Leo Jaffe (April 23, 1909 in New York City, New York – August 20, 1997 in New York City, New York) was an American film executive. He was chairman of the board of

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

from 1973 until his retirement in 1981. He is the father of film producer

Stanley R. Jaffe Stanley Richard Jaffe (born July 31, 1940) is an American film producer, responsible for movies such as ''Fatal Attraction'', ''The Accused (1988 film), The Accused'', and ''Kramer vs. Kramer''. Background Jaffe was born to a American Jews, Jew ...

and film agent Andrea Jaffe.

Career

The son of Lithuanian immigrants, Jaffe began working in a glue factory in the

Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

to put himself through college. While still a graduate at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

, he began working in the mailroom at Columbia in the summer of 1930, spending his entire career there and working his way to the top. He became a travelling auditor and worked his way up the finance department, becoming treasurer and member of the board in 1956 and executive vice president in 1962. He ran the studio during the 1960s and 1970s becoming president in 1967 and chairman in August 1973. In 1979, Jaffe received 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 ...

Jean Hersholt Jean Pierre Carl Buron (12 July 1886 – 2 June 1956), known professionally as Jean Hersholt, was a Danish-American actor. He is best known for starring on the radio series '' Dr. Christian'' (1937–1954) and in the film '' Heidi'' (1937).Obitu ...

Award. In 1981 he retired after 51 years with the company and became chairman emeritus.

Personal life

In 1968, Jaffe received the Bronze Medallion, New York City's highest civilian honor. In 1994, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs, California, Walk of Stars was dedicated to him.Palm Springs Walk of Stars by date dedicated
He was married three times and had three sons, Howard, Ira and Stanley and two daughters, Marie and Andrea. He is the father to producer and director Stanley R. Jaffe known for the movie Krammer Vs. Krammer. Stanley went on to have two children Robert and Elizabeth Jaffe

References

External links

* 1909 births 1997 deaths Businesspeople from New York City American people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent American film studio executives Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award winners 20th-century American businesspeople {{US-film-bio-stub