Jonathan D. Krane (May 1, 1952 – August 1, 2016) was an American screenwriter,

film producer A film producer is a person who oversees film production. Either employed by a production company or working independently, producers plan and coordinate various aspects of film production, such as selecting the script, coordinating writing, di ...

, talent manager, and studio head. He's most known in Hollywood for his decade and a half partnership with

John Travolta John Joseph Travolta (born February 18, 1954) is an American actor. He came to public attention during the 1970s, appearing on the television sitcom ''Welcome Back, Kotter'' (1975–1979) and starring in the box office successes ''Carrie'' (19 ...

, who he managed from 1987 until 2002. Together, they made some of Travolta's biggest films including ''

Look Who's Talking ''Look Who's Talking'' is a 1989 American romantic comedy film written and directed by Amy Heckerling, and starring John Travolta and Kirstie Alley. Bruce Willis plays the voice of Mollie's son, Mikey. The film features George Segal as Albert. P ...

'' (1989), ''Phenomenon'' (1996), ''

Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian an ...

'' (1996), '' Face/Off'' (1997), ''

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'' (1998), '' General's Daughter'' (1999), ''

Domestic Disturbance ''Domestic Disturbance'' is a 2001 American psychological thriller film directed by Harold Becker and starring John Travolta, Vince Vaughn, Teri Polo, Steve Buscemi, and Matt O'Leary. Plot In Southport, Maryland, Susan Morrison, recently divor ...

'' (2001), ''

Swordfish Swordfish (''Xiphias gladius''), also known as broadbills in some countries, are large, highly migratory predatory fish characterized by a long, flat, pointed bill. They are a popular sport fish of the billfish category, though elusive. Swordfis ...

'' (2001) and ''

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'' (2003). Krane was born in Hollywood, CA, on May 1, 1952. He graduated from

Hollywood Hills High School Hollywood Hills High School is a high school in Hollywood, Florida. Attendance zones The school serves sections of Hollywood and Davie, Florida, Davie. - Compare this map to attendance boundary maps and/or street addresses of particular schoo ...

at the age of 15, and received his bachelor's degree in liberal arts at St. John's College. After finishing his undergraduate work, he lived for one year in England, France, and Greece, independently studying civil liberties in European criminal justice systems before returning to the states to study law at

Yale Law School Yale Law School (Yale Law or YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824 and has been ranked as the best law school in the United States by ''U ...

. He was awarded his Doctor of Jurisprudence in 1976. He began his legal career as an associate at Los Angeles law firm of Irell & Manella, specializing in international motion picture taxation and entertainment law. This specialty would expose him to the world of entertainment and set him up for his future career as a talent manager and film producer. He married actress

Sally Kellerman Sally Clare Kellerman (June 2, 1937 – February 24, 2022) was an American actress and singer whose acting career spanned 60 years. Her role as Major Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan in Robert Altman's film ''M*A*S*H'' (1970) earned her an Oscar no ...

on May 11, 1980, in a private ceremony at

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' Malibu home. In 1989, they adopted newborn twins, Jack and Hannah. The family resided part-time in Jupiter, Florida from 1991 to 2008. A chance meeting with Blake Edwards at an industry party would change the course of his career. Edwards was reportedly tired of working with the studio system and Krane pitched him his idea for a "new type of film studio." After further discussions, they partnered together to form Blake Edwards Entertainment, where Krane would serve as CEO. Krane would develop and produce the projects so Edwards could focus on writing and directing. Their first project was the hit film ''

Trail of the Pink Panther A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or small road usually passing through a natural area. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a path or footpath is the preferred term for a pedestrian or hiking trail. T ...

,'' which they followed up with ''

Curse of the Pink Panther ''Curse of the Pink Panther'' is a 1983 comedy film and a continuation of ''The Pink Panther'' series of films created by Blake Edwards in the early 1960s. The film was one of two produced concurrently following the death of the series' star Pet ...

'' the next year''.'' All told, they made seven films together before Jonathan left to expand his own company called Management Company Entertainment (MCE), which he had formed in 1983. The separation was not amicable, with Blake later saying he "was furious with Krane and no longer spoke to him because Krane had made all his contacts through Edwards and then left." Krane took MCE public in 1987 as "Management Co. Entertainment Group", which made him the youngest CEO of a publicly traded company at the time.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Krane, Jonathan D. American film producers 1952 births 2016 deaths