Edward Lewis (December 16, 1919 – July 27, 2019) was an American film producer and writer. As producer, he worked on nine films in partnership with actor

Kirk Douglas Kirk Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch; December 9, 1916 – February 5, 2020) was an American actor and filmmaker. After an impoverished childhood, he made his film debut in ''The Strange Love of Martha Ivers'' (1946) with Barbara Stanwyck. Do ...

; from 1958 to 1966, Lewis was Vice-President of Kirk Douglas film production company,

Bryna Productions Bryna Productions (later renamed The Bryna Company) is an American independent film and television production company established by actor Kirk Douglas in 1949. The company also produced a handful of films through its subsidiaries, Michael Produ ...

, as well as its subsidiaries, Brynaprod,

Joel Productions Bryna Productions (later renamed The Bryna Company) is an American independent film and television production company established by actor Kirk Douglas in 1949. The company also produced a handful of films through its subsidiaries, Michael Produc ...

and Douglas and Lewis Productions. He also produced nine films directed by John Frankenheimer. Lewis also wrote several books.

Biography

Lewis was born in

Camden, New Jersey Camden is a city in and the county seat of Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Camden is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan area and is located directly across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the 2020 ...

to Max Klein and Florence (Klein) Lewis. Before graduating, Lewis went to

Bucknell University Bucknell University is a private liberal arts college in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1846 as the University at Lewisburg, it now consists of the College of Arts and Sciences, Freeman College of Management, and the College of Engineering. ...

, and then to dental school. Before graduating, he served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

in England as a Captain, at a military hospital. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he lived in Los Angeles, where he married Mildred Gerchik; they had two daughters. He died at his home in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

Career

In June 1956, Lewis began what would be a ten-year partnership with actor Kirk Douglas and his independent film production company

. That month, Bryna Productions acquired Lewis' original story and screenplay, ''Mavourneen'', a comedy about three girls in an Irish town who conspire to trick the town's most eligible bachelor into marrying one of them. Lewis was appointed Associate Producer for both ''Mavourneen'' (which was never made) and ''

Lizzie Lizzie or Lizzy is a nickname for Elizabeth or Elisabet, often given as an independent name in the United States, especially in the late 19th century. Lizzie can also be the shortened version of Lizeth, Lissette or Lizette. People * Elizabeth I ...

'', a film about a woman with a triple personality complex, in production for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and starring Eleanor Parker.'''' Lewis would quickly become a key member for the Bryna Productions organization. In September 1956, Lewis was assigned as producer for Bryna Productions' ''

The Careless Years ''The Careless Years'' is a 1957 film from United Artists directed by Arthur Hiller and produced by Edward Lewis. The film was the directorial debut for Hiller. The film stars Dean Stockwell and Natalie Trundy in an early film appearance. Plot ...

'', a teenage drama co-starring

Natalie Trundy Natalie Trundy (born Natalie Trundy Campagna, August 5, 1940 – December 5, 2019) was an American stage, film, and television actress. Early years Trundy (pronounced "Troon-dee") was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the daughter of an Italian fa ...

and Dean Stockwell. In November 1957, Lewis was appointed head of Bryna Productions' television department, charged with producing and developing the series ''

Tales of the Vikings ''Tales of the Vikings'' is an American first-run syndicated television series, first telecast on 8 September 1959 and ran through June 2, 1960. The series was produced by Kirk Douglas' production company, Brynaprod. Plot Set in tenth century Sca ...

'' for United Artists Television. In late March 1958, Lewis was appointed Vice-President of Bryna Productions, a position he held for the next five years, until he was made an equal partner in the firm

Douglas and Lewis Productions Bryna Productions (later renamed The Bryna Company) is an American independent film and television production company established by actor Kirk Douglas in 1949. The company also produced a handful of films through its subsidiaries, Michael Produ ...

in December 1963, holding that position for an additional three years. During this time, he worked on such films as '' Spartacus'', co-starring Douglas,

Tony Curtis Tony Curtis (born Bernard Schwartz; June 3, 1925September 29, 2010) was an American actor whose career spanned six decades, achieving the height of his popularity in the 1950s (Kansas Raiders, 1950) and early 1960s. He acted in more than 100 f ...

