Morris "Mace" Alvin Neufeld (July 13, 1928 – January 21, 2022)[1] was an American film and television producer. Born in New York City, Neufeld began working in the entertainment industry as a songwriter and production assistant in the late 1940s and then as a talent agent, managing comics, actors, musicians and writers, including Don Adams, Don Knotts, Neil Diamond, and the Carpenters. He began producing for television in the 1970s and in 1981 was nominated for a primetime Emmy for the TV movie East of Eden.[1]
Mace Neufeld | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Morris Alvin Neufeld[1] July 13, 1928 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | January 21, 2022 (aged 93) |
| Education | Stuyvesant High School, Yale University, B.A. |
| Occupation(s) | Film and television producer |
| Spouses | |
| Children | Bradley David Neufeld Glenn Jeremy Neufeld Nancy Ann Neufeld |
| Parent(s) | Margaret Ruth (née Braun) Philip M. Neufeld |
Described by the Los Angeles Times as "a prolific producer with old-school Hollywood charm and a Renaissance-man résumé",[2] Neufeld's first feature film production was the successful horror film The Omen in 1976, starring Gregory Peck and Lee Remick. Three successful sequels followed. In the 1990s and early 2000s, Neufeld produced several screen adaptations of works by author Tom Clancy, beginning with The Hunt for Red October starring Sean Connery and Alec Baldwin and continuing with Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger and The Sum of All Fears. Film productions in the 2000s included Sahara and Invictus, and in the 2010s, The Equalizer, The Equalizer 2 and the Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan series for Amazon.[2][1]
During his life, Neufeld was honored with lifetime achievement awards from the Israel Film Festival and the Palm Springs Film Festival, as well as a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.[3]
Early life
editNeufeld was born July 13, 1928, in New York City, New York, the son of Margaret Ruth (née Braun) and Philip M. Neufeld, a stockbroker.[4]
In 1944, during his senior year at New York's Stuyvesant High School, he snapped a photo of an American soldier on crutches emerging from a taxi to greet his parents upon returning from World War II. The New York Daily News bought the photo and devoted a full page to it. The photo became a finalist for that year's Pulitzer Prize. As a result, Neufeld was offered photography scholarships at the University of Ohio and at USC. He chose instead to enroll at Yale University,[5] where his classmates included George H. W. Bush.[1] After graduation, Neufeld went to work as a production assistant at the DuMont Television Network. He also composed music, writing songs for Sammy Davis Jr., the Ritz Brothers, and Rosemary Clooney.[1]
Career
editIn the 1950s, Neufeld became a talent agent and managed Don Knotts, Don Adams, Randy Newman, Neil Diamond, Jim Croce and Jay Ward.[5] Neufeld entered television series production in the late 1970s. His productions of the time included the variety show The Captain and Tennille, which ran from 1976 to 1977 on ABC, The Kids from C.A.P.E.R., which ran from 1976 through 1977 on CBS, and Quark, which ran for one year in 1978 on NBC. He also became a film producer, beginning with The Omen in 1976,[5][1] along with its sequels. Neufeld next produced the TV movie Angel on My Shoulder on ABC in 1980, as well as the features The Frisco Kid (the first of several film projects with Harrison Ford) in 1979, The Funhouse in 1981, and Transylvania 6-5000 in 1985. Neufeld's small screen work continued, including a 1981 family drama American Dream and the fantasy of The Magic Planet (both on ABC), as well as White Hot: The Mysterious Murder of Thelma Todd on NBC and the adventure of Lightning Force, a syndicated series, from 1991 to 1992.
His production company, with mogul Marvin Davis, was followed by one set up with Robert Rehme, which arranged an exclusive production deal with Paramount. Launching their partnership in the early 1990s, the team went on to shepherd Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger, based on the bestselling books of Tom Clancy.[5][1] They also produced 1991's Flight of the Intruder. Neufeld had earlier produced Clancy's The Hunt for Red October with Jerry Sherlock.[5] When Rehme exited the partnership to become President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Neufeld went on to produce yet another Tom Clancy adaptation starring Ben Affleck, The Sum of All Fears,[1] as well as Bless the Child, Lost in Space and Asylum.
Neufeld was a producer on Sahara, released in 2005, and on Invictus, directed by Clint Eastwood, starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon. Neufeld produced Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, starring Chris Pine, and Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan, starring John Krasinski,[1] as well as The Equalizer and The Equalizer 2, both starring Denzel Washington. Neufeld was given the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2014 Israel Film Festival.[6]
Personal life and death
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Neufeld married fashion designer Helen Katz in 1954, and had three children, Bradley, Glenn and Nancy.[7][8][1] The couple remained together until Helen's death in 1995. He continued working into his 90s, serving as executive producer on the Amazon series Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan. As he told a reporter in 2014: "I figure I'll continue doing movies as long as I can tie my own shoelaces."[2]
Neufeld died in Beverly Hills, California, on January 21, 2022, at the age of 93.[9][1]
Filmography
editHe was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.
