Marvin Worth

Marvin Worth
Born	June 6, 1925(1925-06-06) Brooklyn, New York
Died	April 22, 1998(1998-04-22) (aged 72) Los Angeles, California
Other names	Film producer, screenwriter, actor
Spouse	Joan Worth (ca. 1954 - April 22, 1998)

Marvin Worth (June 6, 1925 - April 22, 1998) was an American film producer, screenwriter and actor perhaps best known for his efforts to bring the biography of Malcolm X to the big screen. His efforts spanned from 1967, when he purchased the rights to The Autobiography of Malcolm X that led to the production of the 1972 documentary for which he received an Oscar nomination. Later on, he would help produce Malcolm X, directed by Spike Lee.

Early life and career

Worth's career began at a very early age when he began promoting jazz concerts, which led to relationship with many artists. At one time, he managed the musical careers of Charlie Parker and Billie Holiday. Later, Worth's employment as an agent branched into comedy, and he took on the contentious comedian, Lenny Bruce. In the 1950s, he forged a partnership with Arne Sultan and began writing material for Bruce. The duo went on to pen the scripts for Three on a Couch and Boys' Night Out and the story for Promise Her Anything. In 1958, Worth won a Peabody Award for his writing on The Steve Allen Show.^[1]

In 1975, Worth brought the story of Lenny Bruce to Broadway in the production Lenny, which won a Tony Award for its star, Cliff Gorman.^[1][2] for the remainder of his career, Worth continued to produce biopics including the 1978 film The Rose (loosely based on Janis Joplin), the 1996 television movie Norma Jean & Marilyn, the 1998 television movie Gia, and the 2001 television movie James Dean.

Personal life and death

Worth was married to his wife Joan, an artist, for 44 years. They had three children.^[3] On April 22, 1998, Worth died of bronchioloalveolar carcinoma, a form of lung cancer, in Los Angeles.^[4]

Selected filmography

Actor

• Fire Sale (1977)

Producer

• Where's Poppa? (1970)
• Up the Academy (1980)
• Soup for One (1982)
• Falling in Love (1984)
• Less Than Zero (1987)
• See No Evil, Hear No Evil (1989)
• Flashback (1990)
• Diabolique (1996)

Writer

• The Polly Bergen Show (Unknown episodes, 1957-1958)
• The Dinah Shore Chevy Show (1 episode, 1958)
• The Ann Sothern Show (Unknown episodes, 1958)
• Get Smart (2 episodes, 1965)

Award nominations

Year	Award	Result	Category	Film or series
1973	Academy Award	Nominated	Best Documentary, Features	Malcolm X (Shared with Arnold Perl)
1975			Best Picture	Lenny
1998	Emmy Award		Outstanding Made for Television Movie	Gia (Shared with James D. Brubaker, David R. Ginsburg, and Ilene Kahn)
1985	Golden Raspberry Award		Worst Picture	Rhinestone (Shared with Howard Smith)

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Oliver, Myrna (1998-04-24). "Marvin Worth; Producer of ‘Lenny,’ ‘Malcolm X’". The L.A. Times. http://articles.latimes.com/1998/apr/24/news/mn-42635. Retrieved 2009-02-09. 
2. ^ "Cliff Gorman: Dynamic star of 'Lenny' and 'The Boys in the Band'". independent.co.uk. 2002-09-16. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/cliff-gorman-642883.html. Retrieved 2009-02-09. 
3. ^ McLellan, Dennis (2006-12-31). "Joan Worth, 72; theatrical writer-producer". boston.com. http://www.boston.com/news/globe/obituaries/articles/2006/12/31/joan_worth_72_theatrical_writer_producer/. Retrieved 2009-02-09. 
4. ^ Galloway, Doug (April 1998). "Marvin Worth (Writer/producer, age 72)". findarticles.com. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb1437/is_199804/ai_n5949075. Retrieved 2009-02-09. ^{[dead link]}

External links

Biography portal

• Marvin Worth at the Internet Broadway Database
• Marvin Worth at the Internet Movie Database
• Marvin Worth at AllRovi
• Marvin Worth at Find a Grave

Persondata
Name	Worth, Marvin
Alternative names
Short description	Film producer, screenwriter, actor
Date of birth	June 6, 1925
Place of birth	Brooklyn, New York
Date of death	April 22, 1998
Place of death	Los Angeles, California