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier (; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, was one of a trio of male actors who dominated the Theatre of the U ...

Charles Laughton Charles Laughton (1 July 1899 – 15 December 1962) was a British actor. He was trained in London at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and first appeared professionally on the stage in 1926. In 1927, he was cast in a play with his future w ...

Peter Ustinov Sir Peter Alexander Ustinov (born Peter Alexander Freiherr von Ustinov ; 16 April 192128 March 2004) was a British actor, filmmaker and writer. An internationally known raconteur, he was a fixture on television talk shows and lecture circuits ...

John Gavin John A. Gavin (born Juan Vincent Apablasa; April 8, 1931 – February 9, 2018) was an American actor who was the president of the Screen Actors Guild (1971–73), and the United States Ambassador to Mexico (1981–86). Among the films he appeared ...

and

Jean Simmons Jean Merilyn Simmons, (31 January 1929 – 22 January 2010) was a British actress and singer. One of J. Arthur Rank's "well-spoken young starlets", she appeared predominantly in films, beginning with those made in Great Britain during and afte ...

; '' The Last Sunset'', co-starring Douglas,

Rock Hudson Rock Hudson (born Roy Harold Scherer Jr.; November 17, 1925 – October 2, 1985) was an American actor. One of the most popular movie stars of his time, he had a screen career spanning more than three decades. A prominent heartthrob in the Golde ...

, Joseph Cotten and

Dorothy Malone Dorothy Malone (born Mary Dorothy Maloney; January 29, 1924 – January 19, 2018) was an American actress. Her film career began in 1943, and in her early years, she played small roles, mainly in B-movies, with the exception of a supporting role ...

; ''

Lonely Are the Brave ''Lonely Are the Brave'' is a 1962 American black and white Western film adaptation of the Edward Abbey novel ''The Brave Cowboy'' directed by David Miller from a screenplay by Dalton Trumbo and starring Kirk Douglas, Gena Rowlands and Walter ...

'', co-starring Douglas and

Walter Matthau Walter Matthau (; born Walter John Matthow; October 1, 1920 – July 1, 2000) was an American actor, comedian and film director. He is best known for his film roles in '' A Face in the Crowd'' (1957), ''King Creole'' (1958) and as a coach of a ...

; '' The List of Adrian Messenger'', co-starring Douglas and George C. Scott; '' Seven Days in May''; co-starring Douglas,

Burt Lancaster Burton Stephen Lancaster (November 2, 1913 – October 20, 1994) was an American actor and producer. Initially known for playing tough guys with a tender heart, he went on to achieve success with more complex and challenging roles over a 45-yea ...

, Fredric March and Ava Gardner; Seconds, co-starring Hudson and Salome Jens; and ''

Grand Prix Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to: Arts and entertainment ...

'', co-starring James Garner,

Yves Montand Ivo Livi (), better known as Yves Montand (; 13 October 1921 – 9 November 1991), was an Italian-French actor and singer. Early life Montand was born Ivo Livi in Monsummano Terme, Italy, to Giovanni Livi, a broom manufacturer, Ivo held strong ...

, Eva Marie Saint and

Toshiro Mifune was a Japanese actor who appeared in over 150 feature films. He is best known for his 16-film collaboration (1948–1965) with Akira Kurosawa in such works as ''Rashomon'', ''Seven Samurai'', ''The Hidden Fortress'', ''Throne of Blood'', and '' ...

