Seymour Heller

Seymour Heller (September 9, 1914, Cleveland, Ohio - October 8, 2001, Beverly Hills, California), was an American talent agent and artist's manager for over 60 years. He specialized in musical variety entertainers. Heller's most famous client was Liberace, whom he signed in 1950 and represented until the entertainer's death in 1987.

Career

While in college during the late 1930s Heller worked for MCA in his hometown Cleveland representing big band clients including Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Paul Whiteman, Guy Lombardo, Glen Gray and Horace Heidt. During World War II Heller served in the U.S. Coast Guard show "Tars and Spars" which featured celebrities such as Victor Mature, Sid Caesar, Gower Champion and Bob Fosse. After the war he moved to Los Angeles. Recalling his business dealings with Liberace, Heller later said, "Never had a contract. It was all done with a smile and a handshake." [TMA, " [http://www.talentmanagers.org/award.php Seymour Heller Award] ", retrieved 5 November 2007] Liberace's television show made him one of the best known entertainers in North America by the mid-1950s. In 1954 Heller formed a partnership with Dick Gabbe and Sam Lutz (Gabbe, Lutz and Heller Personal Management), beginning the first national personal management company in the United States. Heller co-founded the National Conference of Personal Managers that same year. Heller's other clients during his career included Lawrence Welk, Tex Beneke, Ginger Rogers, Debbie Reynolds, Mel Tormé, the Andrews Sisters and Regis Philbin. [Variety, " [http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117854185.html?categoryid=25&cs=1 Seymour Heller obituary] ", 14 October 2001, retrieved 5 November 2007] During the 1950s he developed both a friendship and business relationship with Colonel Tom Parker. Heller later owned the Producer's Workshop in Los Angeles and had a partnership with Ray Harris in the early disco record label American Variety International (AVI), which produced and released many records between 1974 and 1984 and also owned interests in music publishing. [Discomuseum.com, " [http://www.discomuseum.com/RinderLewis.html Rinder and Lewis] ", retrieved 5 November 2007] He did other business under the names Attarack/Heller and Associates (1960s) and Seymour Heller and Associates (1984).

Heller died of natural causes in his Beverly Hills home on 8 October 2001. In 2002 the Seymour Heller Awards were created in his honour by the Talent Managers Association.

Family

Heller's wife Billie Heller is a noted women's rights activist and feminist. They married in 1951 and lived in the Westwood neighbourhood of Los Angeles for a few years before becoming longtime residents of Beverly Hills. Their daughter Liz Heller is a former Capitol Records executive and founder of Buzztone, a Los Angeles-based marketing and media company. The Hellers also raised two adopted sons, Bruce and David.

References

External links

* [http://www.talentmanagers.org/seymour_heller_awards.php TMA 2006 Seymour Heller Awards page] (with photo of Billie Heller)
* [http://imdb.com/name/nm0375387/ Seymour Heller page on IMDb]
* [http://www.black-music-collectors.com/labels/avi.htm AVI discography]
* [http://www.viewimages.com/Search.aspx?mid=3229594 1955 photo of Elvis Presley and Liberace with Parker and Heller in background]