Frank G. Mancuso (born July 25, 1933) is an
American former film
studio executive. Mancuso was the chairman and
CEO of
Paramount Pictures between 1984 and 1991, and
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 ...
between 1993 and 1999, when he retired.
Mancuso started as an usher in a theater in
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...
[ and eventually ran the programming for the company's 50 theatres.][
Mancuso joined Paramount Pictures in 1962, booking films from their Buffalo office. He worked his way up through their sales division before becoming vice-president of domestic distribution in March 1977. He became senior vice-president in August 1978. In April 1979, he was promoted to executive vice-president for distribution and marketing taking over marketing responsibilities. In August 1980, he became president of Paramount's new Distribution division which also became responsible for acquiring films for distribution.
In 1983, Mancuso was promoted to president of Paramount's motion picture division and in September 1984 he was chosen instead of COO ]Michael Eisner
Michael Dammann Eisner (born March 7, 1942) is an American businessman and former chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of The Walt Disney Company from September 1984 to September 2005. Prior to Disney, Eisner was president of rival film st ...
to take over from the departing Barry Diller
Barry Charles Diller (born February 2, 1942) is an American businessman. He is Chairman and Senior Executive of IAC and Expedia Group and founded the Fox Broadcasting Company and USA Broadcasting. Diller was inducted into the Television Hall o ...
as chairman and chief executive officer.[ He appointed ]Ned Tanen Ned Stone Tanen (c. September 20, 1931 – January 5, 2009) was an American film studio executive. The films he produced were some of the most popular films of the 1970s and 1980s, including the 2 key Brat Pack films '' The Breakfast Club'' and ...
to head the motion picture division.[ After falling from first place in 1984 to fourth in 1985, Paramount became the number one studio again in 1986 and 1987 with hits including '' Top Gun'', '']Crocodile Dundee
''Crocodile Dundee'' (stylized as ''"Crocodile" Dundee'' in the U.S.) is a 1986 action comedy film set in the Australian Outback and in New York City. It stars Paul Hogan as the weathered Mick Dundee, and American actress Linda Kozlowski as ...
'' (the top two grossing films of 1986), '' Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home'', ''Beverly Hills Cop II
''Beverly Hills Cop II'' is a 1987 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Tony Scott, written by Larry Ferguson and Warren Skaaren, and starring Eddie Murphy. It is the sequel to the 1984 film ''Beverly Hills Cop'' and the second ins ...
'', ''The Untouchables
Untouchables or The Untouchables may refer to:
American history
* Untouchables (law enforcement), a 1930s American law enforcement unit led by Eliot Ness
* ''The Untouchables'' (book), an autobiography by Eliot Ness and Oscar Fraley
* ''The U ...
''[ and '' Fatal Attraction''.
Mancuso became a Governor of the ]Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization with the stated goal of advancing the arts and sciences of motio ...
in 1986 and in 1992, he became its secretary.[
In 1993, Mancuso became chairman and CEO of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer until his retirement in 1999.][ He is currently the chairman of the ]Motion Picture and Television Fund
The Motion Picture & Television Fund (MPTF) is a charitable organization that offers assistance and care to those in the motion picture and television industries and their families with limited or no resources, including services such as temp ...
Corporate Board of Directors.
He is the father of executive producer Frank Mancuso Jr.
Frank G. Mancuso Jr. (born October 9, 1958) is an American film producer.
Mancuso, the son of the former Paramount Pictures president Frank Mancuso Sr., was born in Buffalo, New York. Mancuso produced sequels to '' Friday the 13th'' and co-cr ...
, and Maria Mancuso Gersh. Frank Mancuso lives in Los Angeles with his wife Fay. In 2010, Mancuso received a star on the Italian Walk of Fame
The Italian Walk of Fame (IWOF) located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is a walk of fame that acknowledges the achievements and accomplishments of successful persons of Italian descent. The walk of fame is located in the downtown Little Italy distri ...
in Toronto, Ontario
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
, Canada.
Filmography
He was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.
Film
References
External links
*
1933 births
Living people
Businesspeople from Buffalo, New York
American film studio executives
Paramount Pictures executives
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer executives
American people of Italian descent
20th-century American businesspeople
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