Producer Mace Neufeld, whose credit over his practically 50-year Hollywood profession included hits reminiscent of “The Omen,” “The Hunt for Purple October” and “The Equalizer,” has died at his dwelling in Beverly Hills.
Neufeld died peacefully in his sleep Friday morning, in keeping with his spouse, Diane Conn. He was 93.
A prolific producer with old-school Hollywood appeal and a Renaissance-man résumé, Neufeld had a knack for figuring out properties that might join with a large viewers, no matter style. However he discovered a few of his best successes with thrillers, shepherding to the massive display 5 movies that includes writer Tom Clancy’s CIA analyst Jack Ryan, together with “Patriot Video games,” “Clear and Current Hazard” and “The Sum of All Fears,” in addition to 1987’s “No Means Out,” with Kevin Costner, and 2014’s “The Equalizer,” starring Denzel Washington.
“I used to be blessed to have the privilege to work with Mace on a number of of his movies, together with the Jack Ryan sequence,” former Paramount Photos chief Sherry Lansing mentioned. “Mace was a rare producer, and the movies he made will stay on eternally.”
The son of a New York stockbroker, Neufeld studied seventeenth century metaphysical poetry at Yale earlier than making a pointy flip towards the leisure enterprise. After working as a songwriter (Sammy Davis Jr. recorded his tune “Blues to Finish the Blues”), Neufeld established himself as a profitable expertise supervisor, constructing a roster of shoppers together with Randy Newman, Don Knotts, Captain & Tennille, The Carpenters and Jim Croce.
After relocating to Los Angeles, Neufeld moved into producing TV and flicks within the Seventies, notching a big-screen hit proper out of the gate with the 1976 horror movie “The Omen.” Centered on a creepy, demonic boy named Damien, the movie, which starred Gregory Peck, turned one of many highest-grossing blockbusters of that 12 months.
“He was an awesome risk-taker,” mentioned Neufeld’s son-in-law, screenwriter and producer Trey Callaway. “He mortgaged his home to make ‘The Omen’ after which simply by no means regarded again from that.
“However I feel the rationale folks maintain him in such excessive regard is that he at all times put the venture and the artists first. It was by no means concerning the deal for him. It was at all times about, ‘How can I discover the very best folks to assist me inform the very best story?’ ”
In 1990, Neufeld introduced Clancy’s Jack Ryan to the massive display with “The Hunt for Purple October,” starring Sean Connery as a Soviet submarine captain searching for to defect with the assistance of Alec Baldwin’s Ryan. The movie grossed greater than $200 million worldwide, spawning a permanent franchise that through the years would function a few of Hollywood’s most outstanding main males within the function of Ryan, together with Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck and Chris Pine.
“Mace was a showman from one other period, a minstrel on a seemingly perpetual seek for the subsequent story to share with the world,” mentioned director Phillip Noyce, who helmed two Jack Ryan movies, 1992’s “Patriot Video games” and 1994’s “Clear and Current Hazard” in addition to 1997’s “The Saint,” which Neufeld produced.
“Only a few days in the past, together with his physique clearly slowing down because of the weak spot of age, he was nonetheless urgent me to take dwelling three books that he deliberate to adapt into a brand new movie,” Noyce added. “And earlier than I left he broke into tune, completely reciting the complete lyrics of a 1937 hit tune that had captured his creativeness as a youngster. “
Certainly, Neufeld continued working late into his life, serving as govt producer on Amazon’s sequence “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan,” with John Krasinski taking over the character.
”You exit and discover good materials and also you keep it up and don’t hand over on it,” Neufeld instructed The Instances in 2014. “ I determine I’ll proceed doing films so long as I can tie my very own shoelaces.”
Neufeld, who was predeceased by first spouse Helen, is survived by his spouse, kids Bradley, Glenn and Nancy, 9 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
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