Among his major series, Rich served as executive producer for The Waltons (1972–1981), a CBS drama depicting a Depression-era Virginia family navigating economic hardship and World War II; the series earned the 1973 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series. He also executive produced Dallas (1978–1991), the CBS soap opera centered on the Ewing clan's oil business rivalries and family betrayals, which became a cultural phenomenon. Its spin-off, Knots Landing (1979–1993), shifted to middle-class suburban tensions in California while maintaining serialized drama. Additional key series included Eight Is Enough (1977–1981), an ABC comedy-drama following a widowed journalist and his eight children, and Falcon Crest (1981–1990), a CBS saga of Napa Valley wine industry power struggles. Rich's notable miniseries and TV movies highlighted groundbreaking formats and true-crime narratives. He produced (1976), a two-part adaptation starring as a woman grappling with . Similarly, (1976), a miniseries depicting the murders and investigation, drew massive viewership for its forensic detail. Lorimar, under Rich, is credited with pioneering the format with (1973 miniseries), an production exploring urban policing through the lens of a veteran . In his later independent work, Rich executive produced nostalgic reunion projects that revived fan favorites, such as A Walton Thanksgiving Reunion (1993), a CBS special reuniting the amid 1963 historical events; A Walton Wedding (1995), focusing on John-Boy's marriage; and Dallas: J.R. Returns (1996), a backdoor pilot resolving storylines. Across his career, Rich's television output encompassed over 1,600 episodes from 33 projects under Lorimar Productions and subsequent independent ventures, solidifying his influence on episodic and limited-series television.

Film productions

Lee Rich began his involvement in feature films prior to the full establishment of Lorimar Productions, producing The Sporting Club (1971), a comedy-drama adapted from Thomas McGuane's novel and directed by Larry Peerce, which explored themes of decadence among elite sportsmen. His early credits also included executive producing the made-for-television thriller Pursuit (1972), directed by Michael Crichton and starring Ben Gazzara, a suspenseful chase narrative that aired on ABC and showcased Rich's growing interest in cinematic storytelling. Similarly, he executive produced the horror TV movie Bad Ronald (1974), directed by Buzz Kulik, where a teenage boy hides in the walls of a new family's home after his mother's death, blending psychological tension with film-like production values. With the formation of Lorimar, Rich transitioned to theatrical releases, serving as producer on The Choirboys (), a controversial comedy-drama directed by and based on Joseph Wambaugh's novel about corrupt policemen; the film starred and Lou Gossett Jr. and faced censorship challenges for its explicit content upon release by Lorimar Productions. This marked one of Lorimar's initial forays into feature films, highlighting Rich's ability to adapt literary works into ensemble-driven narratives. During his tenure as chairman and CEO of MGM/UA Entertainment Co. from 1986 to 1988, Rich greenlit several commercially and critically acclaimed projects that bolstered the studio's output. Notable among these was the romantic comedy Moonstruck (1987), directed by Norman Jewison and starring Cher, which earned three Academy Awards including Best Actress and grossed over $80 million worldwide. He also approved the Ealing Studios-style caper A Fish Called Wanda (1988), co-written and starring John Cleese, which became a box-office hit earning $62 million and four Oscar nominations, revitalizing MGM/UA's comedy slate. Additionally, Rich oversaw the development and release of the political thriller Betrayed (1988), directed by Costa-Gavras and featuring Debra Winger and Tom Berenger in a story of FBI infiltration of white supremacist groups, contributing to the studio's diverse genre portfolio during a period of financial restructuring, as well as the drama Rain Man (1988), directed by Barry Levinson and starring Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise, which won four Oscars including Best Picture. Following his departure from MGM/UA in 1988, Rich established Lee Rich Productions and focused on independent feature films, often emphasizing action, adventure, and family-oriented stories. He produced the action thriller Hard to Kill (1990), starring Steven Seagal in his second leading role as a vengeful detective emerging from a seven-year coma. In 1992, Rich served as executive producer on Passenger 57, a high-octane hijacking film directed by Kevin Hooks and featuring Wesley Snipes as an off-duty security expert thwarting terrorists on a plane, which grossed $44 million on a modest budget. Rich's later productions included the family adventure The Amazing Panda Adventure (1995), directed by , where a young boy aids his father in rescuing a panda cub from poachers in , co-produced with and emphasizing environmental themes. That same year, he produced the legal thriller , starring and , adapted from John Katzenbach's novel about a Harvard professor uncovering corruption in a case. His final major credit was as on The Score (2001), a drama directed by and featuring , , and in Brando's last role, which explored a jewel theft scheme in and earned praise for its tense ensemble dynamics. These independent efforts underscored Rich's enduring commitment to with strong narrative drives and star appeal.

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