Lee Rich | |
|---|---|
 Rich in 1973 | |
| Born | (1918-12-19)December 19, 1918 Cleveland, Ohio, United States |
| Died | May 24, 2012(2012-05-24) (aged 93) Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Education | Ohio University |
| Occupations | Film and television producer |
| Known for | The Waltons and Dallas producer |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 5 |
| Awards | Emmy Award |
Lee Rich (December 19, 1918 – May 24, 2012) was an American film and television producer, who won the 1973 Outstanding Drama Series Emmy award for The Waltons as the producer. He is also known as the co-founder and former chairman of Lorimar Television.[1]
Among the five Emmy nominated programs Rich produced were the series Dallas and Knots Landing.
Early life and education
Rich was born in Cleveland, Ohio on December 19, 1918. His parents were Morris Richtaller and Anna Neminsky, both Jewish. His mother was born in Tetiev, Ukraine. He earned a marketing degree from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio.[2][3]
Career
Rich began his career in advertising and ultimately became an industry executive.
He served in the Navy as a lieutenant in World War II, and then returned to advertising in New York, where he rose to senior vice president and a member of the board of Benton & Bowles.
As the ad agency middleman between product company sponsors and television producers, he was involved with The Andy Griffith Show, Make Room for Daddy, The Edge of Night, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., and The Dick Van Dyke Show.
Rich left Benton & Bowles in 1965 to partner with the Mirisch Co. and form Mirisch-Rich Productions. There he produced The Rat Patrol.
In 1969, he, Merv Adelson, and Irwin Molasky formed Lorimar Productions. Its first production was The Homecoming: A Christmas Story (1971), a television film which led to Lorimar producing the series it inspired, The Waltons, featuring the same characters. The series ran on CBS from 1972 to 1981. Rich also co-produced the short-lived 1977 CBS espionage drama Hunter. Lorimar's biggest hit was the primetime soap Dallas, which ran from 1978 to 1991. During the Dallas storyline Who Shot J.R.? (in which Larry Hagman’s character is fired upon in the 1979-80 season finale in March and the assailant is not revealed until the following November) only Rich, executive producer Philip Capice, and writer-director Leonard Katzman knew which of three previously shot endings would be used.
After leaving Lorimar in 1986, Rich joined MGM/UA Communications. For two years he was the chairman and chief executive of MGM.[4] After leaving MGM, he started The Lee Rich Company (aka Lee Rich Productions) with a deal at Warner Bros. for film and television production.[5]
Personal life
Rich married American actress Pippa Scott in 1964, having three children together before they divorced in 1983,[6] though they maintained a friendship until his death.[2] Later Rich had two other children with his second wife, Angela Rich.
Death
Rich died on May 24, 2012, at the age of 93 in Los Angeles, California from lung cancer.[2][7]
Filmography
He was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.
Film
| Year | Film | Credit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | The Sporting Club | ||
| 1972 | The Man | ||
| 1977 | The Choirboys | ||
| 1978 | Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe? | Executive producer | |
| 1990 | Hard to Kill | Executive producer | |
| 1992 | Innocent Blood | ||
| Passenger 57 | |||
| 1995 | Just Cause | ||
| The Amazing Panda Adventure | |||
| 1996 | Big Bully | ||
| 1998 | Desperate Measures | ||
| 1999 | Gloria | ||
| 2001 | The Score | Final film as a producer |
Television
| Year | Title | Credit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | The Rat Patrol | Executive producer | |
| Sheriff Who | Executive producer | Television film | |
| 1971 | Aesop's Fables | Executive producer | Television film |
| Do Not Fold, Spindle or Mutilate | Executive producer | Television film | |
| The Good Life | Executive producer | ||
| The Homecoming: A Christmas Story | Executive producer | Television film | |
| 1972 | The Crooked Hearts | Executive producer | Television film |
| Pursuit | Executive producer | Television film | |
| 1973 | The Girls of Huntington House | Executive producer | Television film |
| Dying Room Only | Executive producer | Television film | |
| Don't Be Afraid of the Dark | Executive producer | Television film | |
| The Blue Knight | Executive producer | Television film | |
| A Dream for Christmas | Executive producer | Television film | |
| Pomroy's People | Executive producer | Television film | |
| 1974 | Police Headquarters | Executive producer | Television film |
| The Stranger Within | Executive producer | Television film | |
| Bad Ronald | Executive producer | Television film | |
| Apple's Way | Executive producer | ||
| 1973−74 | Doc Elliot | Executive producer | |
| 1975 | The Runaway Barge | Executive producer | Television film |
| The Runaways | Executive producer | Television film | |