. With ''Spartacus'', Lewis contributed to ending the Hollywood blacklist by commissioning

Dalton Trumbo James Dalton Trumbo (December 9, 1905 – September 10, 1976) was an American screenwriter who scripted many award-winning films, including ''Roman Holiday'' (1953), ''Exodus'', ''Spartacus'' (both 1960), and ''Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo'' (1944) ...

to write the screenplay and 'fronting' for him, only revealing the subterfuge to

Universal-International Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...

when ''Spartacus'' was nearly completed. Trumbo is reported to have written of Lewis that he "risked his name to help a man who'd lost his name". In January 1967, Edward Lewis Productions and John Frankenheimer Productions together signed a four-picture financing and distribution deal with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, for the production of several films which the pair had developed during the Douglas and Lewis Productions era. Lewis and Frankenheimer co-produced five additional films together, including '' The Fixer'', '' The Extraordinary Seaman'' and ''

The Gypsy Moths ''The Gypsy Moths'' is a 1969 American drama film, based on the 1955 novel of the same name by James Drought and directed by John Frankenheimer. The film tells the story of three barnstorming skydivers and their effect on a Midwestern American to ...

'', as part of their Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer pact, followed by ''

I Walk the Line "I Walk the Line" is a song written and recorded in 1956 by Johnny Cash. After three attempts with moderate chart ratings, it became Cash's first #1 hit on the Billboard charts, ''Billboard'' charts, eventually reaching #17 on the US pop charts. ...

'' and '' The Horsemen'', as part of a subsequent pact with Columbia Pictures.

Partial film credits

* ''

Run for the Hills ''Run for the Hills'' is a 1953 American comedy film directed by Lew Landers and starring Sonny Tufts, Barbara Payton and Mauritz Hugo.Lewis p.168 The film's sets were designed by the art director Ernst Fegté. Cast * Sonny Tufts as Charlie Johns ...

'' (1953) *'' Spartacus'' (1960) *'' The Last Sunset'' (1961) *''

'' (1962) *'' The List of Adrian Messenger'' (1963) *'' Seven Days in May'' (1964) *''

Seconds The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds ...

'' (1966) *''

'' (1966) *'' The Fixer'' (1968) *''

'' (1969) *'' The Extraordinary Seaman'' (1969) *''

'' (1970) *'' The Horsemen'' (1971) *''

Executive Action Executive actions of the CIA are directives issued to the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States. History The CIA was created under the National Security Act of 1947, which Harry S. Truman signed on July 26, 1947. Richard Bissell was ...

'' (1973) *''

Missing Missing or The Missing may refer to: Film * ''Missing'' (1918 film), an American silent drama directed by James Young * ''Missing'' (1982 film), an American historical drama directed by Costa-Gavras * ''Missing'' (2007 film) (''Vermist''), a Bel ...

'' (1982) He shared an Academy Award nomination for best picture with his wife, Mildred Lewis. *'' Crackers'' (1984) *'' The River'' (1984)

Other work

Drama

*1963 Broadway adaptation of Ken Kesey's novel "

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest may refer to: * ''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' (novel), a 1962 novel by Ken Kesey * ''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' (play), a 1963 stage adaptation of the novel starring Kirk Douglas * ''One Flew Over the ...

", co -produced with

David Merrick David Merrick (born David Lee Margoulis; November 27, 1911 – April 25, 2000) was an American theatrical producer who won a number of Tony Awards. Life and career Born David Lee Margulois to Jewish parents in St. Louis, Missouri, Merrick gradua ...

Television

*Executive producer of the series ''

''. *Executive producer of the mini-series ''

The Thorn Birds ''The Thorn Birds'' is a 1977 novel by Australian author Colleen McCullough. Set primarily on Drogheda – a fictional sheep station in the Australian Outback named after Drogheda, Ireland, the story focuses on the Cleary family and spans 1 ...

''. The series won an Emmy.

Books

*''Brothers'' (1977), co-authored with Mildred Lewis (fictionalized account of the relationship between black activist Angela Davis and George Jackson, a prison inmate). *''Heads You Lose'' (2002) co-authored with Mildred Lewis *''Masquerade'' (2006) *''I am Spartacus! Making a Film, Breaking the Blacklist.'' (2012)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Edward 1919 births 2019 deaths Bryna Productions people Writers from Camden, New Jersey Military personnel from New Jersey Bucknell University alumni United States Army personnel of World War II