George Barrie (9 February 1912 – 16 November 2002) was the owner and

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

of Fabergé Inc. from 1964 to 1984. He was nominated for two Oscars for Best Original Song and created the cologne Brut. Though not one of the first to use celebrities to advertise, he was one of those that made it commonplace.

Biography

Born to a Jewish family in New York City and raised in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, he trained to be a musician. But in need of steady work, Barrie took a salesman job with the hair products company Rayette during the 1930s. Rayette and Barrie purchased the perfume and hair-care company Fabergé Inc. for $26 million in 1964, and the Brut line began achieving international success soon after. Barrie was considered to be a pioneer in the area of

celebrity endorsements Celebrity branding or celebrity endorsement is a form of advertising campaign or marketing strategy which uses a celebrity's fame or social status to promote a product, brand or service, or to raise awareness about an issue. Marketers use celebr ...

, as he wooed stars such as Cary Grant,

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and

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to pitch company products. Barrie and his Brut Productions produced the very successful film '' A Touch of Class'' (1973), which starred Glenda Jackson and

George Segal George Segal Jr. (February 13, 1934 – March 23, 2021) was an American actor. He became popular in the 1960s and 1970s for playing both dramatic and comedic roles. After first rising to prominence with roles in acclaimed films such as ''Ship o ...

, as well as ''

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'', '' Whiffs'' (1975), '' Sweet Hostage'' (1975), ''

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'' (1977), '' Nasty Habits'' (1977), and '' Fingers'' (1978). Barrie and Sammy Cahn were nominated for the 1975

Academy Award for Best Original Song The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is presented to the ''songwriters'' who have composed th ...

, after writing "Now That We're In Love." Barrie and Cahn had been nominated in the same category in 1973, for "All That Love Went To Waste."

Trivia

Annual Straw Hat Awards – Party by Fabergé June 16, 1970 at the George Barrie Townhouse with Bette Davis

Personal life

He was married to Dorothy Barrie; and had three children: Caryl Barrie Kaplan, Richard Barrie, and Craig Barrie.

References

External links

Biography
at slick.org * {{DEFAULTSORT:Barrie, George American film producers American retail chief executives 1912 births 2002 deaths American Jews Jewish film people