| Returning Home | Executive producer | Television film | |
| Eric | Executive producer | Television film | |
| Conspiracy of Terror | Executive producer | Television film | |
| 1976 | Widow | Executive producer | Television film |
| Helter Skelter | Executive producer | Television film | |
| You're Just Like Your Father | Executive producer | Television film | |
| 1975−76 | The Blue Knight | Executive producer | |
| 1977 | Green Eyes | Executive producer | Television film |
| Bravo Two | Executive producer | Television film | |
| Killer on Board | Executive producer | Television film | |
| Bunco | Executive producer | Television film | |
| 1978 | A Question of Guilt | Executive producer | Television film |
| The Wilds of Ten Thousand Islands | Executive producer | Television film | |
| The Young Pioneers | Executive producer | ||
| The Waverly Wonders | Executive producer | ||
| Desperate Women | Executive producer | Television film | |
| Long Journey Back | Executive producer | Television film | |
| 1979 | Some Kind of Miracle | Executive producer | Television film |
| Mr. Horn | Executive producer | Television film | |
| Studs Lonigan | Executive producer | ||
| Married: The First Year | Executive producer | ||
| Big Shamus, Little Shamus | Executive producer | ||
| Young Love, First Love | Executive producer | Television film | |
| Mary and Joseph: A Story of Faith | Executive producer | Television film | |
| A Man Called Intrepid | Executive producer | ||
| 1978−79 | Kaz | Executive producer | |
| 1980 | Marriage Is Alive and Well | Executive producer | Television film |
| Skag | Executive producer | ||
| The Waltons: A Decade of the Waltons | Executive producer | Television film | |
| Reward | Executive producer | Television film | |
| Willow B: Women in Prison | Executive producer | Television film | |
| Joshua's World | Executive producer | Television film | |
| A Perfect Match | Executive producer | Television film | |
| Secrets of Midland Heights | Executive producer | ||
| 1971−80 | The Waltons | Co-executive producer Executive producer | |
| 1978−80 | Dallas | Executive producer | |
| 1981 | A Matter of Life and Death | Executive producer | Television film |
| Our Family Business | Executive producer | Television film | |
| Killjoy | Executive producer | Television film | |
| 1977−81 | Eight Is Enough | Executive producer | |
| 1982 | King's Crossing | Executive producer | |
| A Wedding on Walton's Mountain | Executive producer | Television film | |
| Mother's Day on Waltons Mountain | Executive producer | Television film | |
| This Is Kate Bennett... | Executive producer | Television film | |
| Two Guys from Muck | Executive producer | Television film | |
| Two of a Kind | Executive producer | Television film | |
| A Day for Thanks on Walton's Mountain | Executive producer | Television film | |
| 1980−82 | Flamingo Road | Executive producer | |
| 1983 | Dusty | Executive producer | Television film |
| One Cooks, the Other Doesn't | Executive producer | Television film | |
| 1990 | The Face of Fear | Executive producer | Television film |
| 1993 | Killer Rules | Executive producer | Television film |
| Against the Grain | Executive producer | ||
| A Walton Thanksgiving Reunion | Executive producer | Television film | |
| 1994 | Island City | Executive producer | Television film |
| 1995 | A Walton Wedding | Executive producer | Television film |
| 1996 | Dallas: J.R. Returns | Executive producer | Television film |
| 1997 | A Walton Easter | Executive producer | Television film |
- Production manager
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966−67 | The Rat Patrol | Executive in charge of production | |
| Hey, Landlord | In charge of production | ||
| 1976 | Sybil | Production supervisor | Television film |
- Thanks
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 64th Primetime Emmy Awards | In memory of | Television special |
References
- Fink, Nikki (May 25, 2012). "R.I.P. Television Mogul Lee Rich". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 17, 2012.
- Vitello, Paul (May 30, 2012). "Lee Rich Dies at 93; Helped Create Both J.R. and John-Boy". New York Times. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
- McLellan, Dennis (May 26, 2012). "Lee Rich dies at 93; advertising executive became a top TV producer". Retrieved September 11, 2015.
- "Lee Rich, Co-Founder of Legendary Production Company Lorimar, Dies at 93". The Hollywood Reporter.
- Voland, John (September 6, 1988). "MOVIES - Sept. 6, 1988". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
- https://www.variety.com/article/VR1118054663?refCatId=14 variety.com
- "TV mogul Lee Rich dies at 91: Exec co-founded Lorimar, headed MGM/UA 859-803-3649". Chicago Tribune. May 25, 2012.
External links
- Lee Rich at IMDb
- Lee Rich at The Interviews: An Oral History of Television
- Image of Robert L. Jacks, Michael Learned, Richard Thomas and Lee Rich with their Emmys for "The Waltons," Los Angeles, California, 1973. Los Angeles Times Photographic Archive (Collection 1429). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.