He produced Hollywood classics such as "Some Like It Hot", the musical film "West Side Story" and the crime comedy "The Pink Panther". The three-time Oscar winner had a "powerful impact" on the film industry. Now Walter Mirisch has died.
Legendary Hollywood producer Walter Mirisch has died at the age of 101. The three-time Oscar winner died of natural causes in Los Angeles on Friday, according to the US Film Academy. The academy's executive director, Bill Kramer, and its president, Janet Yang, praised Mirisch as a "true visionary" who had a "powerful influence" on the film industry.
Works produced by Mirisch include classics such as Some Like It Hot with Marilyn Monroe (1959), the musical film West Side Story (1961) and the crime comedy The Pink Panther (1963).
Mirisch received his first Oscar in 1968 for the production of the thriller "In the Heat of the Night" (1967). His production company, The Mirisch Co., produced two other Academy Award-winning classics: Billy Wilder's poignant comedy The Apartment (1960) and Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins' musical drama West Side Story (1961).
Born in New York on November 8, 1921, Mirisch's career spanned six decades. He founded the production company The Mirisch Company in 1957 with his brothers Harold and Marvin. The company produced a number of famous films, including 'The Magnificent Seven' (1960), 'The Breaking Chain' (1963) and 'I Can't Catch Thomas Crown' (1968). Mirisch was President of the US Film Academy from 1973 to 1977.
