Marvin Levy, publicist by Steven Spielberg for more than four decades and the only person in his field that is recognized with an Oscar, has died. He was 96 years old.
Levy died Monday in Los Angeles surrounded by loved ones, said Amblin Entertainment representatives on Wednesday. No cause was given.
“Marvin’s death is a great loss for me and our industry to much. There are many talented public relations executives, but Marvin was unique,” Spielberg said in a statement. “I am grateful for all our years together. Marvin never stopped making me laugh, he never stopped smiling. We will miss Marvin. You will always be in our hearts and your memory will always make us smile.”
The Lar Data Association of Levy with Spielberg made it one of the most recognized and respected publicists in Hollywood. During his 70 -year career, he worked on campaigns for film classics such as “Taxi Driver”, “Kramer vs. Kramer”, “Nearby Encounters of the Third Type”, “Return to the future”, “Schindler List”, “Jurassic Park” and “Gladiator”.
In 2018, Levy, a long -standing member of the Public Relations Branch of the Film Academy, became the first and only publicist to receive an honorary Oscar of the Academy of Arts and Sciences of Pine de Motion. The name of no publicist had even presented himself for the prize before Levy.
“I was off the left field for me. I couldn’t have imagined it,” Lesociated Press told The Associated Press in 2018. “It’s not as if I could say ‘Caramba, I would love to get it one day.’ I wasn’t on my list of pending tasks.”
Born in Manhattan on November 16, 1928, Levy grew up on the east side and attended the University of New York. Although he never set out to be a publicist specifically, he knew he had a way with words. One of his first works was to write questions for a television questionnaire program. But he was fired when his “great ticket” question was answered too early in the season.
His first advertising work was in MGM in New York, where he was so far on the ladder that he could never travel to Los Angeles, but where he worked on campaigns for films such as “Gigi” and “Ben-Hur.” When the company was remarking “Mutiny on the Bounty”, it knew it was time to move on.
Levy soon found his way to the legendary publicists Arthur Canton and Bill Blowitz, and then Columbia Pictures that took him to California. It was during that time that he started working with Spielberg, who was just out of “jaws.” They told him that he should only concentrate on “nearby meetings.” By 1982, he went full time with Spielberg and would not look back.
Although he had many maximums in the industry, Levy also recalled a great anguish when “saving the private Ryan” lost the best image against “Shakespeare in Love” in the 71st Academy Awards.
“That was the most difficult night of my life in terms of the business,” Levy said. But he put a brave face in the governor’s ball after the ceremony.
Tom Hanks presented the Honorary Oscar for Levy in 2018, noting that it is needed, “something like a narrator for an audience to hook the story without giving the story.”
Levy remained dedicated to Spielberg, and Amblin Entertainment, until his full retirement in 2024. For him, he was never old.
“What luck can be? I say it seriously,” he said in 2018. “We work for the best filmmaker.”
Levy survives his wife for 73 years, Carol, his two children, Don and Doug, and two grandchildren, Brian and Daniel.