Film
edit| Year | Film | Credit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | The Omen | Executive producer | |
| 1978 | Damien - Omen II | Executive producer | |
| 1979 | The Frisco Kid | ||
| 1981 | The Funhouse | Executive producer | |
| 1985 | The Aviator | ||
| Transylvania 6-5000 | |||
| 1987 | No Way Out | Executive producer | |
| 1989 | The Punisher | Associate producer | Uncredited
|
| 1990 | The Hunt for Red October | ||
| 1991 | Flight of the Intruder | ||
| Stone Cold | Uncredited
| ||
| Necessary Roughness | |||
| 1992 | Patriot Games | ||
| 1994 | Beverly Hills Cop III | ||
| Clear and Present Danger | |||
| 1997 | The Saint | ||
| 1998 | Blind Faith | Executive producer | |
| Lost in Space | Executive producer | ||
| Black Dog | Executive producer | ||
| 1999 | The General's Daughter | ||
| 2000 | Bless the Child | ||
| 2002 | The Sum of All Fears | ||
| 2003 | Gods and Generals | Executive producer | |
| 2005 | Asylum | ||
| Sahara | |||
| 2009 | Invictus | ||
| 2012 | Zambezia | Executive producer | |
| 2014 | Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit | ||
| The Equalizer | |||
| 2018 | The Equalizer 2 |
- As an actor
| Year | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | The Sum of All Fears | WHCA Dinner Chairman |
- Thanks
| Year | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Jasmine | Special thanks |
| 2017 | Heart, Baby |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Credit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | The Owl and the Pussycat | Television film | |
| 1977–78 | Quark | Co-executive producer Executive producer |
|
| 1980 | Angel on My Shoulder | Executive producer | Television film |
| 1981 | East of Eden | Executive producer | |
| American Dream | Executive producer | ||
| 1985 | A Death in California | Executive producer | |
| 1991 | White Hot: The Mysterious Murder of Thelma Todd | Co-executive producer | Television film |
| Omen IV: The Awakening | Executive producer | Television film | |
| 1992 | Lightning Force | Executive producer | |
| 1996 | Gridlock | Executive producer | Television film |
| Woman Undone | Executive producer | Television film | |
| For the Future: The Irvine Fertility Scandal | Executive producer | Television film | |
| 1998 | Escape: Human Cargo | Executive producer | Television film |
| 2001 | Love and Treason | Executive producer | Television film |
| 2018–19 | Jack Ryan | Executive producer | |
| TBA | Outrider | Executive producer |
- As writer
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1960–61 | Laugh Line | Devised by |
- As an actor
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Get Smart | Herbert |
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Association | Category | Title | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Emmy | Outstanding Limited Series | East of Eden (miniseries) | Nominated | [10] |
| 1993 | National Association of Theatre Owners/ShoWest | Producer of the Year | Awarded | [1] | |
| 2003 | Santa Barbara International Film Festival | Career Achievement Award | Awarded | [11] | |
| 2009 | Critic's Choice Award | Best picture | Invictus | Nominated | [12] |
| 2014 | Israel Film Festival | Lifetime Achievement Award | Awarded | [13] |
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Barnes, Mike (January 21, 2022). "Mace Neufeld, Producer of Jack Ryan Blockbusters, Dies at 93: The former talent manager also was behind such films as 'The Omen,' 'No Way Out' and 'The Equalizer.'". Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ a b c Rottenberg, Josh (Jan 21, 2022). "Mace Neufeld, producer of 'The Omen' and the Jack Ryan spy franchise, dies". Los Angeles TImes. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
- ^ Saperstein, Pat (21 January 2022). "Mace Neufeld, Producer of 'Patriot Games,' 'Beverly Hills Cop III,' Dies at 93". Variety. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
- ^ "Mace Neufeld Biography (1928-)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved 2017-05-03.
- ^ a b c d e Gaydos, Steven (September 8, 1999). "'General's' rank benefits Neufeld". Daily Variety. p. A11.
- ^ Los Angeles Times: "Comedies, drama, even Mafia supplant conflict at Israel Film Festival" By Susan King October 24, 2014
- ^ Loomis, Nicky (June 30, 2010). "Mace Neufeld". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
Neufeld is married to designer Helen Katz and has three children.
- ^ "Neufeld, Mace 1928-". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
- ^ Mace Neufeld, producer of 'The Omen' and the Jack Ryan spy franchise, dies
- ^ "John Steinbeck's East of Eden: Awards & Nominations". Emmys.com. Television Academy.
- ^ Tapp, Tom. "Mace Neufeld Dies: Producer Of Tom Clancy Thrillers & 'The Omen', 'Equalizer' Pics Was 93". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
- ^ "15th Critics' Choice Awards (2010)". Digital Hit. Digital Hit Entertainment. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
- ^ Weinstein, Shelli (Oct 10, 2014). "Israel Film Festival to Honor Arnon Milchan, Mace Neufeld". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved 19 November 2023.