Lawrence Turman obit

Lawrence Turman, Oscar-Nominated Producer of 'The Graduate,' Dead at 96

He also produced the films 'The Great White Hope,' 'The Best Man' and 'American History X' 

He was not on the list.

Lawrence Turman, the Oscar-nominated producer of The Graduate, died on Saturday at the age of 96.

He died at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, Calif., his family announced, per The Hollywood Reporter.

Turman's Hollywood career spanned 50 years and included work on more than 30 films, including The Great White Hope, Pretty Poison and American History X. He also served as the chair of USC’s Peter Stark Producing program from 1991 until he retired in 2021, according to Variety.

A graduate of UCLA, Turman began his career as an agent before moving into producing, including working on Judy Garland's last film, 1963's I Could Go On Singing.

After coming across a New York Times review of Charlie Webb's book The Graduate, he put together financing and casting, recruited Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel to make music for the movie, and tapped the young, up-and-coming director Mike Nichols. The film, released in 1967 and starring Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft, won seven Academy Awards including best picture and best director for Nichols.

“He was proud of telling the story how every studio in town turned the project down, twice,” Turman's family recounted to Variety.

In 1974, Turman forged what would be a 20-year partnership with producer David Foster and went on to make The Drowning Pool, Caveman, Heroes, The Thing, Running Scared, the 1994 reboot of The Getaway and The River Wild. The pair went their separate ways in 1991 when Turman left to oversee the Peter Stark Producing program.

During his tenure at USC, Turman continued to produce into the 2000s, and also directed and produced Marriage of a Young Stockbroker and Second Thoughts, starring Lucie Arnaz.

He published a book in 2005 about his career in Hollywood titled So You Want to Be a Producer.

“I initiate every single film project upon which I work; most of them would not have seen the light of day had I not decided to make them,” he wrote in the book, per THR. “I’m the starter and also the finisher.”

Turman is survived by three sons, John, Andrew and Peter; four grandchildren, Audrey Suzanne, Carter Isaac, Georgia Simone and Olivia Veranique; and two nieces, Katherine and Suzanna.

 

Film

Year     Film            Credit            Notes            Ref.

1961    The Young Doctors                        

1963    I Could Go On Singing                         

Stolen Hours            Executive producer                 

1964    The Best Man                                

1967    The Flim-Flam Man                        

The Graduate                          

1968    Pretty Poison            Executive producer                 

1970    The Great White Hope                           

1971    The Marriage of a Young Stockbroker                            

1974    The Nickel Ride            Executive producer                 

1975    The Drowning Pool                        

1977    First Love                           

Heroes                        

1979    Walk Proud                          

1981            Caveman                                

1982    The Thing                           

[4]

1983    Second Thoughts                                 

1984    Mass Appeal                        

1985    The Mean Season                          

1986    Short Circuit                         

Running Scared                                   

1988    Short Circuit 2                                  

Full Moon in Blue Water                              

1989            Gleaming the Cube                             

1994    The Getaway                                  

The River Wild                        

1997    Booty Call            Executive producer                 

1998            American History X            Executive producer                 

2001            Kingdom Come            Executive producer                 

What's the Worst That Could Happen?                                   

2011    The Thing            Executive producer            Final film as a producer         

Miscellaneous crew

Year     Film            Role

1963    I Could Go On Singing            Presenter

1964    The Best Man

1980    Tribute

As director

Year     Film

1971    The Marriage of a Young Stockbroker

1983    Second Thoughts

 

Television

Year     Title            Credit            Notes

1969    The Flim-Flam Man            Executive producer            Television pilot

1973    She Lives!            Executive producer            Television film

1974    Get Christie Love!            Executive producer            Television film

The Morning After            Executive producer            Television film

Unwed Father            Executive producer            Television film

1982            Between Two Brothers            Executive producer            Television film

The Gift of Life            Executive producer            Television film

1986    News at Eleven            Executive producer            Television film

1996    Pretty Poison            Executive producer            Television film

1998    The Long Way Home            Executive producer            Television film

2000    Miracle on the Mountain: The Kincaid Family Story            Executive producer            Television film

 

Miscellaneous crew

Year     Title            Role            Notes

1974            Savages            Creative consultant            Television film