Howard West obit

Howard West, ‘Seinfeld’ Producer, Dies at 84

The New York native worked with such comedy legends as Andy Kaufman and Marty Feldman. 

He was not on the list.

Howard West, longtime business partner of George Shapiro and best known for his work as a producer on Seinfeld, has died, a source confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter. He was 84.

West passed away on Thursday at UCLA Hospital in Westwood of a stroke.

West, born in New York City, and lifelong friend Shapiro were part of the team behind Seinfeld, which won multiple Emmy, Golden Globe and Peabody awards. It is widely considered one of the best comedies in TV history.

The pair formed management firm Shapiro-West and Associates.

West also produced Andy Kaufman Plays Carnegie Hall, the late comedian’s 1980 TV special. West was an executive producer on Man on the Moon, the film telling the life story of Kaufman, starring Jim Carrey.

West graduated from Long Island University with a degree in business administration.

He served in the Army, after which he joined the William Morris Agency.

After becoming an agent and moving to Los Angeles, West worked on packaging shows, including The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour.

West was also Young Frankenstein star Marty Feldman’s personal manager for 10 years and worked as executive producer on The Last Remake of Beau Geste.

“Howard was doing what he loved til the end,” Seinfeld said. “There’s nothing better.”

West and Shapiro became friends at the age of 8 after meeting on the playground in elementary school.

“I invited him to join me and my friends to play basketball, stickball, curb ball and touch football,” Shapiro said. “It was love at first sight, and we became best friends since that day.”

West graduated from Long Island University and served in the Army. He reunited with Shapiro when the two worked in the mailroom at the William Morris Agency. The two rose through the ranks together before launching their own firm in the early 1970s.

West’s clients at William Morris included Neil Diamond, Glen Campbell, Anne Murray, Ruth Buzzi, Paul Lynde, Jerry Reed and producer Greg Garrison. At WMA West television packaging, putting together such shows as “The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour” and “The Bobby Darin Show.”

At Shapiro/West, the pair repped a mix of performers, writers and producers including Reiner, Peter Bonerz, Gabe Kaplan, Robert Wuhl, Marty Feldman, Bill Persky and Sam Denoff, Austin and Irma Kalish, Steve Gordon and Bill Lawrence.

Shapiro and West’s unusually strong bond with their old neighborhood and childhood friends was documented in the 2003 HBO documentary “The Bronx Boys,” narrated by Carl Reiner. A sequel, “The Bronx Boys Still Playing at 80,” aired on PBS in 2013.

West had a brief role in “Man on the Moon,” the 1999 biopic of Kaufman starring Jim Carrey. He played a hard-nosed TV executive. “He was a natural for the role,” Shapiro said.

West is survived by his wife of 54 years, Marlene; a daughter, Dayna; son, Todd; and a granddaughter.