David Begelman
| David Begelman | |
|---|---|
| Born |
August 26, 1921 New York City |
| Died | August 7, 1995 (aged 73) Los Angeles Century Plaza Hotel |
| Cause of death | Suicide |
| Body discovered | August 7, 1995 |
| Residence | Beverly Hills |
| Citizenship | US |
| Alma mater | New York University |
| Occupation | producer, film executive |
| Spouse(s) | Annabelle Begelman |
| Children | Leslie Begelman |
David Begelman (August 26, 1921 – August 7, 1995) was a Hollywood producer who was involved in a studio embezzlement scandal in the 1970s.
Begelman was born to a Jewish family in New York City. His father was a Manhattan tailor.
Begelman was in the Air Force during World War II. he then became a student at New York University. Following college, he worked in the insurance business. He worked at the Music Corporation of America (MCA) for more than 11 years starting in the mid-1950s, eventually becoming vice president. He left in 1960 to co-found the talent agency Creative Management Associates (CMA) with Freddie Fields. Their clients included Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand, Liza Minnelli, Woody Allen, Gregory Peck, Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, Jackie Gleason and Fred Astaire. At CMA, Fields and Begelman pioneered the movie "package", where the talent agency put their stars, directors and writers together on a single project.
Begelman left CMA in 1973 to take over the floundering Columbia Pictures. Begelman used his package method at Columbia, dramatically changing the company's image by producing such hits as Shampoo (1975), Funny Lady and Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977). Begelman was among the first Hollywood agents to cross over and rise to the top of the studio system.
In February 1977, actor Cliff Robertson received a 1099 form from Columbia Pictures indicating he had received $10,000 from Columbia Pictures during 1976. He had never received the money, and discovered that his signature on the cashed check had been forged. Robertson's report started a criminal investigation. The LAPD and the FBI verified that the $10,000 check was a forgery, and it was tracked to Begelman. He was ultimately fined and sentenced to community service and a public service anti-drug documentary for the forgeries.
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