Lew Wasserman
| Lew Wasserman | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Lewis Robert Wasserman March 22, 1913 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | June 3, 2002 (aged 89) Beverly Hills, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | stroke |
| Resting place | Hillside Memorial Park, Culver City, California |
| Occupation | Hollywood studio head; talent agent |
| Spouse(s) | Edith Beckerman (m. 1936–2002), (his death) |
| Children | Lynne Kay Wasserman |
| Parent(s) | Isaac Wasserman and Minnie Chernick |
Lewis Robert "Lew" Wasserman (March 22, 1913 – June 3, 2002) was an American talent agent and studio executive, sometimes credited with creating and later taking apart the studio system in a career spanning more than six decades. He was also the manager of MCA.
Wasserman was born to a Jewish family in Cleveland, Ohio, the son of Isaac Wasserman and Minnie Chernick, both emigrants from Russia. He began his show business career as an usher in a Cleveland theater in 1933. He later became a booking agent for the Music Corporation of America (MCA), founded by Jules Stein.
Under Wasserman, MCA branched out into representing actors and actresses in addition to musicians and in the process created the star system, which drove up prices for studios. MCA struggled to gain ground in Hollywood since major agencies like those belonging to Charles Feldman, Myron Selznick, and Leland Hayward had already grabbed up most of the major talent. However, in the mid-1940s, when it purchased Hayward's agency, MCA finally gained bargaining leverage with the studios. As an agency, Wasserman's MCA came to dominate Hollywood, representing such stars as Bette Davis and Ronald Reagan, whom Wasserman was instrumental in helping to become president of the Screen Actors Guild.
Wasserman was an influential player and fund-raiser in the Democratic Party, but was also a lifelong and instrumental advocate, mentor, and close friend of Reagan. The Newsmeat Power Rankings identify Wasserman and his close friend Jack Valenti as two of the top five "most famous and powerful Americans whose campaign contributions result most often in victory."
At MCA Wasserman expanded upon a business practice known as film packaging (something established by earlier agents like Feldman and Selznick). Since studios reduced output after World War II, they let more actors off of long-term contracts and big agencies like MCA could negotiate stronger terms for their clients. Agents like Wasserman would pitch packages (say, a writer client, director client, and actor or actress) to the studios, who only needed to finance it. Agencies therefore began doing the job the studios used to in some respects – namely, assembling films.
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