Mort Abrahams (26 March 1916 – 28 May 2009) was an American film and television producer. Among his credits are nine episodes of spy series '' The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' and, as

associate 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, dir ...

, the films '' Doctor Dolittle'', '' Planet of the Apes'', '' Goodbye, Mr. Chips'' and '' Beneath the Planet of the Apes'', co-writing the story of the latter.

Biography

Abrahams was the son of a stockbroker. His interest in film was piqued while he worked at Bank of America that tasked him to try and sell several unsuccessful films that the bank had invested in to the television market. He began his career by producing several early science fiction series: Tom Corbett, Space Cadet (1950–55) and Tales of Tomorrow (1951-53); and then a live anthology series for General Electric Theater (1954–55) which included actors

James Dean James Byron Dean (February 8, 1931September 30, 1955) was an American actor. He is remembered as a cultural icon of teenage disillusionment and social estrangement, as expressed in the title of his most celebrated film, ''Rebel Without a Cause' ...

and Natalie Wood. As a producer at Music Corporation of America in the 1950s, Abrahams was an executive producer on early TV shows including "Suspicion," "Kraft Suspense Theatre" and "G.E. Theatre," hosted by

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

. For

Herbert B. Leonard Herbert Breiter Leonard (October 8, 1922 – October 14, 2006) was an American producer and writer. Leonard was a production manager at Screen Gems for many years. Leonard produced and was the production manager for many of the television ...

Prods. and ABC, he produced the on-the-road adventure "Route 66" in 1962–63 and the spy-themed "U.N.C.L.E." in 1964–65. From 1969–71, he was vice president in charge of production at Ray Stark's Rastar Prods., which during his tenure produced 1970's "The Owl and the Pussycat." Abrahams joined the American Film Theatre company in 1972 as an executive, and he closed production on eight films – including John Frankenheimer's "Iceman" and the Katharine Hepburn-starring "A Delicate Balance" – in a span of 10 months. In the 1980s, Abrahams worked on telefilms, including "Separate Tables" starring Julie Christie and "The Arch of Triumph" starring Anthony Hopkins. He worked as vp production in 1986 for World Media Prods. He later worked as producer-in-residence for the Center for Advanced Film and Television at the AFI, serving from 1989 to 1994.

Personal life

Abrahams was married to his college sweetheart Dorothy Abrahams; they had two children. He was pre-deceased by his son. Among his survivors is his daughter, Marjie Abrahams of RSA Films.

References

External links

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Hollywood ReporterGoogle Groups Obituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abrahams, Mort 1916 births 2009 deaths American film producers 20th-century American Jews American television producers 21st-century American Jews